HUBLOT AND TAKASHI MURAKAMI LAUNCH A COLLECTION OF 13 UNIQUE WATCHES AND 13 UNIQUE NFTs

As a result of their new collaboration, Hublot and Takashi Murakami present thirteen new NFTs and thirteen unique timepieces featuring the iconic smiling flower that is central to the Japanese artist’s work.

“Our partnership with Takashi Murakami is allowing us to construct a history 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!” RICARDO GUADALUPE HUBLOT CEO

“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.” TAKASHI MURAKAMI 

At an exclusive event which took place at the Glass House in New York on February 2nd, Hublot and Takashi Murakami announced their fourth joint artistic project: the launch of thirteen new NFTs and thirteen unique timepieces. This announcement represents a continuation of past projects, by rewarding the first buyers of the watches and collectors of the first NFTs through an exclusive approach.

The thirteen unique NFTs are inspired by Japanese video games & TV from the 1970s as well as the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black, the first collaboration between the Swiss watchmaker and Takashi Murakami launched in January 2021. These NFTs are linked to a limited edition of 13 new and unique Classic Fusion watches that will be at Watches & Wonders 2023 in Geneva. Twelve of these watches will be available for purchase exclusively online on hublot.com, which can only be accessed by owners of at least one of the 324 NFTs issued in April 2022 as part of the third collaboration between Hublot and Takashi Murakami. These 324 NFTs were originally offered to owners of one of the two Hublot x Takashi Murakami watch models (Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black & Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow), before they were allowed to be exchanged on the decentralized NFT trading platform, OpenSea. The period between the announcement of the project in New York in February 2023 and the start of sales in early April 2023 in Geneva will allow any collector interested in one of the new watches to collect one of the NFTs available on OpenSea. Each buyer lucky enough to purchase one of the 12 new unique watches will receive a corresponding exclusive NFT.

Hublot and Takashi Murakami take the watch as a work of art to a new level, by bridging the art of fine watchmaking with digital art. The 13th watch of the collection, unveiled in New York, is the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow and it is also the masterpiece. Taking inspiration from the two previously launched pieces, this watch reinterprets t he iconic emblem of Takashi Murakami: the smiling flower. Here, the 12 petals of the flower form a perfect gradient of rubies, sapphires, amethysts, tsavorites and topaz. Thanks to an ingenious ball bearing system developed by Hublot’s engineers the petals create a dizzying spectacle of colour as the y spin on an axis with each movement. The kinetic effect of the petals creates a striking effect against the 45mm black ceramic case. The center of the smiling flower is placed on top of the sapphire glass to create a three-dimensional effect.

The twelve other references, which will be available for purchase by holders of the NFTs on the dedicated ecommerce platform, recall the master flower and represent one of the petals. Twelve references for twelve hours on the dial, and twelve NFTs. The heart of the watch beats with the manufacture Unico calibre set in the emblematic Classic Fusion design a unique movement that offers a 72 hour power reserve. As the third watch collaboration between Hublot and the Japanese artist, this launch is proof of the incredible collectability of this partnership.

As the second step, collectors will then have a period of one year during which they will have the opportunity to trade the twelve NFTs on the OpenSea platform. In April 202 4 at the end of this period, only the collector who has managed to collect all 12 of the new unique NFTs will be eligible to purchase the thirteenth and most sought after watch: the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow In the event that no single person has managed to gather all twelve NFTs the watch will be auctioned by Hublot to raise funds for charity.

CLASSIC FUSION TAKASHI MURAKAMI BLACK CERAMIC RAINBOW 

REFERENCE 
CASE 
CASEBACK 
BEZEL 

507.CX.9099.RX.TAK23 

UNIQUE PIECE 

Satin-finished and polished black ceramic 

Diameter: 45 mm 

Thickness: 13.45 mm 

Water resistance: 5 ATM 

Polished black ceramic 

Satin-finished and polished black ceramic 

DIAL 
MOVEMENT 
STRAP AND CLASP 

Microblasted rhodium-plated 

Rotating décor with 12 petals set with 384 coloured gemstones 

Unico Manufacture, self-winding 

Frequency: 4 (28’800 A/H) 

Power reserve (hours): 72 

Number of components : 256 

Jewels : 30 

Black lined rubber 

Black-plated stainless steel deployant buckle clasp 

Thin is in

And when it’s a renowned watch brand like Bvlgari everyone sits up and takes notice.

Bvlgari has consistently been breaking records since 2014 and this year to mark its 10th Anniversary of Octo Finissimo Collection the brand dropped a watch that has created quite a stir not only in the world of watchmaking but NFTs as well.

The feat to master the thinnest ever mechanical watch was no easy task and a very patient and diligent dedication finally bore results that are not only aesthetically astounding but technically tenacious too.

The watch itself was a challenge but the integrated bracelet and the newly designed folding clasp had to match the thinness of the case. It took designer Concepto three years to accomplish something of this magnitude.

The Octo Finissimo Ultra measures 1.8mm with a 40mm diameter case in sandblasted tungsten carbide. The case back of the watch also serves as its main plate and carries the movement of the watch. The PVD-coated black hands stand out as a contrast against the grey background.

The first thing that you notice though is that the ratchet is engraved with a QR code unique to each of the 10 limited timepieces that are going to be made. The code is linked to an exclusive NFT and artwork that the watch owner will receive along with the watch opening endless possibilities to such digital partnerships in future and bridging the gap between real and virtual worlds.

The other thing you wonder is how to wind this thinner than a €0.10 coin masterpiece and then you notice the two rotating knobs for winding and adjusting the time.

While there is going to be a huge scramble to own the limited 10 watches made there will only of course be those lucky few who will proudly flaunt this wonder of a watch.

The rest of us will be left flat out and wanting more.

Availability: Limited edition of 10 pieces

Price: EUR 400,000

Featured Watches in the Article:-

Octo Finissimo Ultra Ref.: 103611