PLAYFULLY REBELLIOUS
Inspired by a famous balloon-like sculpture, three watches play with volumes, materials, and colors, transforming a familiar silhouette into a playful expression of creativity.
A delicate, graceful creature straight from a fairground, enlarged to monumental proportions and immortalized in mirror-polished stainless steel: with his Balloon Dogs, created between 1994 and 2000, Jeff Koons transforms something fleeting into an enduring sculpture. Hublot explores this same paradox with the Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons, presented in three editions limited to 200 pieces each. The collection’s traditionally understated silhouette appears to have been inflated from within, as though the designers at the Nyon manufacture had blown into its case, giving it unexpectedly generous curves.
Available in cherry red, electric blue, or mirror-polished silver, this transformation extends to every element of the watch. The 42mm case features generous curves, complemented by a rounded bezel, six domed H-shaped screws, and a raised sapphire crystal. The convex dial features sculpted hour markers and hands, while a miniature Balloon Dog serves as the seconds hand’s counterweight. At 10:30, a small rubber detail recalls the twisted end of a balloon, while the crown resembles its inflation valve. Even the strap, with its padded metallic leather insert over a rubber base, appears to have expanded. The polished steel of the silver version captures the distinctive reflections of the original sculptures, while the anodized aluminum of the red and blue editions combines vibrant colors with surprising lightness on the wrist. Beneath this seemingly carefree appearance, the in-house HUB1710 self-winding movement displays the hours, minutes, seconds, and date at 3 o’clock, with a 50-hour power reserve.
