A R elic F R om the F utu R e
The artist Daniel Arsham has redefined the form and function of the pocket watch, creating an unusual object in a limited edition, a perfect interpretation of the art of fusion that is such a distinctive feature of Hublot’s expertise
by Diego
Tamone -ph. courtesy by Hublot
Apocket watch with a futuristic approach. A sort of oxymoron in tangible form. The distant past, packaged in a striking form and sent on with a one-way ticket to the future. The Arsham Droplet is a timepiece that has emerged from history and is now configured to survive in a period it doesn’t belong in. It’s also a conceptual work, the impossible made possible. Its originator, the New York artist Daniel Arsham, a creative talent working in the figurative arts, architecture and film, says it’s something else, too.
Opposite page, the Arsham Droplet by Hublot. Its titanium and rubber case measures 73.2 x 52.6 mm and has a thickness of 22.5 mm. Above, the watch in its table stand. Left, the New York artist and watch creator Daniel Arsham
Above, two moments in the development of the watch. Its asymmetrical case displays organic shapes. Below, the Arsham Droplet shown from the back and attached to a quick-release chain with one-click system
To be specific, it’s a “Future Relic” that integrates perfectly into the canons of his works, modern manufactured objects made using geological raw materials like volcanic ash and sand, materialising from the bowels of the Earth and emerging from improbable reverse time capsules. Entombed in the future to be discovered in the past. Cutting-edge witnesses of a time that no longer exists, when watches were worn attached to the belt by a chain or even around the neck. This vision is also made possible by Hublot’s unconventional approach, giving Arsham carte blanche and leaving him free to dare and to imagine an object then produced in only 99 examples. It is eclectic in its own right as it can be worn as a pendant, at the waist – it can also rest on a table stand within a mineral glass case. The design is organic, convex, expressly designed to provide a tactile sensation emphasised by a play of contrasts created by its constituent materials - domed crystal, titanium and Arsham Green rubber side bumpers. An unusual container for a manual winding inhouse movement with an industrial aesthetic look and a 240-hour power reserve. www.hublot.com
