Every once in a while, we are greeted by watchmaking oddities that seem out of place in the fields of horology. The Hublot MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire — the latest collaboration (and mouthful) between Hublot and Daniel Arsham — is one such enigma. Continuing the peculiar brilliance from where the Hublot Arsham Droplet pocket watch left off, the Splash deepens the dialogue between art and engineering.

Water continues to be the inspiration behind the latest timepiece, as Arsham explores the fluid motion of water and the transformative properties of sapphire. “When I saw how sapphire is formed in the factory — like a molten blob of glass — it became a metaphor for the piece,” Arsham shares. The watch’s frosted sapphire finish, born from experimentation and numerous trials and errors, transforms a technical challenge into something almost organic.

Arsham describes the Splash as “technical in its own way, but with an inherent imbalance,” a deliberate departure from symmetry that traditional watchmaking embraces. Bridging Hublot’s Art of Fusion with Arsham’s archaeological futurism, that sentiment finds physical form here. The splash-shaped dial opening reveals Hublot’s new in-house Meca-10 movement, framed by an entirely new frosted sapphire accented with Arsham’s signature green hues. “Hublot showed me a sample of a frosted piece of sapphire that wasn’t intended for any use, but the conversation shifted to, ‘Can we use the bead blasted on this frosted glass?’” shared Arsham. Compact at 42mm yet conceptually vast, the watch is a conversation starter, or wearable sculpture in the words of Arsham, for the wrist. A limited run of 99 pieces is made available for those who dare to immerse themselves in Arsham’s universe. We had the exclusive opportunity to pick Arsham’s mind about the enigmatic timepiece and his thought process about it.

Hi Daniel, what is your favourite time of day and why?
I typically wake up pretty early before the sun comes up because I’m usually jet-lagged [laughs]. I tend to sleep and wake early, sometimes because I have no choice.

The watch world is built on heritage and tradition, while your work deals in retrofuturism and fictional characters. Which one holds more appeal to you, the actual history of things or something that’s made up?
I appreciate both of those qualities for different reasons. Certainly, older objects that hold value because of who owns them, where they came from, or how they were designed all fit into the heritage basket, as there’s an expertise in them that is difficult to perfect or master. I’ve certainly worked with brands that have that, but I also create the illusion or the feeling of something being old through the choice of materials and storytelling in my own work. 

What do you personally look for or what catches your eye in a wrist watch?
There are so many different types, but for me, it’s really about the use case. If I’m in the studio, I’m not wearing a gold watch but something that’s much more durable. Also, having things that also age and develop scratches and patina.

Your new MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire features the use of frosted sapphire, which is quite unusual. What was the idea behind this finish, and was it challenging to achieve?
The first project I worked on with Hublot was an oversized sapphire crystal pocket watch, which was created after I saw the capabilities of their factory. That project was using Hublot’s potential in materials in a very unusual way and was probably the largest sapphire effect [piece] that they had done up to that point. As I asked about other possibilities of sapphire, they showed me a sample of a frosted piece of sapphire that wasn’t intended for any use. The conversation then shifted to, “Can we use the bead blasted on this frosted glass?” And so there was a lot of trial and error and experimentation to obtain the right finish, and I think it really created this unique form.

What is it about the sapphire that drew you to it?
Sapphire crystal is something I already use in my sculptural work, so it’s quite natural for me.

Since the Droplet has a water droplet-like shape, did you consider making the Splash theme in a splash shape rather than a round shape?
There are certain practical qualities of a wrist wash that are impossible to overlook, and one of them is comfort. I had some very crazy shapes, but I also wanted it to be a durable object that was comfortable to wear. When we first started working on this, it was before Hublot had announced the movement, so they knew they were going to develop a smaller movement. I prefer smaller watches; in fact, most of the watches that I wear are 33mm or 35mm, so this was a way to combine those little things. 

Were there splash-shaped or other shapes that were prototyped?
We created a lot of different prototypes. Some were more similar in shape to the droplet, but many of them felt a little forced as an object, and they were also uncomfortable to wear. We did 3D prints of all of them so that I could put them on and feel them. I also don’t want something that you wear a couple of times and you’re irritated by the shape. It has to have this kind of ergonomic quality to it.

Water plays a huge part in your art. What was your first artistic experience or engagement, and when did it become a source of inspiration?
Going back to my visit to Switzerland, I recall seeing how the crystal, specifically the sapphire, is formed. When it comes out of the machines, it looks like a molten blob of glass. One of the things we know about watchmaking in general is that it is both highly technical and very symmetrical, whereas both of my watches are asymmetrical. The use of water as a reference is very helpful for the engineers. Using water as a metaphor to describe how I want the shapes to be formed added a lot of potential when we’re thinking about the watch’s imagery. 

Your other works have taken inspiration from earth and wind. If the collaboration with Hublot were to continue, what other elements would you also like to consider working with?
Even though the factory in Switzerland where they produce all these is ultra-clean and looks like a doctor’s office laboratory, there’s still a lot of experimentation going on within it. There is a designated area where they store errors, such as broken pieces or items that didn’t work. That was the most interesting area to look for ideas.

How do you balance your own artistic voice with commercial collaboration? Has there ever been a time when you felt that your own voice was lost in this commercial project?
Usually, I pick the brands, companies, or people I want to work with because they understand what I’m doing. In this case, I wouldn’t say that there were any restrictions. I started from a pretty radical place, with a pocket watch, and it has evolved into really unique uses of material and things that just haven’t existed before this.

Watches measure time in precise increments, while your art seems to question its very permanence. How do you reconcile the tension between time being mechanical in a timepiece, versus time being something that is most experiential and emotional, as they would appear in your art pieces?
I worked on a project here in Singapore with The Hour Glass, possibly eight years ago. After talking to Michael Tay (The Hour Glass Managing Director) about which company he thought would be interesting for me to work for, he introduced me to Hublot. His rationale was that it would be a natural progression for me to work on a watch, given the numerous references to time in my work. But also the right brand that is outside the box.

The Splash is technical in its own way, but it has an inherent imbalance. The watch is more confined or constrained because it has to fit on the wrist, but the pocket watch is really large and heavy as an object. These are two things you never would do in watchmaking. Many of the touches were counter to traditional watchmaking practices, which is where I found it particularly interesting.

Do you see your relationship with time as something finite, something that slips away, or do you see it as something infinite, formed by memories?
Time is the most valuable thing that we have. A lot of my work revolves around our perception of time, where we fit within it, and how we catalogue it. By examining many of the objects I cast within my work, I chose them because they’re linked to a particular period. Sometimes I’m taking something from the ancient past and the future, combining them into one material, which creates a sense of confusion in the work. This confusion is the idea behind the work.

Are there any materials that best capture this?
Geological materials such as volcanic ash, quartz, etc. These are materials that we culturally associate with geological timeframes, right? There’s confusion when you look at an object from today, which looks like something you would find in a museum from 1000 years ago, and that’s where the artwork lies. 

Has the current political climate affected you or your work?
I’ve done my work during both non-political and political times, and the work’s still here, and I’m still here. I try not to make, even within my work, overt statements about what the work is about, because if I did that, then I’m using language to describe something that’s supposed to communicate without language.

The interview with Daniel Arsham was conducted in a group format and the flow has been rearranged to fit this story. Arsham’s responses have been edited for clarity and brevity. Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our October 2025 issue.