Since the Swatch Group took over Harry Winston, a continuation of the Opus series has been somewhat in doubt. But in 2015 the Opus 14 finally arrived. And now it has been quietly said that an Opus 15 is on the way. Which makes this a great time to look back over the groundbreaking series.
Ineichen Auctioneers’ first auction of 2022, aptly entitled “La Vie en Rose,” takes place in Zurich and online on March 12, 2022. As the name of this auction professes, all 40 of the watches offered are encased in pink – “rose” – gold. Here, Elizabeth Doerr highlights five of the less “mainstream” independent offerings and one rarity from an established brand that will certainly interest connoisseurs.
It is now a tradition for watchmakers to observe Chinese New Year by creating beautiful, decorative, limited edition timepieces adorned with symbolic depictions of the appropriate sign of the Chinese zodiac – often using rare, artistic techniques paying tribute to the eastern calendar. The Year of the Tiger – which is the third animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle – begins on February 1, 2022. Elizabeth Doerr shares eight auspicious examples here.
The Opus 5 by Felix Baumgartner/Urwerk for Harry Winston is one of the best of this series of exceptional timepieces. But, as this drawing by Urwerk designer Martin Frei from June of 2003 shows, one of the original ideas behind Urwerk’s Opus 5 was a digital display in a model christened with the working title “Time Bandit.” Check out this superb almost-was timepiece!
Since the Swatch Group took over Harry Winston, a continuation of the Opus series has been somewhat in doubt. But in 2015 the Opus 14 finally arrived. And now it has been quietly said that an Opus 15 is on the way. Which makes this a great time to look back over the groundbreaking series.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who has read Joshua’s pieces in the past that he likes a good jump hour mechanism. There is just something about that instantaneous change driven entirely by mechanical means that fascinates him. And yet not all “digital” watches require the use of jump hours and minutes; some don’t even use a jump at all, yet still read digitally. Here, he breaks down a list of his seven (plus change) favorite “digital” watches.
While it was the UR-103 that first brought Urwerk attention from serious watch aficionados, it was the Harry Winston Opus V that really launched the boutique independent brand to the world. Ian Skellern takes a trip down memory lane with a deep dive into the history of Urwerk, the story of the Opus V, and a review of the UR-103.03.
Blast from the past! This post is a “reprint” of an article Ian wrote that was first published on The PuristS in 2005 and it covers Felix Baumgartner, Urwerk, the Harry Winston Rare Timepieces Opus V, the Urwerk 103.03, plus an Urwerk 103.03 user review. Enjoy!
Since the Swatch Group took over Harry Winston, a continuation of the Opus series has been somewhat in doubt. But in 2015 the Opus 14 finally arrived. And now it has been quietly said that an Opus 15 is on the way. Which makes this a great time to look back on the groundbreaking series.
One of the things that fascinates Martin Green about-diamond set watches is the craftsmanship needed to create them. This is a process that cannot be automated and a skill that requires a lot of time to develop. Here he highlights five of his favorites introduced in 2019.