Artist Takashi Murakami has launched his own watch brand, Takashi Murakami Time Objects, following a series of collaborations with Swiss watchmaker Hublot, SJX Watches reported.
The debut Skull Flowers collection consists of five skull-shaped watches featuring rotating flower eyes, jumping hours, and a flying tourbillon.
Murakami’s new venture bridges contemporary art and haute horlogerie, targeting the crossover audience that artists like Jeff Koons and KAWS have recently drawn to luxury boutiques. Prices for the five Skull Flowers references range from CHF85,000 to CHF148,000 depending on the specific configuration, as detailed by SJX Watches.
The brand’s guiding philosophy, termed The Chronos Paradox, explores dualities such as life and death, according to monochrome-watches.com. The smiling flowers celebrate life while the skull represents impermanence.
The skull case measures approximately 44 mm across and 18.4 mm high, constructed from Grade 5 titanium, monochrome-watches.com reported. The flower petals in the eye sockets are mounted on ball bearings and rotate with the movement of the wearer’s wrist.
The time display is positioned laterally at six o’clock on the case band. The hour cylinder jumps instantaneously at the start of each hour, while the minutes advance continuously on a disc, according to SJX Watches.
The system uses an unusual 24-hour scale on a cylindrical arrangement that wraps around the calibre. The movement was developed by watch designer and engineer Marco Tedeschi, founder of Kross Studio, monochrome-watches.com reported.
The hand-wound calibre KM 7012 TM contains 409 components and 81 jewels, beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour with a 125-hour power reserve. A flying tourbillon is visible through the sapphire case back.
The debut lineup includes five distinct references tailored with different finishes and gemstones. The Black Rainbow and All Black editions are limited to 12 pieces each, priced at CHF85,000.
Additional configurations feature gem settings across the case structure. The Full Pavé Diamonds version is priced at CHF148,000, the Full Pavé Black Diamonds at CHF142,000, and the Full Pavé Rainbow at CHF140,000, excluding taxes.
The Skull Flowers watches will be available through kaikaikiki.com.
Keep reading