Harry Winston Premier Feather Watch

Premier Feather Watch - Peacock Feathers

Harry Winston always delivers with a flourish.  With the Premier Feather Watch, unveiled at the opening of the Shanghai Pavilion boutique, Harry Winston preens perfection like an exotic male bird showing off its fine plumage to the ladies.   Working with feathers requires exceptional talent and the job goes too ... Nelly Saunier who is one of the few experts who still  practice this rare skill. With an expert touch she hand picked (not hand plucked) each feather spending

Silver pheasant feathers

 7 hours carefully and exquisitely creating the dial. In days gone by feathers were used to decorate refineries most notably the headdress of nobles and aristocrats.

Lady Amherst pheasant feathers

 The birds from whence the feathers came were carefully reared for this purpose, and only the very best of their feathers were chosen for the dials.  The feathers were cut and placed in the perfect position in order to make the best use of the feather's natural  nanostructructually organized tissue to interact with light and achieve an intriguing iridescence. Each dial is intrinsically unique and  framed by 66 brilliant cut diamonds which flow onto Harry Winston signature lugs.

The delicate dials are protected by scratch resistant Sapphire crystal.  The Premier Feather Watch is powered by a quartz movement and water resistant to 30m.
The timepiece is bound to the wrist by a satin strap and secured with an 18k white gold or rose gold buckle set with 29 brilliant cut diamonds. 
Only 8 pieces of these feathery watches will be produced making them much coveted collectors items especially by those who have an affinity to towards fowls.

Harry Winston at the Oscars

As the glamorous and famous walk down the red carpet, tonight at the 84th Oscar Academy Awards,  amidst flashing camera bulbs and awestruck onlookers, one can be sure that glinting in the lights is jewelry from Harry Winston. One of the most reminiscent Oscar winning visions is that of Gwyneth Paltrow, 2011 Baume & Mercier's ambassador, accepting the 1999 Best Actress Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love." Above a pale pink dress glittered a 40 carat diamond Harry Winston necklace.

Harry Winston has been adding to the razzle dazzle on the red carpet since the 1943 Academy Awards when Harry Winston adorned Jennifer Jones, Best actress for "The song of Bernadette", in glamorous jewels. Each year, on the night of the Academy Awards, Harry Winston lends $200 million worth of exceptional jewelry. Harry Winston is known as jeweler to the stars and has outfitted numerous celebrities including Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Halle Barry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, and Salma Hayek.

It is hard to believe Harry Winston came from humble beginnings. Son of Jacob Winston, a Ukrainian immigrant, Harry used his incredible wit and exceptional sense of fine gems to surge ahead. His father opened up a small jewelery store in which Harry worked as a boy. He was just 12 years old when he spied a two carat emerald in a pawn shop, recognizing the gem for what it was, he bought it for 25 c and sold it two days later for $800. Harry Winston became legendary in the jewelry business and a part of the legend of "The Hope Diamond". Towards the end of its long journey from hand to hand, the Hope Diamond was sold by Pierre Cartier to U.S. socialite, Evelyn Walsh McLean. After her death in 1947, her grandchildren sold the Hope Diamond,,in 1949, to Harry Winston. It is said the Hope Diamond cursed those who owned it, but Harry Winston never believed the curse, and died from a heart attack at 82 on December 28th, 1978. Harry died long after he had donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institute in 1958 as a gift to the American People, sending it to its final destination via the U.S Mail in a plain brown bag. He probably figured it could take care of itself as it did keep popping up throughout history.


In 1989 Harry Winston successor, his son, Ronald, establishes Harry Winston's first series of watches, The Ultimate Timepieces. Currently Harry Winston has five main timepiece collections:
The Avenue Collection, The Ocean Collection, The Premier Collection, The Signature Collection, and The Ultimate Collection. Harry Winston has 80 years of jewelry making to apply to its watches, so that the bracelets and bezels are provided with the art of jewelry making, bearing the best possible gems, and the movement is crafted by hand. Harry Winston has introduced incredible complication crafted with the utmost perfection that has carved a niche in the world of watchmaking.


