Editor’s Note
This article highlights Harry Winston’s legacy of meticulous craftsmanship and gemstone embellishment, exemplified by its Premier Ladies collection. The brand’s century-long dedication to rarity and artistry remains central to its identity.
Harry Winston is a luxury brand built over more than a century by three generations of the Winston family. True to its title ‘King of Diamonds’, its timepieces are characterized by beautiful gemstone embellishments. It is known for watches that embody the meticulous craftsmanship of artisans, taking a full year to complete a single piece. The brand also places the highest value on product rarity.
At Baselworld, Harry Winston introduced the ‘Premier Ladies’ collection for women, ‘Premier Feathers’ which incorporates feather marquetry expertise, and ‘Opus 12’ showcasing artisanal handiwork.
The Premier Ladies 36mm, introduced for women, is a watch that adorns the wrist like a dazzling bracelet. The three central arches connecting the 36mm diameter case and the satin strap are set with diamonds, adding to its brilliance. The dial is crafted from mother-of-pearl with a rainbow-like, subtle color play and is adorned with 12 brilliant-cut diamond indexes. The product is available in both quartz (battery-powered) and automatic movement (self-winding mechanical) versions.
‘Premier Feathers’ is a model that combines watchmaking with feather marquetry expertise. The feather marquetry decoration embroidered on the dial emphasizes delicate beauty.
Feather marquetry decoration, made from feathers collected from professionally bred birds, requires extremely demanding and skilled techniques. Premier Feathers was introduced by Harry Winston in collaboration with Nelly Saunier, one of the few feather marquetry artisans in the world.
The 18K white gold version features a case set with 66 diamonds, with the deep blue color created by peacock feathers mysteriously unfolding on the dial. It is also available in an 18K rose gold version.
In the Opus series, which Harry Winston unveils annually, the ‘Opus 12’ was launched this year. The center of the Opus 12 dial has no hour and minute hands. Instead, 12 needles indicate the time. These needles rotate in 5-minute increments, using a new method where the indexes flip to blue to indicate the time.