The collaboration between luxury watchmaker Hublot and global Japanese artist Takashi Murakami made news earlier this year with the unveiling of the Classic Fusion All Black. An instant hit among watch lovers and collectors, the popularity and collaboration have led to the creation of another timepiece — the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow.

The bling is evident and Murakami retains his signature smiling flower aesthetics and continues to transpose his Kawaii world into horology. “This partnership with Hublot has enabled me to express my creativity in what is a totally new medium for me. The mastery of the watchmaker’s technicians has opened up new fields of possibilities for my inspiration. The result is this new watch in the colours of the rainbow,” says Takashi Murakami

For the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow watch, the artist has taken his iconic theme of the smiling flower and transformed it into a “whirlwind of transparency and colour.” 

Set in a 45mm case cut from sapphire crystal (an achievement that Hublot has mastered), the watch features a three-dimensional smiling flower that emerges from the watch dial. The 12 petals rotate around the face thanks to Hublot’s ingenious ball-bearing system, and the multicolored effect is courtesy of the 487 rainbow-colored stones that include rubies, pink and blue sapphires, tsavorites, and yellow and orange sapphires. Beneath the rotating flower is Hublot’s automatic calibre HUB1214 movement (without the stopwatch function) that clocks in a power reserve of 72 hours. It gets a transparent rubber wristband.

Limited to just 100 pieces worldwide, the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow is priced at Rs 82.35 lakh (approximately).

Image Courtesy: Hublot & Takashi Murakami