Singer Vasco Rossi spotted wearing a Hublot

The photograph catches Vasco Rossi — Italy's undisputed rock icon — wearing what any trained eye immediately recognises as an early Hublot Classic in stainless steel, reference 1405.2. The image is undated but the watch is unmistakably vintage, and deliberately so. This is not a celebrity reaching for a modern trophy piece; this is a collector's choice.

The Hublot Classic ref. 1405.2 traces its lineage directly to 1980, when Carlo Crocco founded Hublot and introduced the original 18mm natural rubber strap — a concept so counterintuitive at the time that the Swiss establishment openly mocked it. The steel reference 1405.2 houses a reliable ETA 2000-series automatic movement, beats at 28,800 vph, and offers approximately 42 hours of power reserve. The porthole-style case — 'Hublot' is French for porthole — measures a restrained 36mm and features the signature 10 screws securing the integrated rubber strap to the lugs. The dial is a crisp, uncluttered affair with applied indices and a date window at three o'clock. Modest. Confident. Correct.

Among vintage Hublot collectors, the original Classic series occupies a specific and increasingly respected position. The ref. 1405 in steel is considered an honest entry point into Hublot's pre-Big Bang identity — a period the brand itself rarely discusses but that serious collectors actively seek out. Examples in good condition with original rubber straps and unpolished cases have seen sustained grey-market appreciation over the past five years as interest in 1980s Swiss sports-adjacent watches has broadened.

Vasco Rossi's relationship with horology is well documented among Italian watch enthusiasts. He is not a passive collector who accepts gifted pieces for appearances; he wears watches with evident personal conviction, favouring pieces that carry genuine history over commercial spectacle. Choosing a ref. 1405.2 over any number of contemporary Hublots available to him says something deliberate about his taste.

On the secondary market, clean examples of the Hublot Classic steel reference 1405.2 trade in a range reflecting their age and condition. Retail pricing for the Classic series at period launch sat well below four figures; today, grey-market prices for well-preserved examples have firmed meaningfully, though the reference remains accessible compared to its cultural weight.