Introducing Harry Winston’s 2020 Collection of Watches

Ocean Biretrograde 36mm

Right off the bat we kick things off with bling and a signature complication, in true Harry Winston style. For the maison, this is their essential mix of sporty and elegant.

Executed in white and rose gold, the two variations sport mother-of-pearl dials and round brilliant diamonds in an 18-karat. The diamonds are placed all along the timepiece’s bezel, lugs and subdial perimeters, accounting for 199 stones.

On the dial, displayed are hours and minutes on the largest circular subdial; retrograde seconds display at 8 o’clock and the other retrograde display indicating the days of the week at 4 o’clock. The date is displayed through the round aperture at 6 o’clock.

For the retrograde indications, the seconds display of course makes dramatic resets every half a minute. The day display, however, will keep you on the edge — making a dramatic reset as Sundays cross over to Monday at midnight.

The elegance aspect of the timepiece isn’t simply in the matter of the shiny stones used, but also with the intricacy in which the mother-of-pearl is layered to create stepped dial. As for the sporty aspect, this isn’t simply contained in the matter of the complication on the dial, because on top of the two variations of the pearly alligator straps, there are also options for bracelets in matching metals, in either the metal alone, finished to Harry Winston’s exacting standards or, in true Harry Winston style, fully bling-ed out.

Ocean Biretrograde Black & White Automatic 36mm

An alternate variation of the Ocean Biretrograde Automatic 36 this year is the Biretrograde Black & White. These are extrapolated from the above mother-of-pearl dial versions, with black detailing on the outer tracks of the primary dial and the three subdials. This is achieved by lacquering.

The two versions of the Biretrograde Black & White Automatic 36mm can be easily differentiated in the inclusion or exclusion of the lacquered detail on the time indication subdial.

Adding further to the black and white theme is the choice of straps that the maison has made for the watches: a new sporty rubber strap, matched in color execution.

The Ocean Biretrograde Black & White Automatic 36mm will be limited to 100 pieces in each version.

Project Z14

Harry Winston’s Zalium, the maison’s signature alloy of aluminum and zirconium, family of watches is into its 14th chapter in 2020, giving us the Project Z14. As has been a signature identifier of the Project Z watches, the Z14 remains true to the more aggressive design signature of the family.

The Z14 utilizes extensive skeletonization on the dial and angular shapes all over the watch giving it a very robust, muscular outlook. We start at the black time indication subdial, where a grid-like pattern has been. Right below we have the 30-second retrograde display arch rendered in transparent blue that has been given a bold red indication hand. The indications aside, what is of interest on the dial is the way in which shapes and forms are used to create levels and depth in black and grey with a pop of the maison’s signature blue, ultimately allowing the wearer to have a peek at the bare baseplate of the HW2202 caliber powering it.

The Premier Collection

Harry Winston’s Premier collection has gotten the most bit of attention this year, with the largest number of novelties added. This the masion has done under three themed variations.

Firstly, the Majestic Art Deco Automatic 36mm. Rendered in a dial design that clearly takes after the era that the watch is named after, the Maison has used a monochromatic approach with mother-of-pearl and glossy black jade. Marquetry set within the white base dial creates the contrasting fan motif that ultimately draws the eye towards emerald-cut black jade in the center. The emerald-cut, according to the maison, was Mr. Harry Winston’s favorite cut.

Next, we have two additions to the Premier Kaleidoscope line with the Premier Kaleidoscope Automatic 36mm and the Premier Precious Kaleidoscope Automatic 36mm. The line was introduced just last year, and it’s safe to say it’s done well enough that the maison is adding two more extensions to it in 2020.

The Premier Kaleidoscope Automatic 36mm includes instances of timepieces that start as 18-karat gold base dials and are then layer with layered with white mother-of-pearl. At this point a geometric lace is placed over, again in mother-of-pearl.

Here’s the kicker, other than the diamonds that are easily spotted on each execution, the remaining colors on the dial are astonishingly achieved using colored beaded mother-of-pearl.

The other instance is the Premier Precious Kaleidoscope Automatic 36mm in two executions, both limited to 5 pieces each. Here the dial decoration process is similar to the Premier Kaleidoscope Automatic 36mm, save for the exception that actual precious stones are used here on top of the beaded mother-of-pearl.

The 18K white gold version utilizes blue beaded mother-of-pearl cabochons, 72 electric-blue Paraiba tourmalines, six green marquise-cut emeralds, 12 pear-cut diamonds and a sprinkling of 40 brilliant-cut diamonds. The 18K rose gold version uses citrine, blue and white mother-of-pearl cabochons, carnelian, six marquise-cut orange spessartites, six pear-cut diamonds, 12 fiery-red marquise-cut rubies, six elongated baguette-cut diamonds, six brilliant-cut green tsavorites and, lastly, 150 brilliant-cut diamonds to create this opulent dial.

The last of the lot to be added to the Premier collection is the Premier Lotus Automatic 36mm. The lotus flower has long served as inspiration to the maison. For the timepiece at hand, several diamond cuts and mother-of-pearl petals are combined and set at different angles to form three-dimensional floral sculptures.

The impressive flowers aside, what possibly makes the whole piece come together is the illusion of rippling water created by sculpting fine lines onto the delicate mother-of-pearl backdrop. Lastly, a large emerald-cut diamond crowns the time indicatory subdial at 12 o’clock: a tribute Mr. Winston’s preferred diamond cut.

But wait, there’s more. There is yet another Premier that is being announced more as part of Harry Winston’s collection of High Jewelry Timepieces. This is the Premier Hypnotic Chrysanthemum Automatic 36mm.

Two executions form this announcement, one in blue tones and the one in turquoise. Opals are paired with white diamonds are used to create the Chrysanthemum that adorns the dial. The 3D effect of the flower is achieved by first layering 60 baguette-cut diamonds on an 18-karat gold base.

From here, 32 marquise-cut and 160 brilliant-cut diamonds are interspersed between the opals. Again, by layering the stones in different cuts and sizes, the maison’s gem-setters make these pieces of art come to life.