Hublot’s Weeklong Whirlwind of Unveilings and Events at Art Basel Miami

Hublot is investing in the arts in a very big way. The luxury Swiss watch brand hosted a series of events and artist collaborations during a weeklong extravaganza of events called “Hublot Loves Art” during Art Basel Miami. A much talked about event with famed tattoo artist Maxime Büchi, who created a pop-up tattoo shop for special guests to celebrate his collab on the Big Bang Sang Bleu watch was the highlight, wasn’t the only artist collaboration from the brand. The week also included: a mid-day cocktail party in Hublot’s Bal Harbour boutique to celebrate the arrival of the Concrete Jungle watch made in with graffiti artist Tristan Eaton, an exhibition at the Hublot Galerie in Miami’s Design District of artist “Flore” a.k.a. Christopher Florentino’s artwork, a collector’s dinner with Sam Nazarian and Philippe Starck at The Delano hotel where Dave Chappelle was a seated guest, a party at the Star Island mansion of Lisa and Lenny Hochstein where Fat Joe performed, a brunch at Bagatelle with  Mr. Brainwash and Bradley Theodore, and finally a big bash for DJ Khaled’s birthday at Liv in The Fontainebleau Hotel.

Hublot’s Bal Harbour Boutique Celebration with graffiti artist Tristan Eaton

Hublot invited select guests to their Bal Harbour boutique in Miami to announce the arrival in the U.S. of its Classic Fusion Aerofusion Special Edition Concrete Jungle timepiece created in collaboration with artist Tristan Eaton. The watch, which is dedicated to New York City, features actual concrete around the bezel with Eaton’s logo integrated at 3 o’clock, and features a chronograph to track time in the city that never sleeps. (By the way…to all those who have experienced Art Basel, that slogan can be applied to Miami as well.) On the back of the watch is artwork of the Statue of Liberty by Eaton, which has special significance to the artist.

“This is the craziest collaboration I’ve ever really done. Working with Hublot was a huge honor,” said Eaton. “I moved to New York when I was 19 or 20, knowing nobody, and I was just trying to start my life there as an artist. By the time I left New York it went from being this big beast that I was trying to conquer, that was so hard on me, to being this giving mother of a beautiful metropolis. One of the things I left behind was this mural of the Statue of Liberty at Canal Street and Mulberry. I wanted to paint that piece there because I was so scared of New York forgetting that I was there. I painted this five-story mural of the Statue of Liberty and that snowballed into over 40 murals around the world in over 20 countries. It was a big boost into my fine art career. When Jean-François [Sberro, managing director of Hublot America] got to know me, he knew that was very symbolic of my time in New York. He asked me to recreate that Statue of Liberty in an exclusive way for Hublot. I made three paintings for them so they could choose one. That one is on the back of the watch. It’s this love letter to the city that made me who I am.”

Eaton also made a wrap of his artwork around the boutique and debuted two new works, Mystic Mystic (2016) and Kiss My Assassin (2016).  The Concrete Jungle Classic Fusion Aerofusion timepiece is limited to 50 and will be available for purchase at Hublot boutiques for $19,500.

Hublot Galerie Unveils Art Exhibition by Flore a.k.a. Christopher Florentino

Hublot converted the Hublot Galerie in Miami’s Design District Boutique into an exhibition space to showcase the worls of  Christopher Florentino, known professionally as “Flore”.  The artist displayed works created exclusively for Hublot in the boutique, two of which sold during the event. And if you’re looking for something to wear on your back instead of on your walls, the artist has created limited-edition jackets with the girls behind Instagram hit Here/Now Shop (@herenow_shop), see below and stay tuned. And, naturally, although there is no official word, we can imagine you will be seeing a bigger collab between this artist and Hublot in the future.

“I just moved to Miami two months ago. My pace has really slowed down,” said Florentino. “I’m from New York so I’m used to hustling and going like crazy, but out here it’s a much slower pace. Just by virtue of being by the beach and near the ocean it changes your whole way of life. The water here is gorgeous. I’m used to the brown water in the Hudson River, you know what I mean? So my palettes have also been changing in my work. I’ve been using more color. Miami is paradise so it has directly affected my work in every way from the colors to the mindset I’m in while I’m painting.”

