How to Spot a Fake Hublot: The Complete Guide

The Scale of the Problem

The Hublot Big Bang is one of the most counterfeited modern luxury watches — loud, instantly recognisable, and a prime target. The fakes range from $40 street versions to $500–$1,200 "clones" with a real automatic movement, a ceramic bezel and convincing H-recess bezel screws that look right in a phone photo.

This guide is brand-wide: the checks for any Hublot — Big Bang, Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang, MP series — in the order a professional runs them. The tool below checks the caseback numbers; the physical checks are where a Hublot fake is caught.

The Bezel Screws — Type and Count

Hublot's signature is the ring of exposed screws around the bezel — six on the modern Big Bang and Classic Fusion, each a broad flat head with an H-shaped recess cut into it, varying on the MP lines. Check two things on a modern piece: the count is right for the model, and every head carries a clean, deep H. Budget fakes use plain domed or slotted heads, or, like the counterfeit above, small soft-edged screws with only a faint, shallow mark where a crisp H should be; others put Phillips or hex screws under a fake H-shaped cap.

Don't judge which way the H's point. Many guides say the H's on a genuine Hublot all line up. The genuine watches in our own archive don't bear that out: at full resolution, the H's on the genuine Classic Fusion above, on a genuine Big Bang we checked, and on the genuine Spirit of Big Bang in section 7 all sit at different angles. Screws get turned in servicing, and better fakes line theirs up neatly, so orientation proves nothing either way. The same goes for the screws on the back — the genuine casebacks further down this guide show them at all sorts of angles.

Vintage pieces are different. The MDM and early Classic models from before the 2005 Big Bang commonly have twelve bezel screws with plain slotted heads, as on the MDM pictured below (sizes and references vary, so compare against your exact reference). On those the H check does not apply; check the count and the even spacing instead.

The Movement — HUB Calibre and Sweep

Flip the watch over. Most modern Hublots have a display caseback.

A modern mechanical Hublot runs a HUB calibre — an in-house UNICO (HUB1240 and derivatives, a column-wheel flyback chronograph with the column wheel visible on many Big Bang models) or a Sellita/ETA-based movement finished for Hublot (HUB1110, HUB1112). Either way it sweeps.

Hublot has made quartz watches too — the vintage MDM and early Classic pieces, and some smaller models — so a ticking seconds hand on its own does not make a Hublot fake. What is decisive is quartz where the reference calls for an automatic: a tick under a dial that says "Automatic", or a battery module behind a Big Bang sold as UNICO. And a genuine Hublot quartz is Swiss: a Japanese module like the Miyota above, behind a dial printed "Swiss Made", is a fake.

Through the caseback, a genuine Hublot shows a "HUBLOT"-engraved rotor (often skeletonised, frequently with the calibre number), clean deliberate industrial finishing, the column wheel and flyback correctly built on UNICO models, and a movement that matches the reference — a plain three-hander behind a "Big Bang chronograph" dial is decisive.

The Caseback Numbers — Reference, Serial, Limited Edition

Hublot engraves the caseback with a reference number, a serial number, and — on limited pieces — a limited-edition number.

The reference on a modern Hublot (the Big Bang system from 2005 on) is dot-separated: a 3-digit model block, a 2-letter case-material code (NX titanium, SX/SB steel, CX ceramic, OX King Gold, MX Magic Gold), then bracelet and dial codes — e.g. `301.SB.131.RX`. Older pieces — MDM and early Classic models — use a shorter form: a 4-digit model number with dot suffixes, sometimes behind a letter, such as `1391.1` or `B 1405.1`. An older format is not a red flag on a genuine MDM or early Classic, and the checker below accepts both — but a 4-digit reference on a Big Bang, Classic Fusion or Spirit of Big Bang is a contradiction, because those lines only ever used the modern system. Not every Hublot shows the reference on the back face (the Classic Fusion below shows only the serial), so take it from the card or the listing and check it fits the watch.

The serial identifies the individual watch. On the genuine pieces we see it is usually 6–7 digits, sometimes behind a short letter prefix; Hublot publishes no serial-to-year table. The limited-edition number is engraved piece-over-size, e.g. `088/500`, and must be internally consistent (piece ≤ size) and match the published run for that exact edition.

Check the format and the internal consistency:

Engraving quality: genuine engraving is deep, crisp, and evenly spaced; fakes show shallow, fuzzy, or unevenly stamped characters, sometimes a wrong font. A limited-edition size that does not match the real edition (a "500" where the run was 250), or a piece number above the run, is decisive.

Ceramic, King Gold, and Weight

Hublot's materials are central to the brand and hard to fake convincingly.

Ceramic (Big Bang and Classic Fusion in black, white, blue, grey) is dense, cool to the touch, with a fine matte or polished finish and no casting porosity. Fake "ceramic" is usually coated metal or a lighter polymer — it warms faster in the hand, may show a seam or a chip revealing metal, and looks slightly plasticky. Tapped gently, real ceramic gives a hard high click; coated metal is duller.

