Artist Takashi Murakami on his latest collaboration with Hublot and building a legacy to last well into the future

There comes a point in every person’s life when the future starts taking precedence over the present, and questions about the legacy one leaves behind encroach mentally – unbidden and unprompted. It seems that for one of the world’s most celebrated and sought-after Japanese artists, Takashi Murakami, that time has come.

While in Singapore to launch his latest watch with Hublot, the 61-year-old artist admitted that he is currently focused on creating art for the people of the future, producing works that would last “100 years later”. “That is my timeline,” he said. Considering the breadth of his oeuvre (which spans canvas and sculptures, film and fashion, watches and NFT), this is not a statement to take lightly. It also explains, perhaps, why the MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire is like no other watch Murakami – nor Hublot, for that matter – has collaborated on before.

In past editions for Hublot, Murakami’s signature flower takes pride of place at the centre of the case, with a free-spinning petal-shaped disc injecting a hefty dose of whimsy and glee with every move of the wrist. Here, the ecstatic bloom informs the watch’s entire form with a sensuously sculpted 12-petal-shaped 42mm case carved entirely out of clear, gleaming sapphire crystal. The flange, caseback, and crown are also of the same material (the dial, a transparent composite resin), resulting in a vision of contrasts, with luminosity and shadow, depth and transparency, playing out on every curve.

Sapphire crystal is, of course, a particular expertise of Hublot, who has worked and manipulated the material repeatedly through the years. Still, this doesn’t detract from the MP-15’s laudable level of transparency, which makes for a mesmerising sight. Even the see-through rubber strap has a sapphire crystal and titanium deployant-style buckle.

Then, there’s the fact that the watch is also equipped with the brand’s first-ever central flying tourbillon – built without an upper bridge and with skeletonised components to heighten the optical effect – which can be seen beneath the flower’s beaming face. Black-plated, SuperLuminova-coated hour and minute hands peek out from beneath the tourbillon cage to point at the 12 white indices found on the flange. (To achieve this, Hublot had to pivot the cannon pinion and the hour wheel around the tourbillon support through a co-axial construction.) If all this still doesn’t knock your discerning socks off, then perhaps this will: The MP-15’s 236-component HUB9015 manual-wind movement offers an impressive 150-hour power reserve.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Hublot if the show stopped there: Tech-geeks would appreciate that the watch also comes with a specially designed, USB-rechargeable stylus that winds the watch through 100 revolutions when placed on the crown.

“This is a dream come true, and that is a fact. It’s like zero gravity in a watch; it’s incredible and magical,” Murakami said about the MP-15. “Before I saw the watch, there were so many things that I wanted to say about it. But when I saw the final product, I was just left speechless. I don't have to say anything because [the watch] itself tells the story.”

It’s clear that Murakami is proud of the product – which makes it all the more astounding for us to learn shortly after that the watch, released in a limited edition of 50 pieces, almost didn’t come into being.

“Collaborations are brand-led. When I collaborated with Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs led that project. And with Hublot, Miwa-san [Miwa Sakai, Asia Pacific Regional Director at Hublot, Japan] led the project. And it's all based on their vision. It's when their vision matches my vision that a collaboration is born,” he noted. “The first collaboration was basically an existing Hublot case that we added my art essence onto. But for this round, I really wanted to create a watch from scratch; to create a watch that has never been created before, no matter how complex. I had this rough sketch that I sent to Miwa-san. When she came back to me saying that it was probably not possible because it was too complicated, I was ready to turn down the offer for another collaboration. But she didn’t give up, and it took several years, but we managed to get it started.”

On his first visit to the Hublot Manufacture in early 2020, Murakami was impressed with the milling machines that sculpted the sapphire crystal and knew that this was an element he wanted to incorporate into the latest design. He also requested for a tourbillion because he was fascinated with its links to gravity, having read about its inventor Abraham-Louis Breguet on Wikipedia: “One genius guy created something like [over 200] years ago, and it’s still being used until now,” he said in wonderment, noting how horology, much like good art, has the ability to transcend centuries.

Another aspect that he finds affinity with? Hublot’s Art of Fusion approach, which could also be seen as a mantra that the visionary also lives by. As he explained: “Artists tend to stick to a core value; they can be very uncompromising. But to me, I think you should always be ready for change – to adapt and sort of fuse it with your style and what you've already accomplished for yourself. So personally, to combine what I believe in with something that's in trend now is expedient.”

With several animations in the works and exhibitions at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum (Murakami: Monsterized will run till Feb 12, 2024) and the Kyoto City Museum (Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto; February to September 2024) keeping him busy, the philosophy is one that obviously works for him. Murakami is well on his way to fortifying his legacy. We just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.