Florentino can thank the rapper for Future for catching the eye of Hublot. “Ricardo [Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot] had seen a piece I had done for Future at a Haute Living event and he told me he loved my work and wanted to get together on an event for Art Basel and this what the outcome of that,” said Florentino. “Art Basel gets bigger and better every year. It’s very inspiring because all of the architecture and all of the interior design in these hotels have so much artwork, so it’s everywhere you go. If I got out to dinner at the Faena Hotel, I can se Damien Hirst or if I go to the PAMM Museum [Péres Art Museum Miami], I can see Basquiat works there, so Miami is really rich in art.”

In case you are unable to get your own Flore painting from the Hublot boutique (they were going quickly), you can track him down at Oliver Cole Gallery in Miami’s Wynwood district or in Palm Beach at DTR Modern Galleries.

Hublot’s Collector’s Dinner Hosted by Haute Living at Bianca at The Delano Hotel

Hublot hosted a dinner for collector’s with artist Philippe Starck and Sam Nazarian, the CEO and founder of SBE Entertainment Group, at The Delano Hotel’s Bianca restaurant. The hotel was one of Starck’s design projects in the mid-90s and remains one of the must-see hotels in Miami. A family style dinner of shared plates including beef carpaccio, rigatoni Bolognese, 42 oz. dry aged bistecca fiorentina, grilled red snapper, and chocolate budino were served and paired with vintage wines from Sinegal Estate Winery, a Napa Valley wine from vintners David and Shelley Sinegal, who were also in attendance. Big name art world guests like Mr. Brainwash and Bradley Theodore were in attendance, but perhaps the biggest and most surprising appearance of all was comedian Dave Chappelle. Heads turned and smartphones were whipped out as soon as Chappelle slipped into the room. The notoriously reclusive Chappelle has been back in the spotlight recently thanks to a brilliant hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. Here’s hoping there’s more where that came from!

Hublot After-Party on Star Island at the Residence of Lisa and Lenny Hochstein

After the dinner at Bianca at The Delano Hotel, guests from the dinner and more headed over to the mansion of Lisa Hochstein (of the Real Housewives of Miami fame) and her husband Lenny Hochstein. Guests sipped on drinks on a sleek patio overlooking Biscayne Bay and South Beach, where a boat full of guests arrived mid-party. Later in the evening there was a performance by hip hop artist Fat Joe, who was presented with his own Hublot watch by CEO Ricardo Guadalupe before the show. The artist performed his best hits like: “What’s Luv”, “Make It Rain”, “Lean Back”, “All The Way Up”, and “All I do Is Win”.

Hublot Charity Brunch Hosted by Haute Living and Jetsmarter to Support Black Jaguar Tiger

At Bagatelle in Miami Beach on Saturday, Hublot held a charity brunch for Haute Living‘s annual Black Jaguar White Tiger Brunch. The fundraiser supports the Black Jaguar White Tiger rescue, a nonprofit that helps rescue animals in need and provide them with medical care and a home. The organization, which was started by Eduardo Serio in Mexico, rescues and cares for over 240 jaguars, tigers, leopards, lynxes, pumas, lions, and more from the abuse of circuses, zoos, and breeders. Art by Mr. Brainwash (who was seen tagging guests with his yellow crime scene tape that read “Life is Beautiful”), Romero Britto, and Bradley Theodore were auctioned off to support the cause and each piece went for upwards of $40,000. The proceeds of the entire event raised approximately $230,000.

And FINALLY! Hublot Hosted DJ Khaled’s Birthday at Club LIV at The Fontainebleau Hotel

Hublot threw a bash for DJ Khaled’s birthday at Komodo in Brickell. During cocktails, Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe presented DJ Khaled with a custom made Big Bang Key watch designed in his likeness with the motto “We The Best” on the caseback. Later, DJ Khaled was also gifted the first-ever pair of Hublot sneakers co-designed by Davidson Petit-Frère and Yossi Benshetrit for their New York-based label Lavati. The sneakers come with Lavati’s signature waxed laces with black Swarovski-embedded lace tips, a fine matte black leather upper. The sneakers were commissioned by Hublot to celebrate 10 Years All Black watch.

To say that Miami has a huge presence in Miami would be an understatement!