In watchmaking, precision is everything. But what happens when an artist decides to make precision fluid? Hublot’s latest collaboration with American artist Daniel Arsham answers that question with a shimmer – quite literally – in the MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire, a timepiece that looks less engineered than sculpted from a drop of frozen light.
For decades, Hublot has made its mark by challenging what a watch should be – gold fused with rubber, ceramic layered over carbon, movements encased in sapphire. Now, in partnership with Arsham, the brand turns its gaze from the mechanical to the elemental. Inspired by the motion of water, the MP-17 captures a single moment – a splash midair – and traps it inside a wristwatch.
When Water Meets Metal
The MP-17 is a masterclass in balance. The 42mm titanium case anchors a frosted, box-shaped sapphire bezel that resembles rippling glass. The contours are soft yet precise, every curve designed to mimic the flow of liquid. Arsham’s creative direction is present in every detail – from the organic case lines to the subtle “Arsham Green” accents glowing across the hands, numerals, and power reserve indicator.
Through the splash-shaped aperture on the dial, Hublot’s in-house HUB1205 Meca-10 manual-winding movement is on full display. The skeletonised engine, with its 10-day power reserve, is a marvel of transparency – an intricate mechanism seemingly suspended in water.
The Fluidity of Time
Arsham has long been fascinated with the way time distorts memory. His sculptures and installations often look like future relics – everyday objects decayed into archaeological artefacts. The MP-17 continues that narrative. “My work is about collapsing time,” Arsham said in his 2016 TED Talk. “You’re not quite sure if it’s an object from the past or the future.”
Here, that philosophy becomes literal. The MP-17 isn’t just a device that tracks time; it’s a meditation on it. In Arsham’s world, time doesn’t tick – it drips, ripples, and refracts.
Julien Tornare, CEO of Hublot, calls the watch “a discovery of new design and perception,” describing it as “a testament to the Art of Fusion – where innovation meets emotion.”
Only 99 pieces of the MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire. The exclusivity feels fitting – this is less a conventional timepiece than a piece of contemporary art that happens to keep time.
With its blend of fine watchmaking and fluid sculpture, the MP-17 stands as a reminder of why Hublot remains one of the few brands still willing to experiment, still willing to let art reshape function.
The Liquid Touch is more than a metaphor – it’s a manifesto. It’s the idea that time doesn’t have to be rigid, that even the most precise mechanisms can feel human, soft, and alive.
