Hublot Collaborates with Artist Jeff Koons to Present the Shiny, Iconic Balloon Dog Watch

Hublot, a watch manufacturer known for its willingness to collaborate with a diverse range of artists and designers, has just revealed its newest watch designed by present-day American artist, Jeff Koons. Koons, whose name holds almost celebrity status in the art world, is famous for his series of brilliant, metallic balloon dog sculptures. His artwork ‘Balloon Dog (Orange)’ fetched a remarkable $58.4 million at a Christie’s auction in 2013, setting a record for work from a living artist. In 2019, his piece known as ‘Rabbit’ surpassed this record, selling for over $91 million. Despite facing criticism regarding his commercial and kitschy style and mass production methods, Koons’ artwork is universally recognizable, especially the Balloon Dog range. This made it the perfect muse for Hublot’s latest timepiece. The collaboration resulted in the Classic Fusion Balloon Dog By Jeff Koons series – a set of watches that brilliantly capture the essence of Koons’ playful Balloon Dogs within the confines of Hublot’s Classic Fusion line. The watches express an imaginative spin, staying far from simple representations of the Balloon Dog on a band. The watch features a ‘porthole-inspired bezel’, giving each piece a smoothly rounded, ‘inflated’ appearance. The Classic Fusion Balloon Dog series are made available in three vivid colors – red, blue, and silver – and encased in 42mm diameter shells and 11mm thickness. While the silver edition is fully polished stainless steel, the bold red and blue iterations showcase anodized aluminum cases, providing a striking contrast in texture compared to the glossy smoothness of the steel versions. The case has an ‘inflated’, puffy shape achieved via five-axis CNC machining, with a crown designed to mimic a balloon knot.