Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot is celebrating Bitcoin’s tenth birthday by issuing a very special Bitcoin-themed watch: the BIG BANG MECA-10 P2P.

As you might expect, the new Bitcoin watches are only available for purchase using Bitcoin. It’s really just a new addition to Hublot’s line of BIG BANG MECA-10 watches, but with a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency twist.

Hublot will only release 210 copies of the new P2P watch , a number referencing the 21-million Bitcoin that will ever exist.

Each watch will have a 45-mm case made from black ceramic. Every BIG BANG P2P will also have a unique identification number – relating to the Bitcoin transaction used for its purchase – engraved on the bezel surrounding the watch-face.

But of course, that isn’t enough blockchain steez for a Satoshi Nakamoto tribute-watch – oh no. The BIG BANG P2P watchband is embossed with an uber-cool blockchain design, which Hublot says represents “ the interconnection network of computers on which virtual money works.”

The reveal comes with this seriously dramatic promotional video. I gotta say, that Bitcoin embedded within the watch’s movement is pretty dope.

Another cool part is the BIG BANG is backed by a 10-day power reserve, meaning that this watch can go a full 10 days before having to be rewound. “ [That] number that was not chosen at random: Ten to mark the number of years the Bitcoin has existed,” reads the Hublot website.

But while the watchmaker claims that this is all part of the Bitcoin tribute, this isn’t the case. All the other watches in the MECA-10 series have the same reserves.

Perhaps, Hublot are stretching the truth a little to better market its new Bitcoin watch by playing on a happy coincidence.

As Hublot has only just debuted the watch today, at a special event, there is yet no indication as to its expected retail price on release, or even when that may be. Bloomberg reports Hublot will sell the watch for “around $25,000,” worth of Bitcoin, but Hard Fork has reached out to Hublot for clarification.

Hublot also says that Asian brokerage firm OS Limited will be handling its Bitcoin transactions, while noting the partnership represents the first time a leading watchmaking brand has opened up to accept cryptocurrency payments.

The event was apparently hallmarked by a “captivating tunnel” that treated guests to an “interactive display” detailing the world of cryptocurrency, specifically the Bitcoin payment system.

Which is all very cool , but does the watch tell me when the next bull market starts?

End of year crypto roundup: How did Cardano perform in 2018?

Cardano is an open-source blockchain and smart contracts platform, supported by the namesake cryptocurrency Cardano (ADA).

The project is a direct competitor to Ethereum, and the two organizations also share a co-founder between them — Charles Hokinson.

Hokinson claims that Cardano has cracked the problem of scalability with blockchains through its ‘ Ouroboros ‘ proof of stake (PoS) algorithm.

While many in the industry — including Hokinson’s former colleagues Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin and EOS’s Daniel Larimer — are not amused by this claim, Cardano has managed to rise the ranks of cryptocurrencies rather quickly, to be one among the ten largest by market capitalization.

Cardano also makes another bold claim of being “the first blockchain platform to evolve out of a scientific philosophy” and one with “more advanced features than any protocol yet developed.”

The evidence provided for these statements stands on thin ice. But, for what it is worth, Cardano does seem to have one of the nerdiest teams around the block, according to the information provided on its website.

According to some, while Cardano has good credentials in academic research, that doesn’t necessarily translate into real-world success. Emin Gün Sirer, a Cornell University professor and researcher in consensus protocols told CoinDesk in July:

ADA/USD performance review

Public trading of ADA opened for the first time on October 1, 2017, at $0.22. By the end of the year, the cryptocurrency was trading at $ 0.64, marking 190 percent gains over the course of three months.

ADA rallied in the first week of January 2018, trading at the market price of $1.17 on January 5, an 82 percent increase over the course of a week. The price dipped again as ADA started trading around $0.65 again by mid-January.

By February first week, ADA further dropped to $0.33, another 50 percent decline since mid-January. The cryptocurrency kept declining in a single downward wedge breaking at $0.15 on April, 10. The cryptocurrency rallied after April 10, but was corrected again in May.

For the rest of 2018, ADA saw a predominantly downward trend. As of December last week, ADA is trading at $0.047 — marking a 93 percent loss since the start of the year.

ADA performed significantly worse relative to BTC in 2018 losing 80 percent of its market value against the apex cryptocurrency since January 1.

Cardano — Major events in 2018

Cardano signed an MOU with the Government of Ethiopia in May to explore its utility in the local agriculture industry and train local developers in blockchain technology.

In September, Hokinson revealed that Cardano is possibly in talks with the government of Mongolia to innovate with blockchain locally, but no further details were revealed.

Cardano Foundation chairman Michael Parsons was ousted by its board in November after an online petition by community members calling for his sacking received more than 6,000 signatures. He was replaced by council member Pascal Schmid.

Cardano cryptocurrency was added as an investment option on social trading platform eToroom in June. It is also on the Coinbase’s list of thirty probable cryptocurrencies that could get listed on the exchange desk next year.

What to expect in 2019

Cardano is a relatively new cryptocurrency project and hasn’t had its defining moments like other contemporaries such as Binance. It’s too soon to predict the direction it could take.

As of 2018, the blockchain platform doesn’t have any major partnerships. Its understanding with the Ethiopian government is not a formal contract, and the company hasn’t divulged any details about its plans in Mongolia, if any.

Cardano calls its product and technology soundness its strength. If its proof of stake system indeed solves the scalability troubles unnerving other major cryptocurrencies, then Cardano is extremely likely to establish itself as one of the best performing coins in the long term. If history is any clue, cryptocurrency businesses aren’t the most likely to fulfill the hyper-inflated claims they make initially. Perhaps, Cardano would be an exception.

For now, it seems to be a wait and watch game with this one.

Now that you have actionable information on the future of Cardano , it’s time to start investing. With eToro , a leading social trading platform, you can trade manually or copy the actions taken by leading traders, taking much of the stress and work out of your investments.

French artists celebrate 10 years of Bitcoin with cryptocurrency art exhibition

Bitcoin is turning 10 years old soon – and a group of international artists are putting on a cryptocurrency art exhibition in France to celebrate its birthday: Bitcoin Art (r)Evolution.

Creatives have been challenged to explore how Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies affect the artists’ relationship with their audience. Particularly, a focus on whether Bitcoin can free artists from the traditional art market – and ultimately the banking system – to explore greater creative freedoms.

Art (r)evolution will delve into the “ unique opportunity to decode the potential upheavals that cryptocurrency and blockchain can cause in the world of art.”

“ We had the idea to organize an exhibition in Paris to show possible use cases of cryptocurrencies and connect the international crypto-friendly artists,” artist and organizer Pascal Boyart told Hard Fork.

“France, through Paris, is well positioned to become the capital of this new artistic movement between art and crypto. [“Crypto Art”] redefines the way an artist can engage his audience,” Boyart added. “The advent of cryptocurrencies is not just a monetary revolution, it’s also a cultural revolution.”

The public will be able to purchase works directly using Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Monero. What’s cooler is that artists have also been given a mission – hide Bitcoin in their works of art to be discovered by those with a keen eye.

Boyart is scheduled to be in attendance too. The artist caught Hard Fork’s attention when he emblazoned his massive graffiti murals with QR-codes in order to accept donations directly from the public.

Other attendees include Andy Bauch, Coin Artist, Nanu Berks, Yom de Saint Phalle , Ilies Issiakhem, Josephine Bellini, Yosh, Mark Bern, Choq, and Youl.

The exhibition is completely open to the public and will take place from 28 September to 5 October. You can find more details here .