Harry Winston timepieces combine the high quality craftsmanship of Harry Winston jewels with the time honored tradition of Swiss watchmaking.
The Brand's foray into fine timepieces in 1989 introduced a new creative dimension for the legendary House to explore. In 2007, Harry Winston opened a state of the art Manufacture in Geneva, the watchmaking capital of the world. The company's watchmaking division upholds itself to the same flawless tradition of its legendary jewelry expertise. Harry Winston's timepiece collections exude true authenticity and luxury, exemplified by fine design and careful manufacturing of complicated and gem-set watches.
From the iconic Avenue and Premier collections, to the innovation of Ocean and elegance of Harry Winston Midnight, to the breathtaking brilliance of High Jewelry Timepieces- Harry Winston watches have consistently made their own contribution to horological heritage.
Of all collections, one in particular continues to defy expectations, creating annual anticipation within the world of Haute Horlogerie: The Opus series. Launched in 2001, Opus is the story of partnership between the brand and independent watchmakers, driven by a collective goal to fulfill ultimate horological dreams and redefining the way to tell time.
In 2011, Harry Winston was inducted into the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie as a partner-brand, joining the circle of watch companies that wish to defend the values of technical and precious fine watchmaking.
• 1896 Harry Winston is born in New York.
• 1920 Harry Winston opens his first business, The Premiere Diamond Company, at 535 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
• 1932 Debut of the newly founded Harry Winston salon, located in Rockefeller Center in New York.
• 1933 Harry Winston marries Edna Fleishman, a style arbiter in her own right, who will remain his life-long confidante and muse.
• 1943 Harry Winston is the first jeweler to lend jewelry to an actress for the Academy Awards. Jennifer Jones wears classic Winston diamonds when she accepts an Oscar for Best Actress.
• 1947 Katherine Hepburn Attends the Academy Awards wearing Harry Winston's famous Inquisition Necklace.
• 1949-1953 Harry Winston's first exhibition of rare gems travels throughout the United States. The “Court of Jewels” includes the Hope Diamond and other legendary gems. Proceeds from the show are donated to the March of Dimes.
• 1955 Harry Winston opens in Geneva, Switzerland followed by a 1957 opening in Paris
• 1958 Harry Winston donates the Legendary Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
• 1960 Harry Winston moves to a distinguished townhouse on Fifth Avenue and 56th Street, designed by famed French interior-designer Stephane Boudin of Jansen.
• 1962 Harry Winston appoints Ambaji V. Shinde from India as head designer. Shinde's creations revolutionize jewelry design
• 1967 Winston acquires a 241-carat uncut diamond, which produces an exceptional 69.42 carat pear shaped jewel. The gem is purchased by Richard Burton for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. The Magnificent gem becomes known around the world as the Taylor-Bu on diamond.
• 1978 Harry Winston dies in New York.
• 1986 A Harry Winston salon opens in Beverly Hills on Rodeo drive. To commemorate the event, a cake studded with diamonds is created.
• 1988 Harry Winston opens in Tokyo on the Ginza.
• 1989 Harry Winston introduces a collection of watches known as “Ultimate Timepieces.”
• 1995 Harry Winston introduces the Perpetual Bitretograde Calendar timepiece, positioning the House of Harry Winston as an innovator in the esteemed Swiss tradition of complicated horology.
• 1997 The Harry Winston Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution opens with the Hope Diamond as its centerpiece. Harry Winston becomes the only jeweler to have a museum gallery in its name.
• 1999 Gwyneth Paltrow, in a real life “princess moment,” wears a Harry Winston Princess Necklace & iconic Cluster earrings to win her Academy Award.
• 2001 Harry Winston introduces the Opus Series, creating an exceptional timepiece annually in partnership with one of Switzerland's most gifted haute horologists.
• 2001 Halle Berry, wearing Winston's Pumpkin Diamond Ring, becomes the first African American woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.
• 2004 Harry Winston continues its worldwide expansion, opening salons in Las Vegas and Taipei.
• 2004 Aber Diamond Corporation purchases a majority interest in Harry Winston, Inc., combining the strategic “bookends” of the diamond business—mining & retail.
• 2004 Richard Avedon photographs an advertising campaign for Harry Winston. It is his last commercial work.
• 2005 Harry Winston opens new salons in Miami and Honolulu.
• 2006 Harry Winston opens in London, Dallas, and Omotesando, Tokyo.
• 2006 Aber acquires 100% ownership of Harry Winston.
• 2006 Inspired by Harry Winston's love of Nature, the “Natural History Campaign” debuts in New York.
• 2007 Harry Winston debuts on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol HWD.
• 2007 Harry Winston opens a new watch manufacture in Geneva, Switzerland, the watch making capital of the world.
• 2008 A new salon opens in South Coast Plaza, Orange County, California.
• 2009 The “Ultimate Design” program is unveiled, inviting clients to commission one-of-a-kind jewels inspired by the Winston archives.
• 2009 Histoire de Tourbillon 1 debuts- it is the first of a series of rare timepieces dedicated to complex craftsmanship and design.
• 2009 Harry Winston introduces Talk To Me, Harry Winston, an elegant diamond timepiece for women.
• 2009 The New York Collection debuts, celebrating the unsurpassable style, spirit, and glamour of Manhattan.
• 2009 Winston opens its 19th global retail salon in Singapore.
• 2010 Fredéric de Narp joins Harry Winston, Inc. as President & CEO.
• 2010 Harry Winston celebrates the Hope Diamond by designing a new setting for the legendary gem.
