Baselworld/SIHH

Pre-Basel 2012: Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillon 3

 

Foreword: the pictured watch is a prototype and some small details may change in the final version. The small Seconds marker located inside the Tourbillons housing is missing.

For me, on the main interests I find in Harry Winston is the ability of the brand to offer in less than one year watches like the Midnight Automatic or Histoire de Tourbillon 3 despite a very limited yearly production. In one hand, we have a slim, simple and elegant watch. On the other hand, we have a superlative, complex and bulky timepiece.

The purpose of the Histoire de Tourbillon collection is to design original watches around the fascinating complication of the Tourbillon and to put it under the spotlights. The watch presented in January 2012 is the third of the collection and we can find common points in these three watches:

- they use complex Tourbillon systems, each time different
- their cases are large and thick
- the time displays are unusual.




But despite these common points, each Histoire de Tourbillon brings an aesthetical "break" when compared with the previous ones. It  is obvious when we discover Histoire de Tourbillon 3. The case shape, an imposing rectangle, is very original in the context of complex Tourbillons watches. They are not the first Harry Winston steps with such type of case because, if you remember well, the Tourbillon Glissiere was housed in a rectangular case in coherence with the winding system of the watch. The root of this case was the Avenue Squared one. Howerer, Histoire de Tourbillon 3 and Tourbillon Glissière cases can't be compared. Histoire de Tourbillon 3 enters a new dimension, a dimension of excess.
We could spend hours describing Histoire de Tourbillon 3 but at the end of the day, only the feeling of immoderation would remain. Histoire de Tourbillon 3 was not designed to be a quiet watch. Its weight, its size, its thickness create bold opinions: you love it, you hate it but you will never be indifferent.




The most interesting points about it are coming from the observation of three contrasts:

- the contrast between the size of the watch and the discreet time display. Time display is secondary here, the Tourbillons are the main players of the show.
- the contrast between the rectangular shape of the case and the curvy housing in which the Tourbillons are inserted
- the contrast between the bulky design of the case and the very delicate behaviour of the Tourbillons.




When I saw the Histoire de Tourbillon 3 for the first time, there was any doubt in my mind: the whole watch was created to create a stage on which the three Tourbillons would play their roles. Look at the time display. There are no moving hands, only rotating discs in front of markers (hours on the left, minutes on the right). Discs are moving clockwise. Seconds are displayed through the rotating scale around the Double Tourbillon. But be careful! It is a 120 seconds scale. Please note that the tiny yellow seconds marker is missing on the pictured Prototype.
Power reserve display is similar to the time functions. But, "Harry Winston oblige" and to give a precious side to the watch, the disk is set with sapphires and citrines. There are 17 gemstones on it. The first 11 ones are blue sapphires (from dark to pale). When one of the six yellow citrines is in front of the marker, time is coming to wind the watch. Power Reserve is about 50 hours.




Yellow and blue: these colours are very familiar to us! They are the same ones used on the Histoire de Tourbillon 2 for the time display.
I like a lot the coherence between the power reserve and time displays, they are all together in harmony. However, I would have opened more the "dial" to make more visible the power reserve disk. The gemstones are so nice that they should have deserved a larger view. And I find the text "Reserve de Marche 50 heures" too large.

Anyway, the truth is that it is not very important. We quickly forget what's going on the right side of the watch. Our eyes are attracted by the huge housing dedicated to the Tourbillons. In a sense, the shape of this zone makes us think about the way the chronograph subdials are linked together on the Z2 dial. Its diagonal positioning contributes to bring dynamism on the overall design of the watch.

How many Tourbillons do we have? Actually, we have three cages (one double + one single) and two regulating organs.

As usual with the Histoire de Tourbillon collection, CompliTime developped the movement in partnership with Harry Winston. So even if they are impressive, the features of the Tourbillons are not that surprising if we consider them separately:

- For the double Tourbillon: One Tourbillon carriage rotates every 40 seconds while the second carriage, the outer one, located on a perpendicular axis to the first makes a full revolution every 120 seconds. These are the features of the Double Tourbillon of the Histoire de Tourbillon 2 if you remember well.
- For the single Tourbillon: it has an unique axis and does a full revolution every 36 seconds.

The hypnotizing Tourbillons (again, the watch is a prototype and the tiny yellow Seconds marker is missing):

Of course, these two groups of regulating organs are linked together through a differential gear to average the performances of both. So Histoire de Tourbillon 3 can be considered as a step further in complexity after Histoire de Tourbillon 2.

I will be frank with you: in terms of chronometric objective, I don't really see the point to average the performances of a double Tourbillon with a single one even if averaging different systems is a good idea. I would have understood better with two doubles. Anyway, the result is a true joy for our eyes. I spent a lot of minutes watching:

- the behaviour of the double Tourbillon
- to compare it with the single Tourbillon one
- to compare their relative speeds.

It is, without any doubt, a fascinating and hypnotizing show and as I told you before, I was totally forgetting the time display while staring at them.
When we turn over the watch, we discover the movement bridges side. Its layout is similar to the front side: a large circular side below the Tourbillons and the other side below the functions displays. There is nothing special to be added, even if the layout is very technical, the show is located front side, not back side.




Time is coming to put the Histoire de Tourbillon 3 on the wrist. How can I describe the feeling? The watch is heavy, thick, massive. But thanks to the large strap and its impressive buckle, it didn't move on the wrist even when I shaked my arm. Good point.

If you expect to hide it under your shirt sleeve, forget this idea at once: it is impossible. You have to consider that the case dimensions are 65 x 45,9mm. Being rectangular, the feeling of size is even stronger than with a round watch. Finishings of the WG case are impressive, especially of the Tourbillons housing on polished WG. The contrast brought by the satin brushed Zalium casesides is nice too. The Tourbillons housing adds some extra mm to the overall thickness but in the context of the bulky case, it doesn't give any impression of unbalanced design. You will notice the triple-arch elements by the strap which give a touch of Harry Winston DNA.




There is something strange with the Histoire de Tourbillon 3. Despite its massiveness, it has a special charm. The watch is not wearable on a daily basis due to its size and thickness but it remains comfortable thanks to the excellent positioning on the wrist. And the behaviour of the Tourbillons creates a special atmosphere which tries to bring something light and aerial to balance the heaviness of the case.







I can't consider it as a beautiful timepiece: it is too excessive to deserve such adjective. But there is a sort of alchimy inside which works very well and which leads to an unusual result. The Histoire de Tourbillon 3 provokes a lot of opposite emotions at the same time: it is maybe the source of its charm, I was a bit disturbed by it being shocked, seduced, surprised at the same time! I can't remember another timepiece with so many  reasons to feel strong emotions simultaneously. A true Tourbillon of emotions!




The Histoire de Tourbillon 3 is available in a LE of 20 pieces with WG and Zalium case only.

I would like to thank a lot the Harry Winston team for the warm welcome at the Manufacture.

Fr.Xavier