Hublot: the new Sapphire Rainbow show how luxury can become art
- Fabiana Boglione
- Mar 14, 2022
- 2 min read
Together with the contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, Hublot has created the first collectable watch Sapphire Rainbow with just 100 pieces and more than 384 precious gemstones
Hublot has founded in 1980 thanks to the idea of Carlo Crocco. Crocco was the heir of the Italian group Binda, owner of the Breil's watches brand, which he left to go found his firm.
The newborn brand Hublot distinguished itself by its mastery of the art of fusion. This technique involves melting two metals to create one with both properties. This detail made it one of the best luxury brands in the world, which today is part of the LMVH group.
The brand has done a lot of collaboration throughout the years, especially with the partnership with a contemporary artist. The latest collaboration has led to the realization of Takashi Murakami sapphire rainbow with the artist Takashi Murakami. He reinterpreted the most famous line of the firm, the classic fusion 45 mm wide.
The dial consists of 384 colored gems, namely rubies, amethysts, tsavorites and sapphires of 4 different colors (pink, blue, yellow and orange). Stones are displayed to form a smiling Kawaii flower (Kawaii is a Japanese word that indicates something cute but also childish), which resembles the joyfulness of childhood and the melancholy brought by the problems of adulthood.
Therefore, the preciousness of the watch is manufacturing. Thanks to the skill of Swiss jewellers, the flowers inserted into the dial can rotate onto themselves, creating a colorful rainbow due to the brightness of the stones. The newbie does not end here. For the first time in history, Hublot's engineers and chemists have created the first synthetic sapphire that is both see-through and moldable. With this new material, they realized a transparent case that shows the watch gear.
This watch is a unique piece, perfect for collector's items. Takashi itself admitted that he created the watch with his collectors in mind. This is also built-in only 100 units, a small number compared to other limited collections that 200 pieces can also form.
