HUBLOT AND TAKASHI MURAKAMI LAUNCH A COLLECTION OF 13 UNIQUE WATCHES AND 13 UNIQUE NFTs
As a result of their new collaboration, Hublot and Takashi Murakami present thirteen new NFTs and thirteen unique timepieces featuring the iconic smiling flower that is central to the Japanese artist's work.
At an exclusive event which took place at the Glass House in New York on February 2nd, Hublot and Takashi Murakami announced their fourth joint artistic project: the launch of thirteen new NFTs and thirteen unique timepieces. This announcement represents a continuation of past projects, by rewarding the first buyers of the watches and collectors of the first NFTs through an exclusive approach.
The thirteen unique NFTs are inspired by Japanese video games & TV from the 1970s as well as the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black, the first collaboration between the Swiss watchmaker and Takashi Murakami launched in January 2021. These NFTs are linked to a limited edition of 13 new and unique Classic Fusion watches that will be unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2023 in Geneva.
Twelve of these watches will be available for purchase exclusively online on hublot.com at the price of CHF 50,000 (excl. taxes), which can only be accessed by owners of at least one of the 324 All Black or Sapphire Rainbow NFTs issued in April 2022 as part of the third collaboration between Hublot and Takashi Murakami. These 324 NFTs were originally offered to owners of one of the two Hublot x Takashi Murakami watch models (Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black & Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow), before they were allowed to be exchanged on the decentralized NFT trading platform, OpenSea. The period between the announcement of the project in New York in February 2023 and the start of the online sales will allow any collector interested in accessing the sale of the 12 new watches to collect one of the 324 NFTs available on OpenSea.
Each buyer lucky enough to purchase one of the 12 new unique watches (price: CHF 50,000 (excl. taxes)) will receive a corresponding exclusive NFT.
Hublot and Takashi Murakami take the watch as a work of art to a new level, by bridging the art of fine watchmaking with digital art. The 13th watch of the collection, unveiled in New York, is the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow and it is also the masterpiece. Taking inspiration from the two previously launched pieces, this watch reinterprets the iconic emblem of Takashi Murakami: the smiling flower. Here, the 12 petals of the flower form a perfect gradient of rubies, sapphires, amethysts, tsavorites and topaz. Thanks to an ingenious ball-bearing system developed by Hublot’s engineers, the petals create a dizzying spectacle of colour as they spin on an axis with each movement. The kinetic effect of the petals creates a striking effect against the 45mm black ceramic case. The center of the smiling flower is placed on top of the sapphire glass to create a three-dimensional effect.
The twelve other references, which will be available for purchase by holders of one of the 324 All Black or Sapphire Rainbow NFTs on the dedicated ecommerce platform, recall the master flower and represent one of the petals. Twelve references for twelve hours on the dial, and twelve NFTs.
The heart of the watch beats with the manufacture Unico calibre set in the emblematic Classic Fusion design, a unique movement that offers a 72-hour power reserve. As the third watch collaboration between Hublot and the Japanese artist, this launch is proof of the incredible collectability of this partnership.
As the second step, collectors will then have a period of one year during which they will have the opportunity to trade the twelve new unique NFTs on the OpenSea platform. The first person that will collect the 12 unique NFTs before April 2024 will be eligible to purchase the thirteenth and most sought-after watch: the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow. In the event that no single person has managed to gather all twelve NFTs, the watch will be auctioned by Hublot to raise funds for charity.
“Our partnership with Takashi Murakami is allowing us to construct a history that interlinks all the works we have released with Takashi, both digital pieces and the watches themselves. Faithful to its history, Hublot is once again first, unique and different in how it rewards its collectors, providing them with privileged access to both ownership of and trade in unique artistic pieces. Hublot Loves Art!”
“When my collaboration with Hublot was announced, we made it known that we would be adopting new forms of artistic expression. After creating all the timepieces together, as well as the digital works of art, we are now imagining new ways of accessing contemporary art.”
WHO WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO PURCHASE ONE OF THE 12 UNIQUE PIECES?
- Anyone in possession of one of the 324 Hublot Classic Fusion Murakami NFTs (All Black or Sapphire Rainbow versions) at the time of the sale of the 12 unique watch pieces
- Be a resident of a country where the 12 unique pieces will be shipped from our Hublot.com website: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, metropolitan France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Hong Kong, Macau, Taïwan, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, United States
- Subject to compliance with applicable Terms and Conditions of sale.
All of the above criteria must be met.
Who will be eligible to purchase the 13th watch of the collection, the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow?
- Anyone in possession of all 12 of the new Classic Fusion Murakami NFTs (launched on February 2023) and who places an order to purchase the 13th watch of the collection before April 2024;
- Be a resident of a country where we will ship the 13th watch of the collection, the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Black Ceramic Rainbow: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, metropolitan France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Hong Kong, Macau, Taïwan, Australia, New Zealand, Japan
- Subject to compliance with applicable Terms and Conditions of sale.
All of the above criteria must be met.
©TAKASHI MURAKAMI/KAIKAI KIKI CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