Finally I have posted the song, by Marylin Monroe, "Diamonds are a girls best friend," Listen close and Harry Winston will be mentioned.

Harry Winston and The President Vargas Diamond.

Harry Winston Opus 11

On August 13, 1928, along the shores of the San Antonio River in Brazil, two garimpeiros (gold diggers) noticed a large rock embedded in the gravel of the River. The rock was the Vargas Diamond weighing in at 726.6 carats. Wanting a fast fortune, the two prospectors sold the diamond to a broker for $56,000 who then immediately sold it for $235,000. The broker in turn sold the gem to a Dutch syndicate represented by the Dutch Union Bank of Amsterdam. Now named "President Vargas" in honor of Getulio Dornelles Vargas, President of Brazil (1930-45 and 1951-54), the stone went up for bid.
(inset Harry Winston Opus 11 click for more info about this watch)

Harry Winston in his office high above fifth avenue learned of the diamond's existence and immediately arranged travel, stopping off in London and then on to Amsterdam. The desire for this incredible find was not his alone, and he bid against diamond merchants from Antwerp, Amsterdam, London and New York. Harry Winston won the bid, purchasing the diamond for some $700,000. The diamond was then shipped by ordinary registered mail, (like the Hope Diamond) to his office in New York. The diamond was insured by Lloyds for $750,000 should anything occur. Nothing did and the diamond arrived safely at Harry Winston's office, five floors above the hustle and bustle of Fifth Avenue.

Harry Winston had certain plans for the diamond, plans which were a tad risky and could turn this formidable diamond into dust. Harry Winston wanted to cut the diamond into 23 smaller diamonds which would accrue $2,000,000 when sold.
Harry Winston called for the best diamond cutter in the business, Adrian Grassley. Adrian Grassley had been cutting diamonds for over 40 years, but he had never done anything like this. Just the thought of striking a diamond of this size made him weak to his knees. Before the final strike, the diamond was studied. More than 100 plaster and glass models were made and after a year of intensive scrutinizing, the final decision as to its division was made. A diamond expert marked the gem taking careful account of the direction of the grain. One incorrect cut could shatter the diamond rendering it utterly worthless.

Tuesday, July 29th, 1941, Grassley entered the small fortified room which held the diamond. He had tossed and turned the night before unable to sleep, unnerved by the task ahead. He spent the morning carefully grooving a V shaped notch at the precise spot of cleavage. Finally it was time. At 2pm, the traffic of 5th avenue a drone in the distance, Adrian Grassley, Harry Winston and his diamond polisher were the only people in the room. Grassley placed a dull edge steel blade in the V shaped notch and tapped lightly. Nothing happened. Grassley was unconsciously holding back for fear of failure.
Suddenly Harry Winston reached for the stone. Was there a cross grain no one had noticed? Could it be possible a year of calculations a miss? As he peered into the diamond's flawless depth he noticed a tiny four millimeter fracture - perfectly straight and true.
"Strike it harder," Winston urged Grassley knowing that this final blow could cost him millions. Grassley did but still the Vargas did not break. Grassley reached for a slightly heavier rod, and this time the diamond split into two. Perfectly.
Tears of relief coursed down Grasley's cheeks, "Never again," he says, "Never again."

This split created a 550 carat diamond and a 150 carat diamond which were later cut into 29 diamonds, 6 more than originally intended. Of the larger diamonds, 16 were emerald cut, 1 pear shape, one marquise and smaller triangle cuts and a baguette, a total of 411.06 carats.

Harry Winston Project Z6 Black Edition Timepiece

The Harry Winston project Z6 Black Edition is the latest Harry Winston timepiece to utilize Zalium.  Zalium is a zirconium-based alloy used in aeronautical engineering.   Zalium is hypo-allergenic, ultra light weight, resilient and highly corrosive resistance making it an ideal watchmaking material as well as providing a rugged gunmetal finish.  To enhance durability even further, the Zalium is treated with a Diamond Like Carbon treatment. The watch portrays an image of extreme efficiency  and impeccable elegance.  A watch I could envision wrapped around the arm of James Bond where precision is crucial, and the margin for error is nil.

