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Lot Essay
For many years, Harry Winston's Opus series has been regarded as one of the most audacious and intellectually challenging endeavors in modern watchmaking, uniting some of the most talented designers in the industry, such as F.P. Journe, Vianney Halter, Greubel Forsey and Felix Baumgartner. Every Opus chapter functions as an intellectual laboratory, unrestricted by business interests and propelled solely by inventiveness, creativity, and mechanical audacity. The present timepiece is consigned by the original owner, whose collecting focus centred on wristwatches distinguished by rare complications and unusual design.
Harry Winston collaborated with two forward-thinking watchmakers, Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin, to write the fourteenth chapter of this remarkable story in 2015. Together, they produced the Opus 14, a watch that skillfully combines intricate mechanical design with playful elements. The watch instantly captivates with its sculptural presence, housed in an 18K white gold case and crowned by a sapphire crystal carved from a single block. The Opus 14 is visually and mechanically reminiscent of a vintage jukebox, with its cleverly scaled-down and reimagined automaton complication for the wrist. The stylized local time display at nine o'clock, the vinyl-inspired dial finishes, the two-tone '14' insignia, the shaded red retrograde minute arc, and the blue-toned hour markers all allude to the romance of Route 66, American diners, and the rock'n'roll era.
A patented mechanism that is exclusive to Harry Winston is at the core of the Opus 14, exposing four disks that are arranged vertically like jukebox records. Local time, GMT time, the date, and a star engraved with Mr. Harry Winston's signature, a poetic allusion to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, are among the various indicators that are displayed on each disk. The wearer selects which display to activate by sliding the selector on the case flank at nine o'clock. A complicated process begins when the push-piece is pressed at four o'clock. A mechanical arm descends, retrieves the chosen disk, and positions it on a central platform at 2 o'clock for reading. The performance is finished with a second press that puts the disk back in its storage position.
The mechanical inventiveness even reaches the energy management, staying true to the essence of the Opus collection. Two separate power reserves are built into the movement: one allows for up to 68 hours of timekeeping autonomy, while the other allows for up to five complete disk selection cycles. Both reserves are powered by a single winding system, despite operating independently, highlighting the engineering's complexity. The date and GMT functions can be corrected thanks to extra push-buttons built into the lugs at twelve o'clock. Comprising an extraordinary 1,066 components and produced in a strictly limited edition of just 50 pieces, the Opus 14 stands as a bold, playful, and deeply complex expression of high watchmaking, perfectly embodying the avant-garde identity of the Opus saga.
Harry Winston collaborated with two forward-thinking watchmakers, Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin, to write the fourteenth chapter of this remarkable story in 2015. Together, they produced the Opus 14, a watch that skillfully combines intricate mechanical design with playful elements. The watch instantly captivates with its sculptural presence, housed in an 18K white gold case and crowned by a sapphire crystal carved from a single block. The Opus 14 is visually and mechanically reminiscent of a vintage jukebox, with its cleverly scaled-down and reimagined automaton complication for the wrist. The stylized local time display at nine o'clock, the vinyl-inspired dial finishes, the two-tone '14' insignia, the shaded red retrograde minute arc, and the blue-toned hour markers all allude to the romance of Route 66, American diners, and the rock'n'roll era.
A patented mechanism that is exclusive to Harry Winston is at the core of the Opus 14, exposing four disks that are arranged vertically like jukebox records. Local time, GMT time, the date, and a star engraved with Mr. Harry Winston's signature, a poetic allusion to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, are among the various indicators that are displayed on each disk. The wearer selects which display to activate by sliding the selector on the case flank at nine o'clock. A complicated process begins when the push-piece is pressed at four o'clock. A mechanical arm descends, retrieves the chosen disk, and positions it on a central platform at 2 o'clock for reading. The performance is finished with a second press that puts the disk back in its storage position.
The mechanical inventiveness even reaches the energy management, staying true to the essence of the Opus collection. Two separate power reserves are built into the movement: one allows for up to 68 hours of timekeeping autonomy, while the other allows for up to five complete disk selection cycles. Both reserves are powered by a single winding system, despite operating independently, highlighting the engineering's complexity. The date and GMT functions can be corrected thanks to extra push-buttons built into the lugs at twelve o'clock. Comprising an extraordinary 1,066 components and produced in a strictly limited edition of just 50 pieces, the Opus 14 stands as a bold, playful, and deeply complex expression of high watchmaking, perfectly embodying the avant-garde identity of the Opus saga.