The Hublot MP-15 Sapphire is the latest fruit of the luxury watch brand’s collaboration with renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. The motif running through the Japanese artist’s work is a smiling flower, which is also present on the glass of the MP-15. The transparent watch exposes its complicated mechanism in an unusual way, which raises its price to €330,000.
The watch is almost entirely transparent, as it is mainly made of sapphire glass. The hands on the metal dial move underneath the mechanism, a rarity among watches. There are 12 glass lobes that move away from the dial, and the whole thing is attached to a transparent strap. In addition, the components of the watch are covered by a dome with the characteristic eyes and smile of the Murakami flower. According to Hublot, the watch is intended to be something of a work of art, which is why only 50 copies of the MP-15 Sapphire were made.
The transparency of the watch makes the central mechanism appear to levitate. In the centre of the MP-15 is a tourbillon mechanism. This is a complicated structure that rotates around its own axis in 60 seconds. The movement of the tourbillon resembles a vortex. This design provides resistance to the negative effects of gravity, which affects the movement of the mechanism. In comparison, the work of classical mechanisms can be disturbed by the unfavourable position of the watch.
Winding the Hublot MP-15 could not be done in the traditional way either. A special needle attached to the watch must be used to set the mechanism in motion again. The walk reserve is approximately 150 hours, or just over 6 days.
Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot was founded in 1980 in Nyon. In its more than 40-year history, Hublot has created classic and elegant models as well as those… less conventional. The Swiss have previously created a watch that resembles a Ferrari engine, a watch that looks like a speedometer, and now it’s time for a flower watch.
It is worth mentioning that Hublot is also known for the huge margins on its products. Unfortunately, the high price does not always go hand in hand with quality. However, it is important to remember that the MP-15 Sapphire is a unique watch, not intended for mass production. Hublot, together with Murakami, has created a work of art that is unlikely to be a common sight on the street. At least not because of its transparency.
Photo source: Hublot
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