The project Z6 Black Edition is a mechanical manually wound movement featuring an alarm clock.  Quite a rare complication only available in Vulcain, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Blancpain, Breguet and Ulysse Nardin timepieces. However, this 24 hour alarm clock is a design unique to Harry Winston.  The alarm is set by the crown, and activated using a repeater style trigger at the 4 0'clock position.  A hammer fixed to the case  strikes a single block rectangular bell visible beneath the 7 and 8 o'clock position.  B) - creates a greater amplification of sound. Both the exterior placement of the hammer and bell, as well as monobloc bell amplifies the crisp Harmon's sound of the alarm.  A fully wound watch will create a 20 second alarm - see video below.

 Even with the alarm, the Harry Winston Z6 Black Edition has a 72 hour power reserve enabled by double barrels.  Both barrels can be wound simultaneously thus giving power to the alarm mechanism and timekeeping mechanism at the same time.

The dial is an intriguing compilation of dimensions, materials and colors comprising of 18 layered parts. The off centered dial features two overlapping discs, one displaying the hours and minutes and the dial below featuring the alarm clock.  Both time and alarm each have their own day and night indicator.  As with the former Project Z6 timepieces a disc in the shape of a shuriken— a ‘throwing star’ used by Japanese Ninjas slice the minutes into seconds.

Beneath the geometric composition of surfaces decorated with five different finishes including the Côtes de Genève pattern, pulsates the HW-1010 45 jewel movement comprised of  340 pieces.  The Project Z6 is Limited to 300 pieces and is part of the Ocean Collection Ref: 400/MMAC44KC.K2.  Cost: $48,900.00.

Harry Winston Opus Eleven Shatters Time

Baselworld 2011 has an earth shattering star - The Harry Winston Opus Eleven. (see video) Beneath the dial it seems a series of haphazard twisted gears wreak havoc on the display of time. What may seem like random disorganization, on the contrary, is precision and competency at its best.

When the hour arrives, the predominant dial awakens into motion and from its center the hour emerges. It seems somewhat of a dizzying commotion, but the activity is in fact the result of 24 placards swiveling and rotating on numerous gears set on an epicycloidal gear train, These 24 components display quarters of numbers; which are ingeniously configured to meet up at the hour. Jutting out from the main dial is to semi dials. The top semi dial contains the minutes displayed on jumping disc; a jumping disc for the tens and a running disc for the units. For a clear understanding of the ingenious mechanism watch the video below.

To make sure this complicated configuration runs as smooth as possible, 155 jewels are used. In total the Harry Winston Opus Eleven contains 566 parts.
Harry Winston will only produce 111 of the Opus Eleven; 100 in white gold ,depicted above, and 11 smothered with diamonds (It is Harry Winston timepiece after all). A white gold timepiece will run you at $230,000 and the model covered in diamonds will cost $289,000.00.

I have an inking this watch will fetch a prize or too in the future.

The Influence of Harry Winston Project Z1 on the Latest Ocean Chronograph Models.

Harry Winston's latest addition to its vastly popular Ocean Collection, adds an underlying ruggedness to a sleek elegance. One only has to have a quick look from Harry Winston's Ocean Chronograph Watch (left) to Harry Winston's Project Z1 (see below) to see an unmistakable likeness. Unveiled in 2004, the Project Z1 hailed in three groundbreaking firsts:

1)The Watch Material: Zalium, previously used exclusively in aerospace technology, has become a trademark of Harry Winstons for its use in jewelry and luxury watches. Zalium ,an alloy of aluminium and zirconium, is hypo-allergenic, resilient, corrosive resistant and harder than titanium and has a gun metal type finish.

2) Automatic chronograph movement with off-centered triple retrograde display is a prominent feature in the latest addition of the Ocean Chronograph Watch.

3)In Project Z1 model Harry Winston's signature arcs were moved to the 3 'o'clock position serving as a protection to the crown. This new arc position became highly popular and is widely used by Harry Winston.

