Harry Winston

Pictures taken by Ian Skellern

In Opus 9, diamonds are not a decorative elements, but the functional!. Teamed up watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederecht and haute designer Eric Giroud . I won't be surprised if all expect me to say really bad stuff about Opus 9.   I won't pretend that it is not going to be important that I say something, after all, this forum HWRT was created more with the birth of the spirit of the Opus projects back in 2002, after Opus 2 and 1. I have to be responsible in that way.   Hell, I was around for Opus 1, and I bought the version of it made by Journe.(cheaper).   The Opus project 9 is going to be not well recieved by most serious academic onlookers, but will be sold out. That is my prediction.   It is the first time in hsitory that a later project makes an earlier one look and present itself better...and that is Opus 8.   My remarks on Opus 8 were honest, but I could understand why the executives at HWRT did not like me for saying it. BUT..on looking at Opus 9....I am thinking these things:   (1) I made a mistake about Opus 8, and this is NOT because Opus 9 is not good, or that Opus 9 is better. But that I had misjudged the direction of the Opus project. I think that the Opus 9 is correct in its direction, its statements. and its intent.   (2) The direction appears to be new boundaries in size, and new boundaries in the use of diamond decorations. I personally like these changes, I like the size, although it is way too large for me or most others. BUT wait...I am saying that the Opus 9 is large, but probably not with the intent to BE LARGE, but that this is as small as they could do it. This is VERY important, it means that the company has not backed out of having the courage to make new things....the spirit of Opus is alive. It is just that it has infected almost EVERYBODY. There are so many other companies making things like Opus today.   (3) Although many companies make "far out" designs...Opus 3, 5, 8 and 9 seem to be special. The intent of these 4 designs are now more cohesive in retrospect. Although there is no link wiht each other except by executive decisions, an dthat 3 and 5 are Max Busser's children, I would seriously relook at Opus 8 and 9 today, if I were collaborating on setting up a book of seriously important watches. Opus 3 and 5 are without any doubt historical.   Now..Opus 9.   Way too big.   It looks as if it were a streamlined Cabestan. Minus a few things, yet bigger...possibly because of the desire to use diamonds internally on the chain.   The advertisorial spin can say what it wants, but when boiled down...it looks BIG. The statement is that this is a BIG watch. This is an over riding aesthetic..that it is BIG.   However, here is my personal take. I actually LIKE IT. And "if I had the money", I would buy it. And more...because of it...I would also now want to buy the Opus 8.   The 8 and the 9 seem to be part of a hand of watches. The Opus 3, cabestan and the MBF 3 are the other "cards".   That would make a beautiful set.   However, on its own..the Opus 9 may be found "wanting" or "lacking".   On a historical note...the maker is one of HWRT's original old hands....and the designer Eric is someone I am getting to admire for brave works.   The DeGrisogono's diital monster fails where Opus 9 suceeds...it is about finesse in execution. To make a BIG watch elegant is VERY difficult...I mean big parts. But this Opus 9, has many tiny parts put together tightly...and Eric has made the big casing full of small details, typical of a few of his designs. I really like it.   Now...I must see if it is possible to actually wear it.   Thru experience. I would not dare say something large like this cannot be worn...when my wife wore MBF1, it probably feels like this Opus 9!!!   Surely, after these few hours...I have decided to write a # of coming up for air on Harry Winston's Opus series.   Thanks for reading.

This message has been edited by bernard cheong on 2009-03-30 17:32:15

Harry Winston is very innovative with Opus to be sure. What is frustrating however is that Opus 3 is always talked about as if it exists, yet it does not. And Harry Winston never releases any official word about it at all. The rumors were that it would finally be introduced this year at Basel. Why don't they say anything about it?

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purely base on the photo.....it look likes a design gimmick . I don't like it at all.
I like the Opus 8 alot better.
For me, Opus 3, 5 and 8 are the ones
*CL

the Opus 9 is important from my POV.

However..I agree..it sure looks ugly. It's sort of like having a funky new camera that uses digital film back with a plate camera layout so that it has both old world charm..and a huge megapixel count. Plus almost impossible to carry around without a whole crew of helpers!

