Water, throughout humankind’s existence has served as a source of inspiration for creators from poets to composers to filmmakers. It’s no surprise then that it holds significance to Daniel Arsham as the Hublot ambassador draws from the element’s fluid nature to inform his work. The watchmaker and the artist first announced their partnership back in 2023 in a spectacular manner, by creating a sundial made of ice and snow in Zermatt, at the base of the Matterhorn. Called “Light & Time”, the installation was fleeting and melted over the course of a day, reflecting Arsham’s overarching interest in the way temporal lengths can theoretically intersect. “My work is about collapsing time. You’re not quite sure if it’s an object from the past or the future,” he famously said in a Ted Talk in 2016. As a follow up in 2024 came the first tangible product: the MP-16 Arsham Droplet. A clever take on the pocket watch, it was designed to fit into the hand or worn as a necklace. And now, in 2025 comes their first official timepiece, the Hublot MP-17 MECA-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire.
“It’s a testament to Hublot’s Art of Fusion, seamlessly blending fine watchmaking and art to create a timepiece that is visually stunning while pushing the boundaries of innovation. This watch invites us to see time in a new light, through Arsham’s unique and fluid vision,” says Julien Tornare, CEO of Hublot. Unveiled in Singapore, much to the delight of the artist’s many fans who approached him for selfies, the new timepiece is a sleek and modern creation that throws conventional watchmaking on its head. Made from sapphire, both polished and frosted as well as titanium, the result is a three year labour of love resulting in an asymmetrical sculptural design that resembles a drop of water that happened to splash on the wrist and take solid form.
At 42mm, the watch is a delicate and deceptively diminutive testament to Hublot’s ability to innovate. Inside, the timepiece is powered by the Meca-10, an in-house manual-wind movement that’s been shrunk down to fit and can be seen through the dial opening and sapphire caseback. On the bezel and caseback you’ll note signature Hublot details like the six H-screws while there are distinctive lugs at the three and nine o’clock markers in addition to the titanium H-shaped folding clasp. As for Arsham, his deft hand can be seen courtesy of his signature green accents which are located on the hour and minute hands, the numerals, the hour and five-minute markers, the small seconds hand at the nine o’clock position and on the power reserve indicator at the three o’clock position.
“In some senses, this is a continuation of some of the material qualities of the first one, using sapphire in a very unusual way, creating an irregular shape and an asymmetrical sculptural watch. There’s always going to be a place for mechanical movement and such magic in that. We’re going to be able to shrink down a lot of these mechanical movements using new technology and material science. This new watch that I’ve produced is a smaller movement, and with the rounded forms, has a slightly smaller feeling on the wrist, which aesthetically, I think really works well for the object,” explains Arsham on his approach to the timepiece.
With just under 100 available in the world, the timepiece is a rarity and sure to be a collector’s item for Arsham’s many fans. When asked as to why it’s so limited, the artist replied, ‘There’s a practical limitation to creating only 99 units of something, right? This is a bespoke watch and would be challenging to create [more pieces] maintaining that quality.” Sounds like time is ticking for those who want to get their hands on one.
Photography courtesy of Hublot.
