Developed with master watchmaker Emmanuel Bouchet, the newest Harry Winston Opus – 12 – defies all conventional rules of watchmaking. While it is, indeed, a mechanical masterpiece, it is nothing like we have seen before in its display and changing of the hours and minutes. In the Opus12 watch, at the change of every hour, a rotating double-hand system jumps into action. The movement executes and elaborate dance of gears and rotating hands to indicate the time. In fact, each short hour hand rotates, or rolls over with every hour change – revealing a single blue hour hand among the other 11 silver hands every hour. The longer minute hands complete a similar drill every five minutes – for amazing beauty and harmony.
The mechanical movement with manual winding consists of 607 parts, 80 jewels and two barrels – one to owe the turning of the hands and the other for the timing. To perform its magical dance and change of time indication, it consists of 24 hands. The watch offers a power reserve of 45 hours and a retrograde minute display of the elapsed time between each five-minute segment. In fact, on this watch, one can read the minutes so precisely – to the half minute. It also features a seconds hand subdial. It is housed in a 46mm white gold case.
“For me this project is a dream come true. I couldn’t have realized it without Harry Winston,” says Bouchet, who conceived of the idea three years ago and presented it to the brand in 2012.
Here, we bring you a video of this exceptional timepiece – which will be produced in a limited edition of just 120 pieces ever, each retailing for approximately $270,300.