Hublot has long maintained strong ties to the art world, counting the likes of Takashi Murakami and Richard Orlinski among its regular collaborators, and not, it’s welcomed the American contemporary artist Daniel Arsham into the fold.
Having previously worked closely with other LVMH brands including Tiffany & Co, Arsham and Hublot recently revealed the Droplet pocket watch — a timepiece that is equal parts artwork and mechanical marvel.
Crafted using a Hublot specialty (synthetic sapphire crystal), the movement and chain are cased titanium with ergonomic rubber bumpers to make it easier to hold; it measures 73.2mm in length, 52.6 mm in width, and 22.5 mm thick.
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Because there aren’t too many occasions in life where wearing a pocket watch is the move, the Hublot x Arsham Droplet can also be worn as a necklace, or displayed as a table clock on its titanium and mineral glass stand.
“It hasn’t been done in this way before, this is the first full sapphire pocket watch as far as we can tell,” said Arsham in a statement.
“So much of my work is about thinking about the past and connecting it with the future, it’s like mixing times.”
“This object looks like something with the past, it recalls this way of telling time that’s from another era, but it feels like a kind of technology of the future. In a way, it has a lot of relationships with the other works that I make.”
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Powering the Droplet pocket watch/time-telling sculpture is Hublot’s manual winding calibre Meca-10, which is capable of an impressive 10 days of power reserve (or 240 hours). Juxtaposed against the distinctly organic shape of the curved sapphire crystal case, the technical sophistication of the movement gives the impression of an artefact from the distant future.
Limited to just 100 pieces worldwide, the Hublot x Arsham Droplet arrives with an Australian RRP of $132,000.
