Hublot and Takashi Murakami unveil their latest collaboration in the form of 13 new timepieces, each paired with a non-fungible token (NFT) that blends watchmaking innovation and contemporary art. This marks the fourth collaboration between the Swiss watchmaker and the Japanese artist, featuring Murakami’s iconic smiling flower motif in perfect harmony with Hublot’s watchmaking expertise.
To show appreciation to the owners and collectors of previous editions of their NFTs and watches, access to the online sale of twelve Classic Fusion watches is reserved for those who own at least one NFT created as part of the third collaboration between the two brands. This initiative takes the art of high-quality watchmaking and digital art to a new level.
Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe is thrilled about the partnership and says, “Our partnership with Takashi Murakami allows us to create a story that interlinks all the works we have released with Takashi, both digital pieces and the watches themselves. Faithful to its history, Hublot is once again first, unique and different in how it rewards its collectors, providing them with privileged access to both ownership of and trade in unique artistic pieces. Hublot Loves Art!”
Meanwhile, Takashi Murakami says, “When my collaboration with Hublot was announced, we made it known that we would be adopting new forms of artistic expression. After creating all the timepieces together, as well as the digital works of art, we are now imagining new ways of accessing contemporary art.”
The 12 watches, each referencing the 12 hours on the dial, are paired with a different color and linked to an NFT inspired by Japanese video games and television from the 1970s, as well as the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black, the first collaboration between the Swiss watchmaker and the artist released in January 2021. Collectors have one year to acquire the 12 unique NFTs on the OpenSea platform. After this period, only the collector who has successfully purchased all 12 NFTs will be eligible to purchase the 13th and most sought-after watch, the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow.
The Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow is a masterpiece in its own right. The watch reinterprets Takashi Murakami’s emblematic smiling flower, with 12 petals forming a perfect gradient of rubies, sapphires, amethysts, tsavorites, and topaz. Thanks to an ingenious ball-bearing system developed by Hublot engineers, the petals offer a dizzying rainbow spectacle as they spin and create a striking effect against the 45mm black ceramic case.
In conclusion, Hublot and Takashi Murakami’s fourth collaboration takes the fusion of watchmaking and contemporary art to the next level. With the combination of physical timepieces and digital NFTs, collectors can now own and trade unique artistic pieces like never before.
