The Antikythera mechanism is having a cultural moment. From Tony Freeth’s landmark 2021 reconstruction at University College London (more HERE) toits starring role in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2024),the world’s oldest computer is finally getting the attention it deserves. Hublot has done more than any other luxury watch brand to champion its cause.
Recovered in 1901 from a Roman-era shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, this corroded bronze device remained largely misunderstood for over a century. Today we know it as the most sophisticated piece of engineering to survive from the ancient world, a hand-powered Greek astronomical calculator capable of tracking the Sun, Moon and all five planets known in antiquity, predicting solar and lunar eclipses, and displaying the dates of the Panhellenic Games.
Left: Fragments A-C of the Antikythera Mechanism retrieved from the Antikythera Shipwreck, National Archaeological Museum,
Collection of Metalwork, 150-100 BC. Photo: K. Xenikakis. (*)
Right: Exploded model of the Antikythera mechanism as it would have looked when originally built. © 2020 Tony Freeth.
Professor Tony Freeth – the world’s leading Antikythera researcher – led a team that finally cracked its front-face mystery in 2021, producing the first model to match both the physical evidence and the inscriptions engraved on the device itself. Only a third of the original remains, in 82 fragments, which contain 30 interlocking bronze gears of extraordinary precision.
In 2012, Hublot became the first watch brand to recreate the Antikythera mechanism on the wrist. The Hublot Antikythera watch is a conceptual tour de force, reproducing the astronomical complications of the ancient device in a wearable format: lunar cycles, eclipse prediction, planetary positions and the Saros cycle of 223 lunations. A year later, the Hublot Antikythera SunMoon expanded the range further, adding the true zodiacal sign for any date and the procession of the equinoxes.
Hublot watches based on the Antikythera mechanism. L–R: Hublot MP-04 Antikythera (2012) and Hublot MP-08 Antikythera SunMoon (2013).
The technical specifications of the 2013 model are staggering. A manually wound tourbillon calibre HUB9008 is housed in a 49mm titanium or 18K King Gold case, powering 295 components across 30 jewels, with a power reserve of approximately 105 hours. Complications displayed include the Metonic cycle of 19 years (235 lunations), the Callippic cycle of 76 years (940 lunations), the Exeligmos cycle of 54 years (669 lunations), the Egyptian calendar, moon phase, moon speed correction, and position of both Sun and Moon in the zodiac. Limited to just 20 pieces.
Hublot’s connection to Antikythera goes far beyond watchmaking. Since 2014, the Hublot Xplorations programme has dedicated more than two weeks annually to active underwater archaeological missions at the original wreck site. Acting as the technical arm for international teams of diving archaeologists, the department has developed cutting-edge underwater drones to detect artefacts still buried on the seabed. The same programme has contributed to ESA’s ExoMars mission, providing proof that the ancient Greek pursuit of cosmic understanding lives on in modern exploration.
WATCH THE MYSTERY OF ANTIKYTHERA
In June 2026, Hublot released a new documentary filmed over 18 days on the island of Antikythera alongside Swiss content creator, Anil Brancaleoni. The film documents an international team of archaeologists, divers, and specialists working to uncover more of the wreck and immerse viewers in the remarkable daily life of an island inhabited by just twenty people. It is the latest chapter in Hublot’s ongoing quest for what the brand calls “the origin of time.” Hublot R&D Director Mathias Buttet was more poetic: “Each watchmaking mechanism is a declaration: time is precious, and it deserves to be honoured with boldness and creativity.”
The Antikythera mechanism captures humanity’s obsession with measuring and understanding the cosmos. Tony Freeth’s research has shown just how far ahead of its time it was, a device that would not be equalled in mechanical complexity for over a thousand years. That a Swiss luxury watch brand should become one of its most committed champions is no coincidence. Watchmakers and ancient Greek astronomers share the same fundamental ambition to master time and Earth’s movement through the solar system.
Author: Andrew Hildreth
Lead image: Divers exploring the Antikythera shipwreck site as part of Hublot’s Xplorations Programme.
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