Harry Winston & Opus — “Creative Mission”

Harry Winston. the well-known company, is one of the world's most popular jewelry houses. According to the professionals, the reason of this stunning popularity is the the platinum mounting, invented by the founder of the company, that gives a precious stone a wonderful three-dimensional shape. The founder of the brand, the great jeweler Harry Winston, died in 1978, and the company passed to his son Ronald Winston. The young man managed to continue the great jewelry business of his father, but his main task was the creation of something new – a collection of rare and luxury watches. Such a well-known brand, as Harry Winston, could not afford "to lose its face." Ronald Winston realized, that the movement and the design of Harry Winston watch must complies with the standards of the company's jewelry. His motto was the words of his father — "just exceptional." Thus, in 1990, the company presented two different collections of watches. The distinctive features of the first line were luxury and splendor — the collection included the wrist watches, decorated with the best precious stones according to the traditions of the jeweller's art. The second line consists of the technically complicated chronographs. In the beginning of the new millennium, the company created a special watch department, known as Harry Winston Rare Timepieces, the CEO of which was appointed young and promising Maximillian Büsser. It was the creative man, who put forward the idea to develope a unique Opus collection, that would consist of precise men's and women's wrist watches. The project was launched in 2001. M. Büsser described Opus in the following words: "Opus collection was originally launched in order to revive the free creativity, to develop the unprecendented masterpieces." While creating the timepieces, Harry Winston company practically does not need to seek any support elsewhere, and jewellers and watchmakers create the watches according to the company facilities. While developing Opus collection, on the contrary, Harry Winston company worked with the best watchmakers in the world. The basic concept of this watch collection is the cooperation with other independent watchmakers - one expert for each model, released annually. According to Harry Winston staff men, this project is really unique, as the watchmakers are working with the regular staff as the "comprehensive whole", it is a kind of "symbiosis." As a result, every Opus helps us to start the unprecedented "trip" to the world of innovations and high technology. Every Opus watch is a revolutionary timepiece, it is just impossible to create it without any support even for the most  experienced watchmaker. The line of Opus wrist watches is very  famous throughout the world, as every model is released in the limited edition and is equipped with the original in-house movement, developed specially for every watch. The company produced 11 magnificent Opus watches, the first of which appeared in 2001, as the result of collaboration with the famous watchmaker and the founder of the Swiss watch company F. P. Journe – François-Paul Journe. Opus 2 was designed by Antoine Pretzuiso, the watchmaker from Geneva. 12 models from this collection are equipped with a perpetual calendar, placed on the watch back, and 24 models are presented with a tourbillon. In 2003, at the Baselworld, the company presented Opus 3, developed by Vianney Halter, the member of the Academie Horogere descreateurs independents (AHCI). The creator of Opus 4 is Christophe Claret, the specialist in brilliant repeaters. The the author of Opus 5 is Felix Baumgartner from Urwerk watch company, whose peculiar ideas and thoughts have helped to develop the  project of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces.  The idea of Opus 6 was embodied in 2006 with the help of two specialists in the sphere of the most complicated tourbillons from Greubel Forsey watch company. The seventh Opus was produced in cooperation with Andreas Strehler, the independent watchmaker. The shape of this watch with its originality and elegance reminds of a butterfly. Opus 8 was created by Frederic Garinaud, it is the mechanical digital watch with the unique display. The design of Opus 9 was developed by Eric Giroud, the  resourceful man, who escaped the round watch dial and the usual hands, having created two parallel diamond chains for the time indication. The uniqueness of Opus X, created with the participation of Jean-Francois Mojon, lies in the fact, that this watch is designed according to the principle of planetary motion. Finally, the eleventh Opus by Dennis Giguet – is the embodiment of time perfection, it has the “explosive temperament", that sets the pace of life.
So, men's and women's Opus wrist watches by Harry Winston are the complex and unique masterpieces of watchmaking. As a rule, all models from this collection are decorated with indispensable diamonds, and there is no surprise, because diamonds are the best Harry Winston's friend. Almost every Opus watch is made of combined materials. This is usually platinum and gold, as well as titanium and steel. Each Opus has its main theme, embodied in a very original way, all the models are different, as well as the persons, who developed these watches. In 2010, Harry Winston celebrated the 10th anniversary of the legendary Opus project in Geneva. It was the perfect celebration in the honor of the perfect project. No doubt, the main guests were the watchmakers, the creators of this great collection. At the celebration one of the guests pronounced the words, that perfectly reflected the essence of the "creative mission" of the company: "The best watchmakers from every corner of the globe have gathered under one roof –  that is Harry Winston's roof”.