
In Olga Berluti's eyes, there is nothing more beautiful than a leather shoe darkened with age. This alone has a soul, she says. This has led her to develop an incredible colour palette – a spectrum from light to dark – which makes these shoes unique, just like their owner. Transferring this to the world of watchmaking was a challenge we relished. It was an exciting exercise to transpose the patina and the “Scritto” – two hallmark signs of Berluti's expertise – onto our cases.
Ricardo Guadalupe
CEO of HUBLOT
Olga Berluti expertly developed this carefully studied process of applying essential oils and pigments which give the shoes their unique character, in order to defy time and the rules of colour. The “Scritto” – also one of the hallmarks of the luxury shoe brand – refers to an eighteenth-century French letter which Olga Berluti bought at auction. Handwritten lines of text make their mark in this iconic collection, the expression of a labour of love crafted by hand. Encapsulating the Venezia leather – a natural material – in a water-resistant case was a feat in itself. Having done so, the next challenge for Hublot was clear: to find a way to transpose these traditions to the metal – a material with entirely different physical attributes – and imbue the cases with the “soul” of Berluti. A way of revealing the bond of expertise which unites these luxury ateliers.