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Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, famous for his smiling flowers, Mr. DOB character and Superflat art movement, is setting his sights on the world of haute horlogerie. The artist has unveiled a new project called Time Objects, bringing together his signature visual style and cutting-edge watchmaking technology.

The project's debut collection features an extraordinary model, the Takashi Murakami Skull Flowers Cylindrical Jumping Hours Tourbillon, known simply as SKULL. Its defining feature is a case shaped like a human skull and adorned with the artist's signature flowers.

At the heart of the project is a philosophy Murakami calls “The Chronos Paradox,” which explores opposing concepts: life and death, permanence and transience, a fleeting moment and eternity.

“Watches have always been a dream of mine. Watches govern time, whereas art transcends it,” the artist said while introducing the project.

More than 600 sketches and a Grade 5 titanium case

For SKULL, Murakami decided to transform the skull itself into the watch case. Before settling on the final design, he created more than 600 different sketches.

The case is made from Grade 5 titanium, a strong yet lightweight material widely used in the watchmaking industry. It measures approximately 44 mm across and 18.4 mm in height.

The skull's eye sockets feature Murakami's signature smiling flowers. Mounted on ball bearings, they rotate with the movement of the wearer's wrist, turning the watch into a kinetic sculpture.

But the unconventional design is far from the model's only distinctive feature. The watch completely reimagines how time is displayed: it has no crown, traditional dial or hands.

To check the time, the wearer must tilt their wrist slightly outward and look at a side window positioned at the six o'clock mark. Inside, a rotating cylinder instantly changes the hour indication on a 24-hour scale. Minutes are displayed on a separate disc.

The manufacturer describes this as the world's first cylindrical jumping-hour display mechanism.

At its heart is the hand-wound Calibre KM 7012 TM, developed exclusively for Murakami's project.

The movement comprises 409 components, features 81 jewels, operates at a frequency of 3 Hz and offers a power reserve of approximately five days.

The intricate mechanism can be admired through the sapphire crystal caseback. A tourbillon decorated with the artist's flowers sits at the 12 o'clock position. Nearby, the barrel bridge features an engraving combining Murakami's signature skull and floral motifs. Prices reach $165,000.

The first Time Objects collection comprises five versions of the unusual watch.

• Black Rainbow — limited to 12 pieces, priced at 85,000 Swiss francs (approximately $95,000).

• All Black — also limited to 12 pieces, with a price tag of 85,000 Swiss francs (approximately $95,000).

The remaining three versions belong to the Full Pavé collection and feature extensive gemstone settings. They are priced between 140,000 and 148,000 Swiss francs, or approximately $156,000–$165,000.

All five models come with a black rubber strap and an adjustable titanium folding clasp.

With this project, Murakami transforms a familiar accessory into a work of contemporary art, combining fine jewelry craftsmanship, highly complex mechanics and his unmistakable aesthetic. His debut in haute horlogerie makes his ambitions clear: to create not merely a watch, but a collectible object in which time itself becomes part of the art.

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