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Lot Essay
Accompanied by an undated Harry Winston International Warranty, numbered Harry Winston Opus 9 presentation box, product literature, and outer packaging.
The Opus Series
The Harry Winston Opus Series was launched in 2001 as a new initiative to creatively design and construct timepieces. Each of the Opus models was created with a partnership to some of the watch industry's most respected independent watchmakers. Every year since 2001, a new Opus model has been released, each in a limited number. The most recent of the series, the Opus XIII, was released in 2013.
The Opus 9
The Opus 9 has many unique aspects not seen in the previous models. It was the first time that Harry Winston partnered with two independent watchmakers, instead of just a single innovator. Both were long-time designers for Harry Winston - watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and designer Eric Giroud. It was the first of the Opus series to use diamonds, not just as a decorative element, but as the main purpose of telling time. "We set out to create pure linear time," Jean-Marc Wiederrecht explained. "We very quickly ruled out complications and chose to work on an existing movement. The challenge was to incorporate and highlight the diamonds as functional elements of the watch."
Instead of using traditional watch hands to tell the time, two parallel chains of 33 baguette-cut diamonds, along with mandarin garnets, are used to indicate the exact time. The main technical challenge came from the added weight of the diamonds when engineering the chains. Each stone is perfectly set into the chain links, recalling Harry Winston's iconic, invisible settings, so the gemstones appear to gracefully drift across the dial. The case design emphasizes the functionality and beauty of the diamonds, at the same time remaining sophisticated and sculptural.
The Opus 9 was awarded the prize for Best Design Watch of the Year by the Jury of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie in Geneva, Switzerland.
Eric Giroud
Eric Giroud was born in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, and early on developed a passion for music and art. At the age of twenty, he decided to turn his studies towards architecture, and finally opened his own architecture firm in 1992. At the age of thirty, he decided to close his studio to travel, and ended up living in Dakar, Senegal for a year and a half. He returned to Switzerland in 1995 and began a career in graphics, packaging, and product design for various Swiss design companies. In 1998, Giroud established his own design agency, and began collaborating with watch manufacturers. Giroud is presently an integral member of the design team of Maximilian Busser and his brand MB&F.
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht grew up in Vernier, in Geneva. After visiting a watchmaker's workshop at the age of seventeen, he decided to pursue a career in watchmaking, and attended the Geneva Watchmaking school for four years, graduating with top honors in 1972. In 978, Wiederrecht set up his own business, and developed his first bi-retrograde perpetual calendar complication in 1988. This module was designed for Harry Winston, and marked the start of his relationship with the brand. In 2007, he received the Best Watchmaking Designer award from the Grand Prix, the first time the award was given. Wiederrecht went on to found his own brand, called Agenhor, and today it is a family-run independent watchmaking company.
The present watch represents a journey of collaboration, innovation, and creativity. The Opus series was and continues to be a groundbreaking way to redesign time, and embraces the world of independent watchmaking.
The Opus Series
The Harry Winston Opus Series was launched in 2001 as a new initiative to creatively design and construct timepieces. Each of the Opus models was created with a partnership to some of the watch industry's most respected independent watchmakers. Every year since 2001, a new Opus model has been released, each in a limited number. The most recent of the series, the Opus XIII, was released in 2013.
The Opus 9
The Opus 9 has many unique aspects not seen in the previous models. It was the first time that Harry Winston partnered with two independent watchmakers, instead of just a single innovator. Both were long-time designers for Harry Winston - watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and designer Eric Giroud. It was the first of the Opus series to use diamonds, not just as a decorative element, but as the main purpose of telling time. "We set out to create pure linear time," Jean-Marc Wiederrecht explained. "We very quickly ruled out complications and chose to work on an existing movement. The challenge was to incorporate and highlight the diamonds as functional elements of the watch."
Instead of using traditional watch hands to tell the time, two parallel chains of 33 baguette-cut diamonds, along with mandarin garnets, are used to indicate the exact time. The main technical challenge came from the added weight of the diamonds when engineering the chains. Each stone is perfectly set into the chain links, recalling Harry Winston's iconic, invisible settings, so the gemstones appear to gracefully drift across the dial. The case design emphasizes the functionality and beauty of the diamonds, at the same time remaining sophisticated and sculptural.
The Opus 9 was awarded the prize for Best Design Watch of the Year by the Jury of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie in Geneva, Switzerland.
Eric Giroud
Eric Giroud was born in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, and early on developed a passion for music and art. At the age of twenty, he decided to turn his studies towards architecture, and finally opened his own architecture firm in 1992. At the age of thirty, he decided to close his studio to travel, and ended up living in Dakar, Senegal for a year and a half. He returned to Switzerland in 1995 and began a career in graphics, packaging, and product design for various Swiss design companies. In 1998, Giroud established his own design agency, and began collaborating with watch manufacturers. Giroud is presently an integral member of the design team of Maximilian Busser and his brand MB&F.
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht grew up in Vernier, in Geneva. After visiting a watchmaker's workshop at the age of seventeen, he decided to pursue a career in watchmaking, and attended the Geneva Watchmaking school for four years, graduating with top honors in 1972. In 978, Wiederrecht set up his own business, and developed his first bi-retrograde perpetual calendar complication in 1988. This module was designed for Harry Winston, and marked the start of his relationship with the brand. In 2007, he received the Best Watchmaking Designer award from the Grand Prix, the first time the award was given. Wiederrecht went on to found his own brand, called Agenhor, and today it is a family-run independent watchmaking company.
The present watch represents a journey of collaboration, innovation, and creativity. The Opus series was and continues to be a groundbreaking way to redesign time, and embraces the world of independent watchmaking.