While diamonds may be eternal, time has nothing to envy them. And when Harry Winston, Eric Giroud and Jean-Marc Wiederrecht are involved, it’s hard to say which of the beauty or the simplicity of the end creation is most astounding. Opus 9, unveiled at Baselworld 2009, places diamonds at the heart of watchmaking for a single and disconcertingly simple purpose: to show the hours and minutes. The essence of time, in a way.
Never before has an Opus reduced time to its most fundamental expression. The collection, in its previous incarnations, has taken complications to new extremes, some almost too bewildering for the ordinary admirer of beautiful watches to even comprehend. But appearances can be deceptive. As simple as this ninth Opus may appear, it is the result of many months of reflection. “We set out to create pure linear time,” Jean-Marc Wiederrecht explains. “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.”
Minimalist display
The creator of Harry Winston’s celebrated Tourbillon Glissière, the independent architect-designer Eric Giroud turned his thoughts to the concept for this new timepiece. “The idea for the Opus 9 came to me while on vacation by the sea. The starting point was purity. I wanted to incorporate light and transparency into the case, inspired by the way the sunlight hit the water.” The two halves of the case are structured around central vertebrae which ensure shock-resistance and complete stability of the components. The display retains nothing but the bare essentials of hours on one side, minutes on the other.
Time is given by two parallel chains of 33 baguette-cut diamonds, punctuated with three mandarin garnets to indicate the exact time. “Creating the mechanism for the chain was a challenging task. It’s actually very similar to a bicycle chain!” jokes Jean-Marc Wiederrecht.
Rapid delivery
A tried-and-tested system indeed. However, the added weight of the diamonds had to be taken into consideration when engineering these chains. Crafted from brass, they are designed to maximize mobility while minimizing friction from the constantly gliding diamonds. The brilliance of the stones adds intensity. Says Eric Giroud: “We wrapped the case in white gold and set the chains under a transparent sapphire crystal to create the impression of time elapsing as floating lines of light.”
The system is driven by a Frédéric Piguet self-winding movement. This calibre is known for its performance and, exceptionally for an Opus, means that Opus 9 will be ready for delivery between now and July. The price? In the region of CHF 80,000 for a limited edition of 100.