In both the Project Z1 model and the brand new Ocean Chronograph Watch (available in 18k white gold), there is a tiny "porthole" at the very top of the minute retrograde arc, where one can perceive a seconds hand.

The newest addition adds a darkened streak across the watch like a band of freshly plowed snow (yes, I admit, the image of plowed snow is on my mind, as I do live on the East Coast), and exudes a sense of adventure. For a quieter elegance, the Ocean Chronograph crafted in 18k rose gold is an exquisite alternative. Poignant blue sub dial outlines add unmistakable distinction to a watch well worthy of recognition.

Basel 2010 Sneak Peak: Harry Winston

Project Z6 is the newest addition to Harry Winston's remarkable array of timepieces. The intriguing aspect of this watch ,as well as its Project's Z's predecessors, is the case material Zalium. Never heard of it? Well it is a zirconium-based alloy used exclusively by Harry Winston. Its name originates of `Z`irconium and `al`l`ium` lily. Zalium is much harder than titanium. It is also used in jet engines and surgical tools. The reason it is used so sparingly in the watch industry is that it is exceedingly difficult to work with and must be machined from an ingot. Harry Winston has developed a procedure to work with Zalium with remarkable success.
The latest success is Project Z6, a fine watch with the signature Harry Winston moldings on the bezel. The Project Z6 is equipped with a 24 hour alarm, a complication developed exclusively for Harry Winston. One needs only to set the alarm via the crown; the striking mechanism is activated by a trigger at the 4'o'clock. An aperture on the dial allows for optimal view of the hammer which is attached to the 44mm Zalium watch case. The resulting sound has a powerful resonance which is achieved by a solid rectangular gong. The hand wound mechanical movement has a 72 hour power reserve owing to two barrels, one for the movement and the other for the striking mechanism. The movement contains no less than 340 components, 45 jewels and hand chamfered bridges. The two overlapping off center sub dials are punctuated by vibrant blue and red markings; one displaying the time and one indicating the alarm mechanism. A double day/night indicator adds too, but does not clutter, the elegant dial which is protected by a sapphire crystal.

Harry Winston unveils the Histoire de Tourbillon 1

There are a myriad of complications, but none as captivating as the tourbillon. The tourbillon is an extremely challenging complication to master. This Spring of 2009, Harry Winston will release a unique collection , the Histoire de Tourbillon, comprising of five distinct designs. Each design will be limited to just twenty timepieces, making this entire collection rare and highly desirable collectibles.

The Tourbillon was invented in 1795 by French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, who hypothesized that gravity had an adverse effect on the workings of a pocket watch. Abraham Louis Breguet placed the escapement and balance wheel in a cage in order to counteract the effects of gravity.
Harry Winston has utilized innovative materials as well as increasingly sophisticated mechanisms in the Histoire de Tourbillon 1 Collection.
The 48mm case is crafted from white gold and Zalium. Zalium is an ultra-light alloy made from zirconium and allium lily. The material has a low density, high thermal resistance, high durability and is extremely resilient. Zalium originated from the aerospace industry; however the term Zalium is a trademark first used by Harry Winston in its Project Z series of watches.
Each timepiece features two 25º inclined single-axis Tourbillons with rabid 36 second rotations.
Harry Winston accepts the hypothesis that the Tourbillon does counter the effects of gravity and thus uses increasingly sophisticated techniques to increase the efficiency of the Tourbillon. The high rotation speed of the Tourbillon reduces the exposure of the regulator to natural gravity. The speed of the rotations of the Tourbillon is achieved by the incredibly light weight components. 88 components in the system only weigh .46 grams.
The angles of the Tourbillons as well as their rapid rotations and synchronicity, achieve an hypnotic allusion that the Tourbillons are moving towards the Sapphire Crystal.Hours and minutes are displayed on the front rotating disc and on the back of the timepiece with seconds for more precise timekeeping. This Harry Winston timepiece is a testament to its ongoing commitment to watchmaking excellence. The timepiece is a mechanical self-winding movement.