Still...I am impressed by the company's courage to make one.

U got the same taste as me, although I would include Opus 6 as well.

cen@jkt

cen@jkt

You are right.

thats the 1st reaction i have seeing it for the 1st time... it might make sense if its chain mechanism power train can make good the delivery of opus 3...

no offense but personally i feel the direction they r taking now r more cater toward a new weath group, who for instance wear Versace with big modusa head in the front as oppose to the old Armani crowd.

i would think Cabestan makes a perfect opus 9 though, its much more prettier.





This message has been edited by edlien on 2009-03-29 02:38:38

I feel this in the same way...much more "obvious" and much more "show", it's the historical aspect of it.

I fear that it will get worse, hence this Opus 9, and the 8, may be catching the end of a tide.

On the subject of the Cabestan, yes and yes..it is well worth looking to get one. On the record, I was the first person to convey to the retailer (then), that I wanted to have it. It was Vianney's baby back then. I backed off after Ruchonet took on the work, however, the watch remains well worthy of its place in history.

as though they r done talking:p

looking forward to ur review on the cabestan & how this opus 9 fairs with the former Bernard~

Though Opus 9 is very impressive and remarkable, something's missing. If we consider the Opus series as a concept, Number 9 smells like a Michelin 3 stars menu warmed in a microwave. Opus 1 to 5 where Max's babies, then Hamdi gave birth to 6 to 8 while launching the Histoire de Tourbillon. Now what? A new Opus and...

Now talking about the watch, to me it perfectly associates the two sides of HW, watches and diamonds. If I had to give a name to Number 9, it would be the Diamond Hour, which says it all. I understand it's big but, at least, it's not a 7750 in a 52 mm case...

Howvever, I think much political tussles between the East coast stateside and geneva "may have" resulted in several babies being attributed wrong surnames and parents...to simply carying the analogy further, in a mischevoius way.

The Tourbillon Gliss, Opus7, 8 and 9, and the various super complications that were "born" between the Opus.

 

 

All intellectual property is confidential in these circumstances.

My information is to be taken "lightly" with cucumber sandwiches, ...and tea (no sugar).

Nonetheless, just for entertainment of the evening newspaper kind, the Opus 6 parents are active and still procreating.

The new opus 9 is very much a jewelry watch ( even though the technical aspect on how the watch works is unique ) . And the target audience for Opus watches are more towards the BIG boys. The price tag is simply unaffordable for most people. I heard some rumors if you want to buy a new Opus, you must be a regular customer of HW to buy the watch, if not you have to own some of the previous opus in order to buy the new opus.

JET

one of the highlights of the Opus 9 is the sapphire crystal case, which is difficult to manufacture. Any info on this?

I like the concept of the linear representation of time. The other watch that did this was the Christophe Claret "Dual Tow". While totally different in the complications present (the "Dual Tow" has a striking mechanism that activates when the choronograph is activated), I find the watch more interesting.

2 different approaches to linear time telling. The focus of the Opus 9 is on the case and HW's forte in jewelery. On the other hand, the Dual Tow is on complications. But the common factor is the execution. The Dual Tow is defintely more interesting (the column wheel can be seen from the dial face and the movement can be viewed from the side of the case) but yes, refinement-wise, can't beat Opus 9.

Bernard, what are your thoughts on these 2?

Lionel

You are right...the dual tow is a watch I like better for any number of reasons. Cool!

The DT is a putting to show of all kinds of complications for their own sake, time shown on rubber bands, let everyone know you are playing with your chrono because it chimes each time you use the pusher, chrono with differential because it is more complicated.
Please give me a break.
Don

Hey..we gotta stop meeting like this  one day!

Its way too tacky to have 2 rows of rubber bands, cheapens the presentation. And rubber do stretch over time! LOL! And yes, the striking mechanism when the chrono pusher is activated is also redundant.

But, I believe the Dual Tow is meant to be more playful than taken too seriously. Thus the material and color used. That's also why I said the execution is much more refined on the Opus9. Chill man...

