Is This the Most Daring Watch Design of the Year?

Hublot is known for its unconventional timepieces, but this collab with one of the most in-demand artists around takes it to the next level.

Close-up of a silver wristwatch with a textured frosted bezel, visible mechanical movement, and a black strap.

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By Sean Tirman

Published October 10, 2025

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Updated October 10, 2025

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Hublot is no stranger to bold designs. In fact, it’s the brand’s unconventional approach to horology that has made it among the most divisive watchmaking brands on the market today.

However, even by the brand’s standards, its latest release, the Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire, is a wild offering. That said, it does have the benefit of being designed by one of the most in-demand artists working today.

Silver and transparent Hublot wristwatch with black rubber strap floating on rippled water surface. — Those familiar with Arsham’s work will likely find this bold timepiece immediately familiar.

“Collapsing time”

For the uninitiated, Daniel Arsham is one of the biggest names in the art world over the last decade. His works often toy with themes of decay, in which iconic objects are given the appearance of being eaten away.

In the artist’s own words, his work centers on the concept of “collapsing time,” blending past and future into a singular whole. While perhaps not as craggy as some of his other works, Arsham’s signature elements are abundantly clear in this watch.

Close-up of a silver watch with a textured, irregularly shaped bezel and luminous blue-green hands and markers. — The admittedly chunky case is crafted from a combination of titanium and sapphire crystal (including the bezel.)

The shape of the dial, for instance, resembles the surface of a pond, mid-splash. However, what’s perhaps more interesting is how it’s constructed. The base case is titanium, while the crystal is sapphire.

But here’s where it gets really wild: that undulating bezel is also crafted from solid sapphire. Furthermore, encapsulated within that case is a skeletonized dial which can be peered straight through to the caseback. And that’s important, because the watch’s movement is also significant.

Close-up of the back of a limited edition Hublot Arsham Splash watch showing its mechanical gears and water splash. — This is the first watch featuring the brand’s new, smaller Meca-10 in-house manual movement.

Art of fusion

Visible behind the skeletonized dial and through the exhibition caseback, you can see the Swiss-made, 29-jewel Meca-10 movement. This is a new, smaller take on a manual movement, and this watch marks its very first appearance.

But novelty alone is not the only thing special about this movement. It also features a digital power reserve display driven by a “crémaillère” rack system, rare for a mechanical watch. The result is an elegant mechanism that’s also highly intuitive.

Man wearing round sunglasses and a dark brown suede jacket, resting arms on a reflective black surface showing a silver watch. — While the watch’s case is deep, the 42-millimeter case makes it still quite wearable.

Other details include shiny microblated rhodium plating on the dial with Green Arsham Superluminova detailing on the hands, indices and lettering. And it boasts an integrated black rubber strap with Arsham’s monogram and a titanium deployant buckle clasp.

Love it or hate it, this watch is special. And, alongside its predecessor (the Arsham Droplet pocket watch,) it expands upon an equally special partnership between Hublot and Arsham. There’s no telling what comes next.

Silver mechanical wristwatch with a textured bezel and black rubber strap submerged in splashing water. — Love it or hate it, there’s no denying how eye-catching this timepiece is.

Pricing and availability

The Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire is limited to just 99 examples. Even then, the price is eye-watering: a whopping $69,000 apiece. If that hasn’t deterred you yet, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with Hublot to learn more.

Hublot wristwatch with a translucent, irregularly shaped bezel, visible mechanical gears, and a black textured strap.

Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Calibre Meca-10, manual
Water Resistance	50m

$69,000 at Hublot

About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.

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