Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami have announced the launch of their fourth collaborative art project – thirteen new NFTs and thirteen unique watches.
The two companies have already collaborated on many projects, and this latest project continues the successful partnership. The NFTs and watches are inspired by video games and the Japanese audiovisual landscape of the 1970s, building on the first collaboration between the two companies – the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black – which was launched in January 2021.
The thirteen NFTs are tied to a limited edition of thirteen new Classic Fusion watches that will be unveiled at the 2023 Watches & Wonders show in Geneva. Twelve of these watches will be sold exclusively online, but only to the holders of the 324 NFTs issued in April 2022 as part of the third collaboration between Hublot and Takashi Murakami. These 324 NFTs were initially offered to owners of a Hublot x Takashi Murakami watch (the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black or the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow). The time between the announcement of the project in New York in February 2023 and the start of sales in Geneva in early April 2023 will allow interested collectors to acquire one of the available NFTs on OpenSea, a decentralized marketplace dedicated to buying and selling NFTs. The owners of the twelve unique and unprecedented watches will be offered one of the twelve exclusive NFTs.
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The centerpiece of the collection is the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow. This watch reinterprets Takashi Murakami‘s iconic smiling flower symbol and features twelve petals forming a gradient of precious stones on the dial. The petals move in an enchanting display of colors, thanks to a ball bearing system developed by Hublot‘s engineers. The smiling flower is placed above the sapphire glass to create a three-dimensional effect, and the 45mm diameter black ceramic case serves as a striking backdrop for the movement of the petals.
The twelve other watches evoke the smiling flower by representing one of its petals, each watch representing one of the twelve hours of the dial and is powered by the Unico manufacture caliber, offering a 72-hour power reserve.
Collectors will have one year to negotiate the twelve NFTs on the OpenSea platform, and if a collector succeeds in gathering the twelve, they will have the opportunity to purchase the thirteenth watch – the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow. However, if nobody succeeds in gathering the twelve NFTs, Hublot will sell the watch at auction to raise funds for a charitable cause.
By combining the art of high watchmaking with digital art, Hublot and Takashi Murakami have elevated the watch as a work of art to new heights. The launch of their latest project demonstrates the collecting power of their partnership, as well as the innovation and creativity it brings.
“Throughout our partnership with Takashi Murakami, we are weaving a story that connects all the works we create together, both digital pieces and timepieces. True to its history, Hublot is once again ‘First, Unique and Different’ in the way it rewards its collectors by offering them privileged access to owning and trading unique artistic pieces. Hublot Loves Art!“, said Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO.
“When announcing my collaboration with Hublot, we had stated that new forms of artistic expression would be adopted. After creating all these watch pieces and digital artworks together, we now imagine new ways to access and exchange contemporary art,” said Takashi Murakami.
Click on this link to read this article in French version.
