Ten Years of Opus

WORLDTEMPUS – 6 Septembrer 2010

Elizabeth Doerr


Vianney Halter wasn't sure what to make of the elaborate party that formally celebrated ten years of a series of watches that may well be the most innovative to date in the mechanical watch industry. Halter's reticence was understandable: having introduced the Opus 3 in 2003 with then-CEO Maximilian Büsser, it would be another seven years before the groundbreaking timepiece would finally be completed with the help of several other watchmakers including Frédéric Garinaud (Opus 8) and Renaud et Papi. The energy needed to move the innovative window displays presented the biggest problem, and Harry Winston must be applauded for its commitment to the continuous cost and research invested in bringing this masterpiece to fruition—a fact that drove the actual cost of the watch to a much higher point than it was originally sold for. The 55 piece limited edition was, however, sold to each of its waiting clients for the original price publicized in 2003.


Halter needn't have worried, however. The celebration was a jovial, familial affair, and in all reality it seems to have been the uncommon Opus 3 that garnered most of the applause during the course of the evening. Whether the knowledgeable and passionate crowd comprising 150 of the crème de la crème of the watch industry (retailers, watchmakers, and specialized journalists) was applauding Harry Winston's determined route to finishing the masterpiece, the crazy idea that propelled Halter to create the piece in the first place, Büsser's entrepreneurial risk in presenting the piece in 2003, or the tenacious teamwork that brought it to fruition seven years later is unclear. Clear, however, was that the expert crowd clearly acknowledged all of the passion, determination, and raw talent that went into its completion.

The Opus 5 table headed up by master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner © Underthedial/Ian Skellern

The other nine pieces showcased on Thursday evening were in no way appreciated less, however. This was most visible during current CEO Frédéric de Narp's passionate presentation of the ten timepieces, which was aided by a video presentation comprising the twelve talented technicians talking about each of their Opus experiences. In all ten of the short presentations, much of the same message continued to come up: passion, harmony, mechanical sculpture, emotion, technology, and dreams. And these words aptly describe the vision and execution of the wonderful Opus series, which is without a doubt also a tribute to the independent watchmaker. “Harry Winston helps people celebrate the beauty of what Mother Earth has given us,” de Narp said. “And we are here to tonight to celebrate a milestone.”