Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black: Malaysia Price And Review

Alvin Wong 22 February 2021

Modern horology meets pop art.

Like its predecessors of the All Black collection, the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black, which is limited to 200 pieces, doesn’t compromise its monochromatic mission. Being a Takashi Murakami collaboration, however, the series’ trademark dark and enigmatic allure is now replaced by capricious cheer and, dare we say, an overwhelming cuteness that would otherwise be impossible to imagine on an All Black watch.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Hublot All Black series, which was launched in 2006, is as the name suggests, a full rave-hued collection. The first piece, the 250-piece Big Bang All Black featured a case, dial, hands, markers and strap that were entirely sheathed in the shade that never fades. Naturally, the watch caused an uproar with its barely legible display. But Hublot plugged away until collectors finally ‘got’ its artsy rebellion; evinced by the All Black series’ iconic stature in the company’s stable, as well as the concept’s longevity, showing up in diverse collections like the King Power Alinghi, Classic Fusion Chronograph and MP05 LaFerrari All Black. The new Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black, Hublot's first collaboration with the famous Japanese contemporary artist, brings a whole new dimension to the collection,

The Classic Fusion’s 45mm black ceramic case, which features satin and polished finishing, is left untouched. Likewise, the automatic movement inside, packed with performance-enhancing features like tungsten rotor, silicon escape lever and 72-hour power reserve, is performs its duties without aesthetic interference.

Instead, Murakami goes to work on the watch’s largest piece of canvas, planting his most iconic motif on the dial. Beaming at you whenever you check the time is Murakami’s famous 12-petal daisy, its pistil depicted as always by a huge smiley face. Instead of the artist’s signature use of bold colours, the motif is enlivened instead by 563 brilliant-cut black diamonds that catch and reflect light in a grand show of luxe, as well as petals that spin at the slightest flick of the wrist.

The rotating petals are mounted on a plate and pivoted around a ball bearing system, while the ‘smiley face’ is inserted separately in the sapphire glass. Meantime, the hour and minute hands are sandwiched between the two; a well-worked dial architecture that lends a three-dimensional appearance to the motif.

Although Murakami operates pretty much in the realm of contemporary art, he was actually trained in the Nihonga style of traditional Japanese painting and even earned a Ph.D. in the subject. Eventually, a combination of feeling stifled by tradition, his passion for anime, desire to explore the legacy of the two-dimensional Japanese art, and drive to blur the lines between ‘high’ and ‘low’ cultures that led Murakami to establish his trademark aesthetic, which he appropriately calls ‘Superflat’.

While Hublot is no Murakami of the watch world – the brand’s approach is something else altogether – parallels can certainly be drawn between the two. The watch company’s own ‘Art Of Fusion’ concept, centered on material experimentation and combination, as well as swashbuckling approach to aesthetics and technical innovation, find it treading and blurring the lines between what is acceptable or not in high-end horology. Not unlike a cartoon Murakami flower on a luxury watch.

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Alvin Wong

Ex Editor-In Chief

Alvin promises not to be a douche when talking about watches. He may have scoured the Basel and Geneva watch fairs for the past 15 years, and played an instrumental role to the growth of Singapore's pioneering horological and men's lifestyle publications, but the intrepid scribe seeks to learn something new with each story he writes.