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Jeff Koons On Balloon Dogs, Time and Why He Changed His Mind About Luxury

The artist has been thinking lately about time. And life. And the solar system, humanity and human connection. Even for Koons, who recently partnered with Swiss watch brand Hublot on two very different timepieces, that’s a lot to unpack, and a conversation with him is anything but run-of-the-mill.

Last week in New York City, Swiss watch brand Hublot and American artist Jeff Koons celebrated their recently announced partnership with a packed event at Studio 525 in Chelsea. The event was star-studded, with Pamela Anderson, Future, Saweetie, Gunna and Olivia Jade among the guests; Tinashe performed and later took over the DJ booth. Koons’s sketches lined one wall, while others came alive with animated projections of his famous Balloon Dog sculptures—imagery that was particularly apropos. The big reveal of the night was the Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons collection, which translates one of the artist’s most recognizable works into unusual watches in red, blue and silver that look as if they are inflated with air. Produced in a limited edition of just 200 pieces in each color, they retail for $25,100.

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(There was another, decidedly more serious watch on display, in a dramatically lit back room, where projections evoking the universe set the mood. The $488,000 MP-14 Origin by Jeff Koons is an extraordinarily complex gem-set center tourbillon watch inspired by his Gazing Ball sculptures and conceived around ideas of time, space and perception.)

The collaboration between Koons and Hublot, both known to offer somewhat controversial works, began a little more than two years ago, when Koons traveled to Hublot’s manufacture in Switzerland. There, he met with designers, engineers, material specialists, watchmakers and gem setters and came away impressed by what........

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