What brand other than Hublot would launch their first central tourbillon in a flower-shaped watch? The innovative and unusual brand released their latest limited edition featuring Takashi Murakami earlier this fall in Singapore and the result is the ultimate success of their collaborative watch series with the iconic artist. . The Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire is a limited edition of 50 pieces, reducing the previously announced run for Only Watch 2023 (now delayed until further notice) to the core elements of the watchmaking and art. The famous colorful Smiling Flower motif is executed in completely transparent sapphire and the result is an interesting work in the production of the case and movement.
For some context, Hublot announced its first Takashi Murakami collaboration of 2021 with the all-black Classic Fusion, followed by the all-sapphire Rainbow model. Last year, we saw the launch of 13 collaborative watches, led by the Takashi Murakami Classic Fusion Black Ceramic Rainbow. All of these watches explore the artist’s “Smiling Flower” motif in varying degrees of complexity. However, it is the MP-15 Tourbillon Sapphire that literally takes this motif into “on the wrist” territory.
Finished in a surprisingly compact 42mm wide case and just 13.4mm thick, the MP-15 can be described as a work of wearable art with an all-sapphire case made in the shape of a wing. flower shaped number 12. Superbly dazzling when exposed to light and a technical achievement in the workings of sapphire, the case contains a watchmaking wall showing that this watch is not a gimmick. The reason I say this is because the MP-15 debuts Hublot’s first central tourbillon which, of course, serves as the pistil.
Executed without a top bridge, the central flying tourbillon has an adorable goofy smiling flower embossed on it enough to reinforce the artist’s theme without being too distracting. Interestingly, the hour and minute hands are on the periphery and go below the tourbillon cage and are flush with the escapement which requires the cannon pinion and hour wheel to rotate around the tourbillon via Hublot’s own coaxial structure.
This is no ordinary six-shaped tourbillon made in an all-sapphire case. The HUB9015 manual-winding movement consists of 236 parts and operates at a frequency of 3 Hz with an impressive power reserve of 150 hours. But one can’t *actually* roll it by hand, right? Well, the extravagant coil system here takes care of that. The watch comes with a special stylus that can be recharged via a USB socket and rotated 100 times to fully wind the movement.
Hublot is always divisive but never dull and this watch is a great demonstration of why. And then there’s a certain confidence that comes with creating 50 of them, a very small number for any other watch, but quite ambitious for a work of art. so suitable in watch form. Priced at $316,000, the Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire is expensive, complicated and, at least for some, downright exhilarating.