WORK OF ART

Hublot unveils the MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5-Day Power Reserve during Art Basel Miami Beach.

BY ADRIENNE FAUROTE

TO CELEBRATE THE DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN artists and high watchmaking during the 2022 Art Basel Miami Beach, Hublot exclusively debuted the MP-09 Tourbillon BiAxis 5-Day Power Reserve. A world first, the watch’s renowned gemstone pattern has been reimagined using technicolor composites inserted into the mass of a 3D carbon case. Catapulting the iconic rainbow design into the modern era, the new timepiece embodies all the guiding elements of Hublot, from the concept and method to the materials and mechanisms. The rainbow effect actually uses carbon and composites instead of colored gemstones, and that makes this timepiece incredibly rare. It replicates the natural variations on the surface of the case usually achieved by the elemental differences of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

“We have mastered carbon. We have mastered the traditional rainbow setting,” admits Ricardo Guadalupe, the CEO of Hublot. “But no one was yet to master 3D carbon with the rainbow effect, quite simply because no one had thought about it. That is what makes Hublot different: we explore the unknown regions of haute horlogerie. This new ‘MP’ is therefore not just another Manufacture Piece: it embodies what Hublot is. Being first, unique, and different. And that will never change.”

Limited to just eight timepieces worldwide, the MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5-Day Power Reserve is an artistic masterpiece from the inside out. The case boasts a bold 49 millimeters and is braided as thin bars of carbon are laid flat just a few millimeters apart — creating a complex dimension as composites are placed vertically into the gaps and a third carbon mesh raises all components to the same level. (Hundreds of colored inserts were created to achieve this result.) The new MP-09’s surface is entirely smooth and polished to the touch.

Inside, the MP-09 is equipped with the signature caliber — the HUB9009.H1.RA.B movement with manual winding — and a 5-day power reserve featuring a bi-axial tourbillon, with one complete rotation per minute for the first axis and a second rotation every 30 seconds for the second axis.

There’s no doubt that this watch is the epitome of the brand’s ethos: Hublot Loves Art.