Japanese Artist Takashi Murakami Collaborates With Hublot For New Classic Fusion Watch

Hublot has revealed a new Classic Fusion created in collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and inspired by his iconic smiling face flowers.

Hublot has unveiled their latest Classic Fusion, an “All Black” diamond edition created in collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.

Known worldwide for his happy smiling flower pieces and an extensive range of colorful artwork, Takashi Murakami has already worked with some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Louis Vuitton, Supreme, and Grand Hyatt.

Prior to this collaboration, Hublot had already approached Takashi Murakami several times with the hopes of working together. However, it had never felt right to the artist, and he turned down the multiple requests.

Something changed for Murakami after visiting Hublot’s factory for the first time in February 2020. Familiarizing himself with the watch-making process and seeing the watchmakers at work triggered a creative process. Together, they set about incorporating Murakami’s iconic “Superflat” smiling flower design into Hublot’s world.

“When I visited the Hublot manufacture in Switzerland for the first time, I realized to what extent the traditional know-how, precision, futuristic technology and craftsmanship were all intertwined in the creation of a watch,” shared Takashi Murakami. “Bringing my art into the creativity of these watchmakers represents a unique adventure for me.”

Choosing to work with Hublot’s Classic Fusion model in All Black (a blackened finish created by Hublot in 2006), the smiling flower is recreated within the 43mm polished black ceramic case with a black diamond “face” floating on more black diamond-set petals that have been engineered to rotate for a playful experience while wearing the watch.

“People think of the smiling flower when they think of Takashi Murakami, so it was an obvious choice. The one thing I did request was to go all black on our first collaboration,” said Murakami. “This was because the very first impression I had when I learned about Hublot was its signature black rubber belt. And they made my wish come true.”

The Hublot Classic Fusion All Black Takashi Murakami is also water-resistant up to 50 meters and has a power reserve of 72 hours.

Priced at US$27,000Takashi Murakami edition will also be limited to 200 pieces in total and is available from hublot.com