We sit down with the American visual artist to chat about his wet 'n' wild wristwatch, the MP-17 Arsham Splash.

<a href="https://www.hommessingapore.com/style/where-to-buy-pokemon-jewellery-tiffany-and-co-and-daniel-arsham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Arsham</a> is a master at making materials appear in ways they&rsquo;re not supposed to. In many of his own works, he creates the illusion of anachronism using elements like volcanic ash, selenite and quartz &mdash;all of which evoke specific geological eras. It&rsquo;s the same with his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hommessingapore.com/watches/takashi-murakami-interview-hublot-collaboration-mp-15-tourbillon-sapphire-rainbow-watches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hublot</a> creations.
&ldquo;Sapphire crystal is something that I already use in my sculptural work, so it was kind of natural,&rdquo; says the American visual artist. His first timekeeping object with the Swiss watchmaker was an <a href="https://www.hommessingapore.com/watches/hublot-unveils-new-drip-with-the-arsham-droplet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oversized sapphire crystal pocket watch</a>&nbsp;in the shape of a droplet; now, he unveils another temporal device, this time for the wrist, with a splash-shaped opening on the dial.

The MP-17 Arsham Splash is in many ways a continuation of the MP-16 Arsham Droplet from last year: both showcase sapphire crystal in unexpected ways; both are asymmetrical; and both use water as a metaphor for their unusual forms. On the Splash, the sapphire crystal bezel features a never-before-seen frosty matte texture.
&ldquo;Hublot sent me a sample of sapphire crystal that wasn&rsquo;t meant to be used for anything, and the back of it had this frosted appearance (it wasn&rsquo;t polished, basically). So I asked if we could use this effect.&rdquo; As an artist, Arsham constantly seeks out ways to push the potential of materials to unearth new emotions and qualities, and after countless trial-and-error, they&rsquo;ve managed to get the finish right for this unprecedented aesthetic.

Another favourite detail of his is the irregular shape of the watch face. Everyone wondered if it was literally derived from water splatters, but Arsham reveals that it originated from his own drawings. &ldquo;We did a lot of different prototypes in the beginning, but most of them felt forced,&rdquo; he explains. &ldquo;Also, they weren&rsquo;t comfortable to wear.&rdquo;
Unlike the unconstrained nature of art, there are certain practicalities with a wristwatch that are impossible to escape, chief among them being ergonomics. Hublot honed Arsham&rsquo;s splashy vision into a rounded case that wears smaller than its 42mm sizing thanks to its fluid contours.
The new, compact Meca-10 movement factored into the design as well. Arsham started working on the Splash before Hublot had fully developed the movement, but he was already aware of its reduced dimensions. And since a lot of Hublot timepieces are large because they want to display all the materials and technical capabilities of the watch, disrupting that became part of the challenge.

Ultimately, the MP-17 Arsham Splash represents another way of looking at time, much like the artist&rsquo;s own &ldquo;future relics&rdquo;. &ldquo;Time is the most valuable thing we have,&rdquo; Arsham reflects, which is why so much of his work explores our relationship with it.
With time indeed our most precious resource, what then is his favourite time of day? &ldquo;I typically wake up pretty early, probably before the sun comes up. I think it&rsquo;s because I&rsquo;m usually jet-lagged, whether I&rsquo;m home or on the road.&rdquo; So a morning person, although we&rsquo;re unsure if it&rsquo;s by choice.

An Interview With Daniel Arsham on His Splashy New Creation for Hublot

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