Harry Winston’s watch department is known for primarily two specialties: jeweled watches and complicated watches with contemporary designs. Within both categories, Harry Winston clearly has a penchant for biretrograde movements, with an eye for the particular graphic possibilities the complication offers.
The Ocean Biretrograde Automatic 42 mm is a nice example of the combination of Harry Winston’s signature elements. The double retrograde is a Harry Winston hallmark that works equally well in the Z series of zalium-cased high-tech pieces and diamond-set watches (for either men or women) for which the company is most famous. Here, the retrograde arc in the 8 o’clock position indicates seconds on an index of 0-to-30, bouncing back again for the second half of each minute. The arc at 4 o’clock indicates the day of the week, jumping back to the beginning on Sundays at midnight.
Then there are the diamonds. The case – including bezel, arches and lugs – is set with 196 round brilliant diamonds. The elements on the dial – retrograde arcs, hour/minute subdial at 12 o’clock, date window and the decorative triangle just above it – are set with 127 round brilliant diamonds. The buckle is set with another 44 diamonds, bringing the total to 367 diamonds totaling 4.50 carats. For extra sparkle, the dial is white mother-of-pearl that is guilloched in a wave-like pattern just inside each retrograde arc. It’s pretty decorative for a men’s watch, which it is positioned as in a 42 mm case, but it is also an obvious choice for women.
Harry Winston’s love of recognizable design details extends to the diamond-set arches that surround the crown on the dial side, which are always present in the Ocean collection. They are inspired by the grand arched doorway leading to Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. The movement, caliber HW3305, has a silicon balance spring which makes it impervious to magnetic fields and shock resistant, thus keeping more accurate time. It is automatic, with a 65-hour power reserve. A nice final flourish is the luminescent coating on the hands which make it easier to read in dim lighting – a necessary feature when you consider the tone-on-tone design. This is a showpiece, but it is also a functional and readable timepiece.
