Why watches and pop art are a match made in luxury heaven: LeBron James and Serena Williams own Marvel-inspired Audemars Piguets, Omega has the Snoopy Moonwatch and Patek Philippe worked with Disney

Watches are pieces of art in themselves, albeit in miniature form. While there are similarities between classical artistic crafts and watchmaking, ranging from gold sculpting and engraving to miniature painting, it does not end there. Although steeped in tradition and expertise developed over centuries, watchmakers are not afraid of drawing inspiration from contemporary references. Watch dials sporting contemporary art and pop culture offer a unique juxtaposition of tradition and the pushing of boundaries. Comic books, pop art, graffiti, calligraphy and even tattoos have found their way onto the dials of some luxury timepieces. It would be impossible to appreciate the cross-pollination of these crafts without referencing one of the most recognisable pop-art-inspired watches. Gerald Genta, the visionary behind Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, pioneered a series of timepieces under his own brand that incorporated the playful cast of Disney. He elevated the “Mickey Mouse Hand” watch with automatic movements as well as retrograde editions that saw Donald, Minnie and the gang’s arms transformed into jumping hour hands. The Gerald Genta brand continues to focus on the designer’s famous retrograde complications and produces these Disney watches in small quantities. 6 most macho luxury watches of 2022 – from Top Gun to Mars time Just as important a part of American pop culture as Mickey Mouse is Snoopy, featured on the dials of several Omega timepieces. Their shared connection to Nasa – Omega as its official timekeeper and Snoopy as its mascot – has naturally landed the beloved comic pup on the face of the Speedmaster. The Snoopy Moonwatch’s Silver Snoopy Award anniversary edition commemorates the Snoopy Award Nasa gives to astronauts as recognition of their achievement and contribution to space exploration. Omega has in the past presented several renditions of the timepiece, including the 50th-anniversary edition with Snoopy wearing an astronaut’s helmet on the chronograph counter at nine o’clock. Capitalising on the tremendous fan base of the Marvel universe, Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak Concept Black Panther Flying Tourbillon featuring a hand-engraved Black Panther on the dial. In a vibranium-inspired shade of purple, the watch marries one of the most important inventions in watchmaking, the gravity-defying tourbillon, together with the artistic craft of engraving and sculpting. 2022’s richest rock bands: 7 legendary groups’ net worths, ranked Though limited to 250 pieces, the timepiece quickly began to appear on the wrists of some noted collectors and cultural icons, including LeBron James and Serena Williams. Hublot, which has a history of collaborating with artists from all spectra of the art scene, offers its Big Bang and Classic Fusion watches as a canvas. Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto, London-based tattoo studio Sang Bleu, and more recently, Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami have put their spin on these watches. Hong Kong watch expert Carson Chan on why we should see timepieces as art Known for his vibrant, smiling flower design, Murakami offers two renditions for his collaboration with Hublot, one reflecting the artist’s colourful aesthetics, and the other, the bold masculinity signature to the watchmaker. At the centre of the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow watch is a sculpted flower that extends all the way to the edge of the dial. As its name suggests, the flower is accented with rainbow-set sapphires, with the hour and minute hands set behind the smiling disk floret of the flower. Housing the colourful flower and the in-house automatic Unico movement is a 45mm case forged entirely out of transparent sapphire. A more subtle execution of the design in monotone sees the cheerful bud covered entirely in black diamonds. The Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black sparkles with the subtle shine of 563 black brilliant-cut diamonds and shares the same in-house movement as its rainbow counterpart, with 70 hours of power reserve. Brazilian artist Romero Britto is known for his colourful, comic take on “two-dimensional” sculptures. His work can be found everywhere, from the streets of Miami to the world’s top galleries, and the artist counts Pablo Picasso among his inspirations. Tapping his signature vibrant hues and use of graphic patterns, Hublot launched the Classic Fusion Britto watch. Hublot reimagines Britto’s vision of cubism and pop art using grand feu enamel. Generational gems: the dos and don’ts of choosing heirloom jewellery Using 12 different colours, the enamel is meticulously painted on before being fired at 800 degrees Celsius. It takes several days to create a single piece: even the slightest mishap at any stage of the process means the dial has to be discarded. Housed in the slender classic fusion case, the instantly recognisable timepiece perfectly captures the personalities of both Hublot and Britto. Presented in black ceramic and platinum, the pieces are limited to 50 and 30 respectively. Ulysse Nardin’s cheeky collaboration with erotic comic artist Milo Manara pays homage to its roots in ocean exploration, and is equal parts playful and intricate. Tapping into the house’s miniaturised painting expertise, Milo Manara presents scenes on the dial of five watches which tell the story of a mermaid returning to sea. Framed inside a sapphire crystal face and in a 40mm Classico case, the watch reflects the sense of humour of Ulysse Nardin designers and watchmakers. Traditional as some aspects of watchmaking continue to be, brands’ creativity is not restrained by them. More than ever, maisons are looking beyond the confines of their craft for inspiration. These watches represent the meeting of artistic minds and the watchmaking world’s unique approach to marrying the old with the new. How the world’s most iconic jewellery brands reinvent signature pieces Jewellery house Graff, known for creating imagery and using colour to capture emotions, has created a series of timepieces inspired by the works of American artist and calligrapher Cy Twombly. A prolific art collector, the house’s founder Laurence Graff draws inspiration from the chaotic yet powerful scribes of the artist to create the “Inspired by Twombly” collection. Twombly’s swirls and strokes are expressed as ribbons of diamonds and gold: a watch dial is coiled in loops of diamonds formed into a cuff bangle. Be it a playful expression of movement or an expression of time as told through the sparkle of diamonds, the craft of watchmaking is an art form in and of itself, much like the art world itself – it is only natural the two worlds find constant inspiration in each other. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.