Lionel

. . . felt very privileged to do so.  A few quick thoughts.  Pics as usual don't give an accurate impression -that's just the nature of the beast.  The movement actually seems to float inside the flattened sapphire tube created to encase it much more so than the pictures seem to convey.  Pictures appear on the internet and  become widely distributed, and on those we all form impressions, which is fair, but it's not a substitute for seeing and handling the real thing.

One other note is that the box is pretty heavy and the staff who had to shift it around were working pretty hard to lift it . 

I personally found it very successful.  I think there's a tendency to rush to judgement on pieces like this -the 'net encourages us all to display finalized opinions instead of framing our initial reactions as exactly that, and I think this is a piece worth seeing and handling, and then thinking about. 

Jack Forster

Kidding Jack.

I do like Opus 9.

Also because I am looking from a customers pOV..as in "would I save up to buy it"?

And..I have so far, supported Eric's POV of design, especially in MBF1,2 and 3.

Eric has done all sorts of work, from conseras in Tissot..to no boundaries.

In his visions of having no boundaries, Eric's work is..to me..personally ...one of the most relevant to today's transition from products that "sell" to products with something to say.

 

 

. . . I also got around to meeting Ivan Castro and his team at Nubeo and I gotta say, I get what you were talking about when you first started championing his work over here -again, another case of needing to see it in person and keeping an open mind about the designer's intentions.

I think Eric's body of work speaks for itself, and while I'm certainly not going to pretend that I'm in a position to look at Opus 9 from a purchaser's perspective, it's a pretty amazing execution from a design standpoint -just damned hard to photograph.  I could do a list as long as my arm of watches I saw this year where I thought how INCREDIBLY different an impression I got in person than from pictures, and ended up responding to really emotionally well -Nubeo, Moser (never cared for them in pics but in person, OMG, stick a fork in me and call me done) the Opus 9, MCT, Alan Silberstein, and on and on.  The HW Histoire du Tourbillon falls into this category as well. 

HDT, Opus 9, both massive pieces with an enormous sculptural presence, I consider myself lucky to have had a chance to spend a LOT of time with both, in hand and on wrist.  Yes, very big statement pieces, but both wearable, and I found both really beautiful.

I will say though if you want a sense of massive overbuilt quality the Opus 9 box is really something.  I mean, god forbid you should drop it on your foot.  HEAVY .

Jack

And I guess it's important to me how I spend any of my time...especially "free time", ie time that I get to choose how to spend it.

Looking at work from creative sources is one way I chose to spend free time...books and new watches are just 2. So,,,I sort of feel robbed if I spent valuable time looking at work that was geared to sell me something.

In this way, I have never been dissapointed by any of the Opus projects, even Opus 8. These watches were at least not geared to sell to me, not in my world. So it's time I spent well looking at them. Likewise, Ivan Castro's work at Nubeo, it's not cheap work, and the quality is so fine...it could be missed.

Jack: in fact, you're not meant to be anywhere.....

Have you got over your fear of flying? Or did you take the boat like Florentine Jones? 

Regards, MTF

 

PS:  I know...I know:  You have no fear of flying.....it's just a fear of crashing.

 

 

Or:   Flying is the 2nd most difficult thing to do................... The most difficult thing is Landing!

. . . I have discovered that the path to aerial nirvana lies, more or less, in the warm embrace of a liberal application of benzodiazepines to the ol' synapses .

It seems to be a church with a lot of members too, at least when in the air.  I think my big breakthrough was when I realized that no matter how I go it's probably going to be more or less unpleasant; it's not like if I got run over by a bus or had a dissecting aortic aneurysm I'd be thinking, "Oh, well, thank god it's not a plane crash."

J.

BTW - Nice to meet you the other day Jack.

Cheers
Tony P

. . . better living through chemistry.  It was really great to meet you too Tony -funny how that can happen even at a mob scene like the Basel Fair.  Incidentally I really appreciated your professional evaluation of two of the individuals involved in the presentation we attended; always so instructive to hear the views of an expert with an objective eye .

Cheers,

Jack

What do we know about the guts of this beast?  One of the things I have always enjoyed about the Opus line was the blending of some fantastic designs with some cutting-edge horology.   Even the 8, not to my taste, had to come up with some real interesting developments to make that hour display work.  Does the 9 follow this trend?
A