King Gold is Hublot's proprietary red-gold alloy — noticeably heavier than steel of the same size, a specific warm red, not the yellow of standard 18k. A "gold" fake at steel weight is plated.

Weight overall: a genuine Big Bang 44mm in steel-and-ceramic is around 140–160 g on the strap; a King Gold piece is well over 200 g. Fakes run light.

The Dial, Crystal, and Hands

The dial: many Big Bang models have a skeletonised or sapphire dial. Genuine Hublot dial work is precise — the applied "HUBLOT" logo and "H" appliqué cleanly set, level, correctly proportioned; sharply printed sub-dials with even concentric finishing; a cleanly cut date window with an aligned disc. Fakes show a printed logo where it should be applied, fuzzy sub-dials, and misaligned or wrong-font date discs.

The crystal is sapphire, often domed and anti-reflective — optically clean, no distortion. Heavy blue or green glare, edge distortion, or a crystal that scratches easily (mineral glass or acrylic) is wrong.

The hands are precisely finished, often faceted, with clean lume inside the outline. Roughly cut hands, uneven heights, or lume over the edges are fake tells.

Strap, Deployant, and the "One Click" System

Hublot's straps are a signature — structured rubber, often with a bonded leather or fabric top layer, a specific texture, and a cleanly moulded "HUBLOT" on the keeper or underside. Genuine straps are dense and hold their shape; fakes are floppier, thinner, and the moulded text is soft.

Later Big Bang and Classic Fusion models use Hublot's One Click quick-change system — a push-button under the strap at the lug releases it with a precise click, no tools. On a genuine watch the button is crisp and the strap seats with zero play. A fake One Click feels vague, or the watch has fixed spring bars behind a fake button.

The deployant clasp carries a crisply engraved Hublot logo and closes with firm, even clicks. A gritty or loose clasp, or a shallow logo, is a fake tell — but as the counterfeit clasp above shows, better fakes get the engraving right, so a good clasp proves little.

Model-Specific Checks

Once the brand-level checks are clear:

• Big Bang: the "sandwich" case construction (bezel, case, back bolted together in visible layers), the correct UNICO or HUB movement, the chronograph pusher shape.
• Classic Fusion: thinner sandwich case, often a simpler HUB1110/1112, polished bezel over a brushed case.
• Spirit of Big Bang: the tonneau case — proportions and strap integration are specific and hard to fake. The bezel and case carry screws with the same H recess, again at mixed angles on a genuine watch, and the display back is engraved "SPIRIT OF BIG BANG" down one side.
• MP series: effectively one-off engineering; any MP claim needs specialist verification.

Run the brand checks above first; these only narrow it down.

Box, Papers, and Warranty Card

A Hublot comes with a warranty card, booklets, and a substantial box, often with a strap screwdriver. None of it authenticates the watch — cards are forged and genuine ones are sold separately from their watches.

Check that the card's reference and serial match the caseback exactly and that the retailer and date are plausible. An authorised dealer can confirm whether a serial is on Hublot's system. A card–caseback mismatch is a red flag; a match is a mild positive.

Quick Authentication Checklist

• On a modern Big Bang or Classic Fusion, count six bezel screws, each with a crisp H recess. Plain heads or a faint, shallow imitation of the H are a fast fail. Ignore which way the H's point, and ignore the caseback screws. Vintage MDM pieces commonly have twelve slotted screws instead.
• Through the caseback: a HUBLOT-signed rotor on automatics, a column wheel on UNICO references, and no Japanese quartz module behind a "Swiss Made" dial.
• Reset the chronograph — the seconds hand must snap to exactly 12.
• Check the reference format (modern or vintage) and the limited-edition number's internal consistency.
• Feel the ceramic — dense, cool, hard tap. Warm and dull means coated metal.
• Weigh it against the known figure for the model and materials.
• Loupe the dial: applied logo level and proportioned, sub-dials sharp.
• Test the One Click button (where the model has it) — crisp, no play.
• Confirm the model-specific case construction for the exact reference.
• Match the card reference and serial to the caseback; ignore the rest.

Two or more failures means walk away. A single failure on the bezel screws, the movement, or the ceramic is on its own sufficient.

When to Get a Professional Opinion

Where DIY hits its limit on Hublot is the clone tier: a $500–$1,200 fake with a real automatic movement, convincing H-head bezel screws, a sapphire crystal and a convincing ceramic-look bezel passes a phone-photo inspection and a quick handling. What separates it from a genuine watch is the movement architecture (a real UNICO column wheel), ceramic density, engraving depth, and dial finishing under magnification — judgement calls built on having handled both.

If the watch is a private sale, a gift you cannot open in front of the seller, or anything above the entry tier, get a second opinion before the money moves. LuxeDetect authenticates Hublot watches from $45 with a Certificate of Authenticity back in your inbox within 24 hours.

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