When Jean-Claude Biver conceived of his “Art of Fusion” philosophy to watchmaking, he couldn’t have known the incredible ways that Hublot and his successor, Ricardo Guadalupe, would realize his vision. The company has partnered with an impressive list of celebrity artists, and no one better defines the marriage of high and low techniques than Takashi Murakami. The Japanese artist’s unique blend of simplistic street art and aspirational high-art concept has an adoring fan base that embraces his understanding that incredible art can be both accessible and incomprehensible at the same time.

Murakami’s collaborations with Hublot have included two very different timepieces, and the future is certainly bright for the two masters of fusion. Both watches incorporated his iconic Kawaii-inspired smiling flower symbol into collectible timepieces for those with an appreciation for the fusion of popular art and high watchmaking.

Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black

In a departure from the usually bold and colorful work of Murakami, the first collaboration with Hublot in 2021 featured a colorway of one: all black. According to Murakami, the color choice was inspired by Hublot’s signature black rubber strap. The case is 45mm and made from satin-finished and polished black ceramic.

The iconic flower, with its joyful smile, is a three-dimensional dome at the center of the black lacquered dial and set with 107 black diamonds that catch and reflect light in an artful disruption of the somber black-on-black colorway. The hour and minute hands are modern and simple, and are sandwiched between the stationary flower face and the spinning petals disk.

Behind the stationary flower’s façade, 12 petals, also set with another 456 black diamonds, radiate in a representation of the hours. The Unico MHUB1214 caliber was engineered with a ball-bearing system to allow the 12 petals to spin freely around the surface in a dynamic dancing display.

The flower with its petals dominates the dial inside the frame of the bezel and one can’t help but marvel at the play of light in the black diamonds as the petals rotate with movement of the wrist. The watch is more than an artwork with a water resistance of 50 meters and a 72-hour power reserve.

The now sold-out limited edition of 200 pieces were paired, quite obviously, with Hublot’s black lined rubber strap to close the circle from inspiration to completion.

“Takashi Murakami is an international star, not only in contemporary art circles but also with the general public. He shakes up the borders between art and pop culture. It is a real privilege to see him join our team of ambassadors. We are delighted with the launch of this watch-work of art!” said Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, during the initial launch.

Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow

In their second collaboration in 2022, Murakami took Hublot in an entirely new direction with a colorway of vibrant rainbow hues and transparent materials in a study of opposites. We see again Murakami’s smiling flower face with its stationary dome and free-spinning 12 petals, but rendered this time in a dazzling rainbow colorway of 487 brilliant-cut gemstones including pink sapphires, rubies, orange sapphires, yellow sapphires, tsavorites, blue sapphires, and amethysts.

In another departure from the previous collaboration, the polished crystal sapphire material used for the 45mm case and caseback gives the viewer a glimpse of the unique Unico MHUB1214 movement. The watch is cleverly paired with a transparent lined rubber wristband to leave all attention on the rainbow flower at the center.

“This partnership with Hublot has enabled me to express my creativity in what is a totally new medium for me. The mastery of the watchmaker’s technicians has opened up new fields of possibilities for my inspiration. The result is this new watch in the colors of the rainbow,” Takashi Murakami said of the 100-piece limited edition design, which like its all-black counterpart, is also sold out.

Digital Art Collaboration

In pure digital art fashion, the launch of the NFTs inspired by the two limited edition Murakami watches were supported by a guerilla marketing promotional campaign that included posters in London and New York and light projections on iconic buildings.

The first run of NFTs were offered solely to owners of the limited edition timepieces, but a second release was available for the general public in May 2022.

For those that haven’t heard, the world of digital art is evolving with collection of the not-so-sexy sounding “non-fungible tokens” or NFTs. These secure tokens take many forms in music and art and have been welcomed by a generation of art collectors raised in a digital world.

Hublot and Murakami have embraced this new art form with their usual avant-garde flair by creating two animated GIFs, one for the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black and one for the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow.

