Introducing: The Fluid Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire
In the words of Daniel Arsham, “My work is about collapsing time. You’re not quite sure if it’s an object from the past or the future.” The Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire is a creation from the man who wants to confuse you and have you start wondering from what era this watch hails. Well, of course, it was made in the past and presented in the recent past, and it now exists in the present. I have no idea what will happen to this watch in the future, but the fluid design did make me contemplate the future of watch design. Where does it lead to, and more importantly, who will lead us? The answer might not lie inside the world of watches but, rather, elsewhere.
The Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire is not the first creation that the Nyon-based brand did with American visual artist Daniel Arsham. Do you remember the Arsham Droplet, a time-telling objet d’art from a while back? Maybe you don’t because it wasn’t a watch. Plus, it was from Hublot, a brand that many enthusiasts instantly write off. Anyway, now there’s a watch with the same “watery” style designed by the New York-based artist who also worked with Dior, Rimowa, Pokémon, Tiffany & Co., and the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team. The watch immediately struck me. I’m not exactly sure if I find it beautiful, handsome, or attractive — I had a flashback to Nike and Oakley watches from ages ago that made me shiver. However, I do find it intriguing, and it did make me think of watch design in general and where it’s going.
The fluid Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire got me thinking
When we talk about the future of watch design, we think about Urwerk, MB&F, and Ressence, for instance. Martin Frei, one of the founders of Urwerk, is a designer with a background in graphic design and fine art. MB&F takes design inspiration from diverse sources, ranging from aeronautics and supercars to the futuristic architecture of the 1960s. Its creations also draw influence from the animal kingdom, science fiction, and traditional watchmaking artistry, deconstructed and reimagined through a futuristic lens. Benoît Mintiens, the founder of Ressence, is a Belgian designer and engineer. He holds a degree in industrial design from the University of Antwerp and has a background that bridges that discipline and engineering. The things these brands have in common are outside influences and visions for watchmaking.
Another common point is that being different is their reason for existence. That’s not the case with the big, high-end watch brands. And it’s these brands that could profit greatly from hiring or collaborating with artists, designers, and creative directors who typically operate in different realms.
A personal example
Allow me to provide an example from my experience. In the not-so-distant past, I was asked to set up a magazine about luxury watches in the Netherlands. The search for a visionary art director who could also do the magazine layout proved difficult. With one candidate, I made an appointment at Schiphol Airport — not at a coffee bar but, instead, at a kiosk — so we could point out Dutch and international magazines we liked. It was fun, and we somewhat distilled a style and look that could work for the future watch magazine. But then, Choque Lau revealed/confessed she had no knowledge of or affinity for watches — none whatsoever. My first reaction was hesitation, but since the airport session worked so well and the portfolio looked great, we decided to give it a go. To cut a long story short, she created magazines with an original and fresh eye on watches that made me and, hopefully, the readers look at them differently.
The same principle could work wonders for watch creators who sometimes seem to suffer from tunnel vision. There is more to designing watches than finding something in the archives and making a few contemporary upgrades or collaborating with a third party but only using a logo or a particular color. You might not appreciate the look of the new Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire, but it is different and offers a fresh perspective.
About the watch itself
Enough about what could and maybe should happen to keep watches fun and engaging in the future. Let’s return to the present — the Hublot watch designed by Daniel Arsham. Arsham’s debut wristwatch for Hublot has a compact 42mm sapphire and titanium case in which the recently launched, smaller Meca-10 movement beats. This Meccano-inspired, in-house manual-wind caliber is visible from the front and the back.
Flowing water is the source of inspiration, and it shows through the frosted, box-shaped sapphire bezel. There, we find fluid, organic lines that take inspiration from the movement of water, merging technical mastery with artistic form. The most eye-catching feature of the watch is the splash-shaped opening for the dial. This is a natural evolution of the droplet motif first seen in the MP-16, but it looks more natural. The shaped dial opening creates the effect of a large drop of water on top of a frozen watch. It almost looks like it could fall off once you move it.
Put your hands together for…
The fluid case contours and the green accents are very “Arsham.” His signature green accents pop up on the hour and minute hands, numerals, hour and five-minute markers, the small seconds hand at 9 o’clock, and the power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock. However, the six H-screws on the bezel and case back, the distinctive lugs at 3 and 9 o’clock, and the titanium H-shaped folding clasp are very “Hublot.” The watch is a balanced symbiosis between contemporary art and traditional craft. The exploration of new shapes is something to applaud. Are you ready for a standing ovation? Please let me know in the comments section below. And if the topic of watch design has your interest, check out this episode of Fratello Talks.
I almost forgot: Hublot will make 99 pieces of the MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire. Each costs €69,000, and the watch is available at Hublot boutiques and authorized retailers.
