Planetary Movement

For almost 10 years, Harry Winston has been wowing watch lovers with its Opus collection of limited edition timepieces. The high-end jeweler has become quite respected for its timepieces, always pushing the envelope in terms of design and mechanics. Wise executives in the Harry Winston timepiece division attract exciting talent from the watch industry to ensure that new developments from the brand always earn attention. For the Opus X, Harry Winston decided to work with talented watchmaker Jean-François Mojon.

Imagine for an instant that the entire watch dial and hands are in constant motion. Different parts move at different speeds, just like a planetary system with moons. Compare this celestial scenario to the Opux X’s sophisticated face and you can see that while the entire dial revolves on its axis like a planet, in its midst are the moons of time that move at different rates. Subsidiary dials for the hours, minutes, and seconds are the three moons of this watch. While the entire system is moving, so are the hands in the middle of these subdials to indicate the time. Note the indicator with the “HW” logo—it displays a second time zone in a 24-hour format around the periphery of the face, as the main dial moves the hand around the 24-hour scale.

On the rear of the watch is a linear power reserve indicator for the manually wound movement with 72 hours of power reserve. The genius of the Opus X comes from its straightforward execution of what is inherently a very complex movement. Unlike many watches that are arguably strange for the sake of being strange, the Opus X is elegant rather than being awkward in design and thus hard to market.

The dial is a combination of materials and finishes, and, to retain legibility, Harry Winston designed the information indicators in canary yellow. A fluid evolution of the skeletonized open style of the dial, the watch maintains visible gear-work frames that enhance rather than detract from the dials. Therefore, while the mechanism of the watch is rightfully unhidden, you are meant to see the dials and hands first and foremost when glancing at the watch.

Big in stance, the Opus X is 46 mm wide in an 18-karat white gold case, which is neatly designed as a thematic homage to the iconic “Ocean” case that houses many of Harry Winston’s main collection of watches. The gorgeous open dial with its smooth charm should be a collector’s favorite. This is an exotic treat that is still wearable for most occasions, and bears a respected, solid, high-end brand name.

Limited to 100 pieces  |  $208,800
www.harrywinston.com