Hublot and Daniel Arsham were never likely to follow up their first collaboration with an ordinary round watch. Their earlier MP 16 Droplet treated a mechanical pocket watch almost like a piece of sculpture, using the form of a water droplet as the starting point. The new MP 17 MECA 10 Arsham Splash takes that idea one step further. If the first watch was the drop, this is what happens when it hits the surface.That sounds like a fairly simple idea, but it gives the watch a clear reason to look the way it does. Rather than adding an artist’s name to an existing Hublot case, the MP 17 has been shaped around the collaboration from the beginning. For readers following unusual mechanical watches through Sports Watches UK, it is a good example of how Hublot uses its MP collection to move well beyond the familiar Big Bang formula.
The shape is what you notice first
The most obvious feature is the sapphire opening over the dial. It is neither properly round nor conventionally geometric. Instead, the edge wanders around the movement in a soft, irregular outline that is meant to suggest water spreading after impact.That detail matters because the shape is not confined to a decorative element sitting on top of the watch. The minute track follows the same uneven outline, so the entire display feels slightly displaced from normal watchmaking rules. It gives the MP 17 a visual tension that a conventional circular opening would have lost.This is also where the collaboration feels more convincing than many artist editions. Arsham’s involvement can be understood without needing a logo or signature printed across the dial. The concept is visible in the physical construction of the watch itself.
Titanium keeps a complicated case from feeling too heavy
The case measures 42mm and uses polished and microblasted titanium. On paper, 42mm is hardly tiny, but it is noticeably more restrained than the larger proportions historically associated with parts of Hublot’s MECA 10 family.The surface treatment is especially interesting. The titanium is not finished to look perfectly smooth. The combination of polishing and microblasting leaves the metal with texture, and under light it gives the case a slightly wet appearance. That effect fits the Splash theme without becoming too literal.Six visible screws remain around the structure, providing the kind of industrial detail that immediately connects the piece back to Hublot. Even with the unconventional outline, there is little chance of mistaking it for something from another manufacturer.
The dial still looks unmistakably Hublot
Once you look past the unusual sapphire opening, the watch becomes much more familiar. The movement is fully exposed, with central hours and minutes, a small seconds display and a large power reserve indication. Green Super-LumiNova appears on the hands and hour markers, linking the watch to the oxidised bronze tone that has become closely associated with Arsham’s work.The combination works because the colour is used selectively. The watch does not rely on a bright green case or strap to make its point. Instead, the green details sit against the titanium and openworked mechanics, which keeps the overall appearance technical rather than playful.For people comparing Hublot MP series watches with openworked movements, this is one of the clearest examples of the brand allowing the movement architecture to become part of the visual identity rather than hiding it behind a conventional dial.
MECA 10 is more important here than the artwork suggests
The watch is powered by Hublot’s HUB1205 version of the MECA 10, a manually wound movement with a ten day power reserve. Its smaller 33.5mm diameter helped make the 42mm case possible, which is important because the concept would have been much harder to wear if it had remained at the older 45mm scale.A ten day reserve also suits a watch like this particularly well. This is unlikely to be the only watch in an owner’s collection, so being able to leave it for several days and return to it without immediately resetting and winding it is genuinely useful.The movement can also be viewed from the back, which makes sense on a piece where so much of the appeal comes from seeing the mechanics rather than covering them. Readers interested in more examples from the brand can browse the site’s Hublot Replica section, where the MP family sits alongside Big Bang and Classic Fusion related articles.
It feels more like wearable sculpture than a normal sports watch
There is an obvious temptation to judge the MP 17 in the same way as a conventional Hublot sports watch, but that misses what the collaboration is trying to do. The unusual opening, textured titanium and green accents are not really about improving legibility or making the watch more versatile. They are there to turn the mechanical object into something closer to sculpture.That also explains the limited production of 99 pieces and the £57,000 price. This is not a watch intended to compete on straightforward value. It is aimed at buyers who already understand Hublot’s experimental side and who see the Daniel Arsham connection as part of the appeal rather than an added marketing name.For anyone looking closely at the Hublot MP 17 MECA 10 Arsham Splash titanium case, the unusual finishing and distorted sapphire outline are ultimately more important than the specifications alone. Plenty of watches offer long power reserves and titanium construction. Very few deliberately make the front of the watch look as though its shape is still moving.
A more convincing sequel to the Droplet idea
The strongest thing about the MP 17 is that it does not feel disconnected from the earlier MP 16 Droplet. There is a simple progression between them: a droplet becomes a splash. That gives the two collaborations a sense of continuity that many limited editions lack.It is still unmistakably a Hublot, though. The visible mechanics, exposed screws, technical case construction and oversized power reserve display keep the watch grounded in the brand’s own language. Arsham changes the outline and the mood, but he does not erase what was already there.Whether that makes it beautiful is another question. The irregular shape will divide opinion, and at this price it was never meant to appeal to everyone. But as an experiment in turning a mechanical watch into something that feels halfway between engineering and contemporary art, the MP 17 makes far more sense when viewed as part of a continuing idea rather than simply another limited Hublot release.
