The famous Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami, we have known for some of his artistic collaborations with Hublot, has now taken a leaf out of the Swiss watchmaker to launch his own watch brand. Called the Takashi Murakami Time Objects, the brand unveils the Skull Flowers Cylindrical Jumping-Hour Tourbillon watch, which is a sublime combination of contemporary art and haute horlogerie.

Takashi’s first solo outing with watches could get many thinking, if it’s even the right idea. But the way the artist has been able to turn a titanium skull into a case and fit its eyes with spinning flowers, we presume it to go straight into the collector’s category. Murakami has already established his presence among watch collectors through the collaborations with Hublot, and this collection is raising expectations in his favor.

Designer: Takashi Murakami

At Yanko Design, we have regularly featured Murakami’s product collaborations in luxury timepieces, especially the artist’s partnership with Hublot. We have talked at length about how these collaborative, limited-edition watches integrate his signature sapphire flower motif into mechanical tourbillon watches. And now we are talking about Murakami’s own interesting crossover between art and watchmaking.

The resulting Skull Flowers collection comprises five watches, which have skull-shaped titanium cases with a microblasted finish and black DLC coating, and rotating flowers in the eye sockets. These are the first things you notice at a glance. A closer look actually reveals the side-mounted cylindrical jumping-hour display and a flying tourbillon visible through the sapphire caseback.

Pairing of the skull and flowers can come up as odd to someone who doesn’t know Murakami. But if you look closely, these are part of a theme in Murakami’s work, which indicates life and death coexisting side by side. For instance, the flowers depict life, and the skull reminds us of the eternal truth.

The flowers are, however, more than a celebration of life. They provide a decorative aesthetic to the lifeless skull forming the watch dial. According to reports, ‘the flower petals rotate on ball bearings with the movement of the wrist.’ The skull is the more prominent aspect of the watch. It measures nearly 44 mm in size and is 18.4 mm at the thickest point. The time display on the watch is located at six o’clock, where the hour cylinder jumps at the start of each hour and the minutes rotate on a disc.

All five models of the Skull Flowers Cylindrical Jumping-Hour Tourbillon watch are limited edition and range between CHF85,000 (approx. $100,000) and CHF148,000 (approx. $180,000), depending on the configuration you choose. Each watch type is reportedly limited to 12 pieces and could be powered by a Kross Manufacture hand-wound movement that offers a five-day power reserve. Instead of a traditional crown, the watches have a discreet pusher on the left side to toggle mode and time.

The post Japanese artist Takashi Murakami ventures into high-end watchmaking with Skull Flowers Jumping-Hour Tourbillon first appeared on Yanko Design.

Head to the Tesla shop and you will discover products that are hard to resist. Take, for instance, the Pickleball Paddle, Levitating Cybertruck, or the Balance Bike for Kids. Anything coming into the Tesla shop is bound to pique interest, and the Cybertruck RC Racer is definitely one of them.

The miniature version of the real thing that costs starting at $83,000 is something made for a geek’s desk. This 1:10 scale model of the edgy Cybertruck is the real deal if you always wanted to have one from the Tesla house, and not any other knock-off Chinese RC version. The toy makes even more sense now that the Cybertruck is going out of production by the end of next year, to give way for the Cybercab robotaxis’ production at the Texas factory.

Designer: Tesla

Cybertruck RC Racer priced at $350 is the perfect alibi for fans who swear by the Cybertruck’s USP. The toy racer is an accurate scaled-down version of the angular pickup truck that has had a controversial run ever since it rolled out of the production lines. Measuring around 22 inches x 9.9 inches x 8 inches (length x height x width), the car is crafted from polycarbonate to be as impact-resistant as the big brother. Tesla has kept rugged usage in mind, so there are swappable and repairable panels for enthusiasts who’ll push the RC car to the limits.

The racer comes with a brushless motor that delivers power to all four wheels for consistent performance on rough terrain and uneven surfaces like rocks or small pebbles. It can go up to a top speed of 37 mph without getting unstable or tipping over. That stability comes courtesy of a gyroscope and electronic stability control, which keeps the RC car stable. Tesla has also thrown in the counter steering and independent suspension system into the mix. That means you can take the little vehicle for a spin on racetracks or dirt surfaces with peak confidence.

Content creators will be eyeing this feature to make the Cybertruck RC Racer go drifting to create those cinematic shots and rack up millions of views. You’ll be able to steer this using a 2.4 gigahertz pistol-grip remote control from a distance of 326 feet. There’s an 11.1-volt, 3400 mAh lithium polymer battery, which makes the RC car go frantic for 20 minutes before needing another recharge. That’s not impressive, but we have to consider the tricks this one can do compared to a normal RC vehicle.

Apart from this, Tesla has also added a $35 Cybercab pullback racer and a $45 Tesla Action figure among 22 new items to the shop just in time for the holiday season fever. I personally would be interested in driving around the Cybertruck RC Racer when the snowflakes are falling down this winter.

The post Tesla Cybertruck RC Racer shines with replaceable body, independent suspension system first appeared on Yanko Design.