If nothing else, Hublot ought to be recognized as the luxury watchmaker best-loved by artists. None of its peers are consistently landing partnerships with world-recognized talent like Daniel Arsham, A-COLD-WALL* founder Samuel Ross, and Takashi Murakami, who's collaborated with Hublot no less than three times.
Murakami's third Hublot watch, revealed on June 29, may also be his most special. Created in partnership with Only Watch for its charitable auction, the Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Only Watch is a truly work of art.
And that's "art," singular: only one of these Murakami-designed Hublot timepieces will ever be made.
Part watch and part jewelry, the Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Only Watch is an opulent accessory that gives life to arguably Murakami's most recognizable iconography: the smiling flower.
The timepiece is as indulgent as it is complex, set with 444 gemstones set in such a way as to create a rainbow gradient, exactingly shaped to Murakami's measurement-specific proportions.
The Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Only Watch boasts the first-ever central tourbillon crafted by Hublot. "This was a difficult challenge because, it becomes very complicated to indicate the hours and minutes which compete for the same central position," according to a press release. "By accepting Takashi Murakami’s challenge, Hublot would have to make the right choices in order to integrate the aesthetic components of the central tourbillon to the technical requirements."
The resulting watch is a masterpiece of craft, both technical and creative, looking all the world like an opulent iteration of a Murakami motif despite its capabilities as a fully-functioning watch.
Set to be auctioned as part of Only Watch's charitable sale to benefit children battling muscular dystrophy, the Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Only Watch will be accompanied by a unique calligraphic artwork that Murakami created as a partner piece.
"I decided to return to [calligraphy], working directly on my used coffee filter paper, which is a very good base for the ink," Murakami said in a statement. "This enabled me to create unique calligraphy, “Time of Rainbow”, inspired by the unique watch I have designed with Hublot."
"Whenever Only Watch founder Luc Pettavino needs us, we will be there," Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe continued. "Hublot has never shirked its moral and social obligations, nor will it ever do so."
