If you ask me to choose a number between one and ten, I’m invariably going to choose seven. And, while perusing Harry Winston’s Opus page
, I was drawn to model number seven. I really do suggest you go to their page (after you’re done reading this article, of course!) and view the larger image they have available – it really is quite a stunning watch. And in some ways, I was surprised that I was drawn to the watch.In general, I’m not a big fan of skeletonized watches. Of course, you could argue that the Opus 7 really isn’t, but the intricate work you see in the dial and from the movement certainly makes it feel like one. Additionally, this is not the simplest watch to actually read.
As you can see, there are no minute or hour hands. To tell the time, you need to depress the crown. At that point, the large wheel at the top of the watch moves to align itself with the blue arrow, telling you the hours. Press it again, and you’ll get the minute reading. A third press, and you’re rewarded with a readout of what the power reserve is currently at (it has a max of 60 hours). So yes, it’s complicated. But it’s somehow simple and elegant at the same time.
Adding to the simplicity is the fact that it’s a manually-wound movement created by Andreas Stehler. But to offset the simplicity, the movement contains 34 jewels – the highest count I recall seeing in a mechanical watch. Not that a jewel count necessarily means it’s a complicated movement. I just think it illustrates a duality that this watch contains. This is a very intriguing piece (as is the whole of the Opus line), but as it’s limited to only 50 pieces, it’s not likely to be seen in “the wild”.
