A sapphire flower-shaped case with petals.
For Takashi Murakami, one of the biggest stars of the Japanese contemporary art scene who developed the "Superflat" theory, exploring volume is of particular interest.
With a Ph.D in the traditional Japanese Nihonga style of painting, Murakami has studied how Japanese masters conveyed depth on flat folding screens, and flat pieces of fabric used to create voluminous kimonos.
Every piece created by Murakami in partnership with the watch brand Hublot has been given greater depth, where the artist's work has been transformed into 3D on their watches. Working with volume presents a real challenge for the specialists at Hublot.
The case for the new MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire has taken the shape of Takashi Murakami's iconic smiling flower, which has a convenient number of twelve petals for telling the time.
Here, they're also made entirely of sapphire crystal. The watchmakers have managed to reproduce every curve on the petals and give them a perfect natural softness. The fully transparent case (the winding crown at 3 o'clock and caseback are also made of sapphire crystal) allows the watch to shine when it catches the light.
The creative impulse hasn't made the watchmakers at Hublot lose sight of watchmaking technology. MP-15 Takashi Murakami is the manufacture's first serially produced model with a central flying tourbillon and a 150-hour power reserve. The winding process has been made easier by a special stylus you can charge via USB.
The case for the new MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire has taken the shape of Takashi Murakami's iconic smiling flower, which has a convenient number of twelve petals for telling the time.
Here, they're also made entirely of sapphire crystal. The watchmakers have managed to reproduce every curve on the petals and give them a perfect natural softness. The fully transparent case (the winding crown at 3 o'clock and caseback are also made of sapphire crystal) allows the watch to shine when it catches the light.
The creative impulse hasn't made the watchmakers at Hublot lose sight of watchmaking technology. MP-15 Takashi Murakami is the manufacture's first serially produced model with a central flying tourbillon and a 150-hour power reserve. The winding process has been made easier by a special stylus you can charge via USB.
You attach it to the winding crown, and it completes exactly 100 full rotations. Just like Murakami can do both — a fan of the painter Ito Jakuchu from the mid-Edo period who's also in his element working with NFTs — the engineers at Hublot can also create a surprising alloy that fuses high-tech with tradition.
At the same time, the Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire is a true masterpiece, where art and watchmaking meet in a comfortable and totally wearable watch.
This eccentric novelty has a case that measures just 42 mm in diameter and 13.40 mm in height. The case is matched with a strap made of transparent rubber. Availability is planned to be limited to just 50 pieces.