American artist and designer Daniel Arsham has a longstanding relationship with Swiss watchmaker Hublot. Hi work is conceptualised as “fictional archaeology” — creating objects that appear both ancient and futuristic, a concept he has now brought to horology.

The collaboration began with a unique sun dial sculpture entitled ‘Light and Time’ beneath the Matterhorn in 2022. The world’s watch press had gathered in Zermatt for the big reveal, of what they expected to be a collaborative watch between Arsham and Hublot. All were astonished as both Arsham and Hublot presented only the concept of a watch but no watch actually materialised. See the story here.

Fast forward to 2024 and the collaboration finally revealed an unusual pocket watch – the Arsham droplet, designed to resemble a droplet of water frozen mid-fall.

This year the collaboration with Hublot, has revealed the MP-17 Arsham Splash, his first wristwatch for Hublot. Crafted from sapphire and titanium, the limited-edition timepiece of just 99 pieces continues the theme and captures the fluidity of water in solid form. The asymmetric case and frosted surfaces evoking the motion of a splash frozen in time. Hublot are known for their avant-garde watches which even extends to their advertising, as they collaborated with Choupette the cat earlier this year. Jay-Z also played a big part in the story of the watchmaker, read how his association helped propel the Swiss watchmaker in the world of music and hip hop.

For Arsham, whose studio spans sculpture, architecture, and design, the project represents a meeting point between art and horology. This unique watch represents a wearable piece of art, a unique sculpture created at the point where Swiss watchmaking and a contemporary art meet.

Here, Arsham discusses the creative process behind the MP-17 Splash, his fascination with materials, and how he envisions the evolving landscape of mechanical timepieces.

SAR: Where does your love of watches come from, and do you consider yourself a collector?

DA: I of course was always aware of Hublot and I owned a Hublot timepiece myself before our collaboration: as a collector of objects of design furniture and architecture, I make things that I want to see exist in the world.

SAR: The MP-17 Splash is your first wristwatch design with Hublot. What excited you most about moving into wristwatches as a medium?

DA: 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. I think that there’s always going to be a place for mechanical movements, there’s such a magic in that, and I have the feeling that the next phase is going to be size. 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.

SAR: The splash-shaped dial opening is an unusual, almost sculptural detail — how did that form develop?

DA: I think my job, anytime I collaborate with another brand or company, is to do something they haven’t done before and to provoke some new way of thinking about their own ability. In terms of the MP17 Arsham Splash itself, part of my drive was to really create something that had never been seen before. A sapphire and titanium watch that is asymmetrical, that has curves on it, employing peat blasted sapphire with that frosty, matte texture, this is something that has not been used in watchmaking, and I think aesthetically, the watch looks different from anything that’s really ever been made.

SAR: Your concept of “fictional archaeology” blurs past and future. How does this watch embody that vision?

DA: As an artist we often use materials in new and unusual ways. The idea of alchemy, of the transformation of materials, is a paramount part of my own sculptural work. When I visited the Manufacture (which is very laboratory-like, clean and technical), I was particularly drawn to sapphire crystal and titanium. The sapphire crystal is something I use with my own work as a reference to the geological timeframe (these objects that are from our present area but are recreated in geological materials as if we were viewing them from some future era). 

SAR: Material choices — sapphire, titanium, rubber — are central to the design. What did these mean to you artistically?

DA: All of the materials were based on the traditional watchmaking materials that Hublot masters, sapphire, titanium and rubber. The rubber on the side of the watch was developed from my studio in terms of form and texture. A lot of the inspiration comes from my initial Manufacture visit.

SAR: What was the most surprising thing you discovered about watchmaking through this collaboration?

DA: I think the biggest thing about this is that it’s a surprising object, it doesn’t look like anything you have ever seen before!

SAR: Do you see the MP-17 as primarily a watch, a piece of art, or a hybrid of the two?

DA: My goal was to create a watch that felt sculpture and a sculpture that felt functional. 

SAR: Beyond horology, you’ve designed across architecture, sculpture and fashion. Is there something you haven’t yet designed that you’d love to explore?

DA: I am often inspired through travel and through experiencing new cultures and new objects. When I had an exhibition in Bangkok, a number of friends of mine and people that I met there were wearing these amulets which are carved by monks. They look like very tiny sculptures and carvings encased in like a glass shell and the idea behind them is that the monks achieve enlightenment, and they pass these little sculptures off to their disciples.

SAR: The watch is limited to 99 pieces. What do you hope its future owners will experience when they wear it?

DA: There’s a practical limitation to creating only 99 units of something, right? This is a bespoke wash. It’s something that is not part of their manufacture product lineup and would be challenging to create a larger edition of while maintaining that quality.

SAR: If you were to explore another natural element beyond water in a timepiece, which would you choose, and why?

DA: I would explore sand as an element.

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