Harry Winston Opus 8

“Limitless possibilities,” is the phrase that comes to mind to describe the genius involved in the creation of the Opus Program set forth the by a genius in his own right named HARRY WINSTON.

Creator Frederic Garinaud: A man of many facets and inspirations which culminated in the Opus 8

It is this kind of intellect that allows growth and pure exploration in the world of haute horology. The process in the Opus program is simple; though it can be said that Harry Winston can clearly create timepieces that will be envied by most, what he had done is clearly a breakthrough in itself, it is as though the captain of the ship relinquished the controls and handed it to someone else to manipulate and decipher the route to be taken. In essence, Harry Winston partnered with independent watchmakers to develop rare timepieces in limited numbers and had given them free reign in its conception and development.

The Opus Program was launched by Harry Winston and Maximilian Busser in 2001, each year coming out with an elaborate design from a master watchman and complete with the product ready for the public. With two ideas in mind, to amaze the world with its Opus: Unique timepieces and secondly, to “encourage a new interest for unlimited freedom and innovation in technical watch making.” In order for this to happen Harry Winston had collaborated with the Who’s Who in the Watch industry.

In its latest installation however, The Opus 8, was not created by neither a watchmaker nor a designer but instead of man known to be a visionary with a crazy and an ingenuous idea. A man dubbed in watch circles as, “The Magician.” His name is, Frederic Garinaud. Frederic Garinaud was born in France in 1971, in his early years he thought nothing of watches.

Garinaud founded the watchmaking specialties unit - la Cellule des Spécialités Horlogères (CSH)

Frederic Garinaud got his start in the French Naval Academy where he specialized as an on-board mechanic. In 1999, he attended Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers in Lyon to formalize his graduate studies and after which began employment as a Development Manager for Special Machinery in a Galvanoplasty Laboratory. In 2001, He joined Audemars Piguet (Renaud and Papi) as a Technical Office Manager. In 2005, paving the way for his role as a watch developer, Frederic Garinaud founded the watch making specialists unit called La Cellule des Specialites Horlogeres (CSH).

Calibre was there when Garinaud presented his opus to the media CSH aims to bridge ultramodern training with watch making tradition; this combines all of the trades involved in watch making, from drawing to timing, to development and construction, to micromechanical manufacture, decoration and product assembly. With CSH, Frederic Garinaud wanted to bring high quality watch making to another level.

It was five years ago today when Frederic Garinaud came up with an idea of a timepiece that would weave together complicated watch mechanics and digital electronics. It was in the same time that Frederic Garinaud had heard of the Opus concept of Harry Winston and so began the dream of what would be the Opus 8.

Interested with this hybrid concept Harry Winston met up with Frederic Garinaud in early 2007 and it only took a couple of days when the plans of the watch was accepted.

With the design of the Opus 8, Frederick Garinaud sought emotional inspiration from his boyhood memories; these were from the 1970’s television shows to disco and the Star Wars saga. As his references were, he designed a marvelously creative model that is packed with high technology winning the respect of his peers in the watch industry in just a couple of years.

The Harry Winston Opus 8 is a watch that displays the time in the most unusual manner. With the electronic LED watches of the 1970’s and the pin- art board toy (a toy that creates a three dimensional impression when pressed on the hundred tiny pins) as one of its many inspirations the face of the watch took shape. It has an entirely special dial display. On its left is a four digit hour display showing two for the hour and two for the time of day (am/pm). On the right of the watch is a minute counter laid out and displayed from bottom to top.

In telling the time with the watch, instead of pressing your fingers down on the pins the time is shown by precisely placed pegs similar to that of a music box mechanism. Time is shown by demand by pulling the side lever down which in turn activates the mechanical pixels to rise up from the digitally segmented dial that displays the hour of the day in am or in pm and the minute indicators by every five minute markers located in a vertical scale on the left side of the watch. It is a hand- wound mechanical wonder that creates a modern time display.

The Printed Circuit Board inspired casebackAs described by Frederic Garinaud, “The base movement is mounted 180°. Time is displayed not by hands but as segments. A screen supports the mobile and fixed segments where below there is a disk. This disk is driven by the movement which rotates independently and in real time. The mechanism is activated by means of using a slide piece on the right side of the case, the screen is then lowered and only the segments opposite the hour remain raised, which then time is displayed for five seconds until returning to the flat position.”

The display hours is shown in the symmetrical hexagonal typography found in liquid crystal displays while an arrow shaped ring points in five minute increments. The dial is a micro beaded blasted coating that is similar to that of a calculator with the segments being made of black anthracite with polished sides. These segments are crafted from amorphous carbon a material used commonly in Formula 1 racing cars.  The carbon is a specialized material that has an extremely low friction coefficient meaning that wear, blockages and material discharge has become nonexistent.

The Opus 8 has a magnificent rectangular shape encased using white gold it is 43mm wide 41mm long and 13mm thick akin to a retro style television set. The case front is a 4mm thick crystal blocking the segments. The display winding bolt is located on the right while the winding crown is on the left. The back of the watch is adorned like a printed circuit and lined that directs to various time elements. At the top of the back dial are the hours and the minutes and on the left are the periods of the day. Located to the right of it is the 48 hour power reserve indicator. In the middle of the case back through an opening is its heart or the balance of the watch. At the bottom are the co-designers of the Opus 8, Garinaud and CSH and the serial number. The watch is equipped with a leather strap water resistant to 30 meters and has a limited run of 50 pieces. Every detail of the timepiece has been given due attention it is no wonder that it is even rumored that before it completed production every piece had already been sold. While being an exquisite work of art, the Opus 8 is designed to function as a great timepiece. The combination of artistry and functionality makes the Opus 8 a true collectible.