Watch of the Week: Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow

It is no secret that Hublot loves art. They have always shown this by collaborating with some of the most prominent artists of our time, like Romero Britto, Richard Orlinski, and Takashi Murakami. This last artist is especially known for adapting traditional Japanese art and placing it in the context of pop culture. His style is bold and striking, as we have already seen with his previous collaboration with Hublot. Now they continue the partnership with the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow.

As the name already indicates is the 45mm large case of this Classic Fusion made from transparent sapphire crystal. This gives the dial center stage, featuring a smiling flower with colorful petals that rotate around the center. Crafted with great attention to detail, the entire flower is set with gemstones in all the colors of the rainbow. Hublot needed 384 of them for a single watch, and they created a mesmerizing effect, bringing the work of Murakami to life in a most dazzling way. In a way is this timepiece also a mystery watch, as the hands come from under the smiling center of the flower, but above the petals, with no sign of the movement that is powering this creation.

This is revealed when the watch is turned over, and we get to admire Unico caliber HUB1214. It has a refined finish with an industrial touch, beating at 4 Hz and offering a power reserve of an impressive 72-hours. Hublot fitted the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow with a transparent rubber strap to keep the focus on the gem-set flower. As is with most works of art, this watch is also produced in a limited quantity. Only 100 pieces will be made, and based on the success of the previous collaboration between Hublot and Murakami, this one is bound to be sold out soon.