The concept art is all Murakami with a representation of each watch in a style that harkens back to the early days of 8-bit digital art. They are both delightful to behold with their cheerful and mischievous smiling flower and its spinning petals. The NFTs were announced at the Watches and Wonders event in 2022. The black ceramic version had 216 copies on offer while the sapphire rainbow had only 108 copies.
“Today, it would be unthinkable for me to produce my works without a computer. Continuing my artistic collaboration with Hublot by using new forms of artistic expression such as NFTs seems to be the natural way to develop our relationship. By looking forward,” explained Takashi Murakami.

Unique Opportunity to Collect Murakami’s Masterwork

With the success of the watches and the NFT releases, Murakami and Hublot have announced that these concepts play a major role in their most recent collaboration. During a February 2023 press event at the Glass House in New York, the team announced their fourth project which includes a jaw-dropping 13 unique watches and their accompanying NFTs. Inspired by their first watch, the all-new Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black Ceramic Rainbow will feature the same iconic smiling flower and its spinning petal display in bright rainbow colors encased in an all-black ceramic case.

As the details emerged during the Watches and Wonders 2023 event in Geneva, it appears there is an incentive for existing Murakami collectors — Hublot and Murakami have gamified watch collecting by adding some unusual “catch them all” rules. Twelve of the new watches will be available online for those that own one of the previously released NFTs. The lucky few who can nab one of these watches will also receive one of the 12 new and exclusive NFTs with their purchase.

For the coup de grâce, Hublot is holding the right to purchase the 13th watch until April of 2024 to give collectors the chance to buy or trade their way to owning a copy of all 12 of the new NFTs and earning the invitation to own the final watch of the collection. This watch, the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow, promises to be a masterwork of horology and has many of us on the edge of our seats for the first peek. If no single person has managed to gather all 12 NFTs, the watch will be auctioned by Hublot to raise funds for charity.

Art of Fusion

It’s a treat to compare the three watches with their respective matching smiling flower expressions created in three very different visual ways, with one in all black, one in an explosion of color, and another with stark contrast of color and all black. It’ll be interesting to watch the collectors as they navigate the NFT collection game and earn their right to own a piece of this collaboration.

It all comes back to the beginning when Murakami visited the Hublot manufacture in 2020, sparking an inspiration that has evolved into a wonderful creative partnership. Murakami said, “When I visited the Hublot manufacture in Switzerland for the first time, I realized to what extent the traditional know-how, precision, futuristic technology and craftsmanship were all intertwined in the creation of a watch. Bringing my art into the creativity of these watchmakers represents a unique adventure for me.”

Tech Specs

Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black

Reference: 507.CX.9000.RX.TAK21
Movement: Self-winding Unico caliber MHUB1214; 72-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes
Case: 45mm; satin-finished and polished black ceramic; water resistant to 50m
Dial: Black lacquered, rotating décor with 12 black-plated petals set with 456 black diamonds
Strap: Black-lined rubber; black-plated stainless steel folding clasp
Price: USD 27,300
Availability: Limited edition of 200 pieces

Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow

Reference: 507.JX.0800.RT.TAK21
Movement: Self-winding Unico caliber MHUB1214; 72-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes
Case: 45mm; polished sapphire crystal; water resistant to 50m
Dial: Micro-blasted and rhodium-plated, rotating décor with 12 petals set with 384 colored gemstones
Glass: On Top the polished smiling 3D Flower Head Set with 103 colored gemstones
Strap: Transparent lined rubber wristband; stainless steel folding clasp
Price: USD 106,000
Availability: Limited edition of 100 pieces

Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow

Reference: 507.CX.9099.RX.TAK23
Movement: Unico Manufacture, self-winding
Functions: Hours and minutes
Case: 45mm; polished black ceramic; water resistant to 50m
Dial: Micro-blasted and rhodium-plated, rotating décor with 12 petals set with 384 gemstones
Glass: On Top the polished smiling 3D Flower Head Set with 103 colored gemstones
Strap: black-plated stainless steel deployant buckle strap
Price: 50,000 CHF
Availability: Unique piece