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Lot Essay
Felix Baumgartner was born in Switzerland, in Schaffhausen, in 1975 and is a third generation watchmaker. As a child, Baumgartner would spend much of his spare time in his father's clock-restoration atelier assisting him with various elementary tasks. He attended the watchmaking school in Solothurn and in 1995, he started to work for independent watchmaker Svend Andersen who was one of the founders, in 1985, of the AHCI, Académie Horlogére des Créateurs Indépendants, or the Horology Academy of Independent Watchmakers and a major figure in promoting the need for manual and artistic watch-making where craftsmanship still occupies an important place. While working for Andersen, Baumgartner started to develop an idea for a no-hands, minimalist, modern wristwatch that indicated the time by means of rotating hour numerals. In 1997, Thomas, Felix Baumgartner's elder brother, also a watchmaker, was joined by their friend Martin Frei to create the "101" and founded the Urwerk Genève company. In 1997, with Anderson's support, the trio presented their creation at the AHCI exhibition stand at Baselworld exhibition the UR-101 and the UR-102. Instant fame did not come their way. It was only in 2003 that the Baumgartners and Frei would finally launch the watch that would become the face of Urwerk - the UR-103 which was an instant hit with its movement of rotating "satellites" and ultra-zany design inspired by the TV series Star Trek and aerospace designs by the Russians and American in the 1960's and 1970's. In the same year, attracted by the freshness of Baumgartner’s vision, Maximilian Büsser, then director of Harry Winston’s Opus project, chose the young watchmaker to create the brand’s Opus V. This nomination not only gave his watches credibility among collectors, Opus V also cemented his reputation as one of the most forward-thinking and avant-garde watchmaker and design of his generation.
In 2005, the Opus V made its debut and stunned the horological world with its cutting-edge design and technology. The watch was based on the satellite concept of rotating hours of the UR-103, however, Baumgartner pushed the boundaries by inventing a new time display system which had never been seen before. Taking the principle of the satellite indication and the retrograde minute hand, the watch's off- centered display is made of three small cubes, each with four numbers that are arranged like satellites in a three-dimensional rotating system that turn and revolve to show the current hour, with the retrograde minute hand moving over a 120 degree counter. The Opus V also presents many "hidden" details such as the innovative function of an integrated service indicator with a scale of 0 to 5 years at the back of the watch to let the owner know when it is time to send the watch in for maintenance and, the original winding crown, hidden under a cover which can be opened like the door of a racing car.
Opus V wristwatches were released in the limited edition of 100 items in rose gold or platinum, some of which are set in diamonds. The Opus V was to be the last collection of the Opus series under the management of Maximilian Büsser who left Harry Winston in 2005 to launch his own watch brand MB&F.
In 2005, the Opus V made its debut and stunned the horological world with its cutting-edge design and technology. The watch was based on the satellite concept of rotating hours of the UR-103, however, Baumgartner pushed the boundaries by inventing a new time display system which had never been seen before. Taking the principle of the satellite indication and the retrograde minute hand, the watch's off- centered display is made of three small cubes, each with four numbers that are arranged like satellites in a three-dimensional rotating system that turn and revolve to show the current hour, with the retrograde minute hand moving over a 120 degree counter. The Opus V also presents many "hidden" details such as the innovative function of an integrated service indicator with a scale of 0 to 5 years at the back of the watch to let the owner know when it is time to send the watch in for maintenance and, the original winding crown, hidden under a cover which can be opened like the door of a racing car.
Opus V wristwatches were released in the limited edition of 100 items in rose gold or platinum, some of which are set in diamonds. The Opus V was to be the last collection of the Opus series under the management of Maximilian Büsser who left Harry Winston in 2005 to launch his own watch brand MB&F.