Looks like Hublot is not stopping anytime soon with all the new releases this week, as they unveil a new partnership with Takashi Murakami. Just a few days ago they announced a new watch by French contemporary artist Richard Orlinski which you can read about by clicking here, however out of the two watches released by these artists Takashi Murakami’s Hublot Classic Fusion stands out completely in terms of style as well as complexity.
Many of you would have heard of Takashi Murakami or have seen one of his very iconic art pieces, and it is no surprise that Hublot has decided to partner with him. Or in this case Takashi Murakami decided to partner with Hublot as he has in the past turned down countless offers with other watchmakers. He had already done a collaboration with a Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoke in the past and he thought that would be his final collaboration with a watch manufacturer. He agreed to meet with a representative from Hublot as he had his own vision for what he wanted to achieve with designing the watch as he wanted to design a completely original piece but he had his reservations as to whether this was possible. Once he toured the factory in Hublot in early 2020, he had full confidence that Hublot would be able to create the watch he envisioned which has now resulted in the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black.
If you are wondering what is so special and why he had demanded to make a watch with his completely original design it is all in the dial of the watch. The dial of the watch has his iconic smiling flower artwork and it is presented in the centre of the dial. The petals of the smiling flower rotates around as the watch is moved around and the entire centre dial piece is covered in black diamonds. The dial is a black lacquered dial, with 12 rotating black-plated petals which is set with 456 black diamonds and the face of the flower is set with 107 black diamonds. As the All Black name suggests the case and bezel of the watch is satin-finished and polished black ceramic which shows an incredible contrast to the black diamonds in the dial of the watch. The case size is 45mm and it has sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment as well as an exhibition caseback to show the movement of the watch, which is the HUB1241 automatic movement that has a power reserve of 72 hours. Keeping with the theme of all black, the strap is a black lined rubber strap paired with a black-plated stainless steel deployant clasp.
To no ones surprise this watch is limited to only 200 pieces and has a recommended retail price of $27,300 which can be enquired through Hublot or any of their authorised dealers. As mentioned previously, this is my favourite when it comes to watches released in partnership with artists and the complexity behind the rotating petals makes it an incredible timepiece. Hopefully, Takashi Murakami continues to work with Hublot and design even more incredible timepieces in the future.
The Watchlist 