TAKASHI MURAKAMI TOURBILLON

The central tourbillon could be interpreted as Hublot’s intention to put Haute Horlogerie back in the spotlight. Or, its round case might be seen to resemble a child’s drawing of a 12-petalled daisy, tipped with green as a sign of hope. Either way, the strength of the MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Only Watch lies in the fact that everyone will see it as symbolic of what they value. It will blossom around as many values as there are colours, whether these are high-tech, exquisite, playful, unique, hypnotic...Haute Horlogerie meets Haute Joaillerie on this highly creative timepiece inspired by Takashi Murakami’s iconic smiling flower.

Floral composition is central to the work of Takashi Murakami. This Japanese artist has risen from humble origins to become one of the most sought-after artists in the world, and he has been a Friend of Hublot since 2020. These co-creations have always been produced in limited-edition series. This timepiece is even more limited, being truly unique - not just in its nature, but also in its construction. What sets the MP-15 apart from any other piece that the manufacture has ever created in its forty-plus years of experience, is its central tourbillon.

The central tourbillon represents the fusion of art and horological design. The idea is certainly to have Haute Horlogerie take centre stage physically, but not only that, also to show that the tourbillon - the beating heart of the watch - represents the heart of the person who buys it at the auction in aid of research against Duchenne’s disease, and also the hearts of those children fighting the disease.

Imagining this piece, Takashi Murakami explicitly requested the inclusion of a central tourbillon. A challenge in and of itself, this would become Hublot’s very first central tourbillon. This was a difficult challenge because, it becomes very complicated to indicate the hours and minutes which compete for the same central position. By accepting Takashi Murakami’s challenge, Hublot would have to make the right choices in order to integrate the aesthetic components of the central tourbillon to the technical requirements.

In this design, the cannon pinion and the hour wheel had to be pivoted around the tourbillon support by creating a co-axial construction. This was made possible thanks to the central flying tourbillon that is seemingly suspended in mid-air with two hands passing under its cage to indicate the hours and minutes. These hands gravitate towards 12 luminescent indices that echo the colours of the 2023 edition of the Hublot for Only Watch, as well as keeping the exact proportions required by the design so dear to Murakami, and which Hublot R&D had to follow to the letter.

Thanks to its two barrels, the manual movement offers a 150-hour power reserve (almost a whole week) - a very rare feature for such a construction. Mounted in series but on a single plane, these generously proportioned barrels can be admired through the case back which is made entirely from sapphire.

From the tourbillon and the indices to the petals, fans of Takashi Murakami’s colourful poetry will follow his rhythm on this MP-15, from the interior to the exterior, where 12 petals richly set with 444 gemstones give the piece a bright, joyful aesthetic. Like a real flower, these petals are angled towards the centre of the movement. The clear and bold demarcations of colour are representative of the 2023 Only Watch. The idea was not to offer a traditional rainbow gradient effect, but rather to play with the brightness of the shades and the brilliance of the gemstones, like a child playing with their crayons, creating a bright piece of Superflat Art for the wrist.

But that is not all: true to Murakami’s universe, under its domed sapphire crystal this MP-15 Only Watch reveals a fine laser engraving depicting a broad smile, complete with two smiling eyes. This colourful piece offers an escape into Takashi Murakami’s lively imagination, and the watch’s bright energy is an ode to the incredible power of a child’s wonder and their endless curiosity.