SINGAPORE – Minutes before a Zoom interview about the intricate mechanics of Swiss watchmaking, my needy cavapoo Shiro leaps onto my lap and steals the show.

On the other side of the world, American artist Jeff Koons grins at the breach of professional decorum.

“Who’s the special guest?” asks the 71-year-old, greeting the four-legged intruder with the warmth of a man who has spent more than four decades persuading the world to embrace life’s simplest, most innocent pleasures.

From inflatable rabbits to giant mounds of Play-Doh to colossal balloon animals, Koons has turned childhood playthings into monumental – and expensive – art. 

In 2013, Balloon Dog (Orange), one of five stainless-steel versions made in different colours, sold at Christie’s for US$58.4 million. At the time, it was the highest price ever paid at auction for a work by a living artist.

Now, Koons has done it again, only this time, the magic fits on the wrist.

The Classic Fusion Balloon Dog, his new collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Hublot, is a 42mm watch offered in mirror-polished steel, red or blue anodised aluminium. Each version is limited to 200 pieces and priced at $33,800.