Hublot: Classic Fusion Balloon Dog

Hublot X Koons

By: Roger Ruegger

Available in three editions – mirror-polished stainless steel (Ref. 542.SX.0820.NR.JKN26), red (Ref. 542.UR.8170.NR.JKN26) or blue (Ref. 542.UB.5170.NR.JKN26) anodized aluminum (all water resistant to 50 meters) – the 42-mm Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons brings the artist’s signature mirrored balloon sculptures to the wrist.

As a nod to both the dog and the balloon, the watch features a crown in rubber-molded aluminum, a flexible decorative “balloon tail” at 10:30, a Balloon Dog-shaped seconds hand counterweight and inflated Super-LumiNova indexes and hands.

Each variant is limited to 200 pieces and powered by the HUB1710 (Zenith Elite 670) with 50 hours of power reserve.

Koons: “Translating Balloon Dog into the language of the Classic Fusion required far more than fusing an artwork with an existing watch. The challenge was to fundamentally reinterpret the architecture of the Classic Fusion through the visual and sculptural language of inflatable forms. Traditionally defined by its sleek and relatively flat profile, the Classic Fusion was entirely re-engineered to create the illusion of inflated volume and tension, as though each component had been shaped by air pressure.”

Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog (1994-2000), from his Celebration series started in the mid-1990s, “takes a universally familiar object, the balloon animal and transforms it into something permanent. What is fragile, temporary and playful becomes monumental, precise and enduring. A fleeting childhood gesture is fixed into industrial perfection.”

“Working with Jeff Koons on this project was both an artistic and technical adventure. What appears effortless and playful is, in reality, an extraordinary exercise in engineering, craftsmanship and detail. We challenged every construction principle of the Classic Fusion to create the illusion of inflation and volume while preserving the integrity of fine watchmaking. Every component was reimagined, reshaped and refined; milled on 5-axis CNC for a distinctive puffed form, then meticulously finished by hand to perfection. This project perfectly expresses Hublot’s philosophy: using the full mastery of horology in the service of emotion, aesthetics and innovation,” stated Julien Tornare, Hublot CEO.