The economic crisis has not killed the need for the ‘concept watch’, in fact, perhaps, just the contrary. Research is and remains more than ever the domain where new roads are solidly established—roads that will not all end at an oasis, as some will simply wander among the sand dunes.

One ‘concept’ that should ‘fly’ above the sands is that designed by Denis Giguet for the Opus 11 (‘Eleven’, excuse me) by Harry Winston. Think of a merry-go-round or roundabout, for example, one that is composed of the famous teacups. The cups are arranged on a platform that turns, and they in turn rotate on their saucers. Then imagine this transposed to the world of watches: a large gear supports four hour mobiles that each support, in turn, six reversible palettes (more precisely, three pairs of palettes), giving 24 palettes in all. On these brass palettes are etched graphic lines representing fragments of numbers. Arranged four by four at the centre of the watch, these palettes together form the variable number of the hour. Every 60 minutes, this number literally ‘explodes’, and the palettes rise up vertically, pivot, and turn during three seconds before recomposing, at the centre, the new number of the current hour. This absolutely original kinetic spectacle is produced by a machine composed of 566 elements, elliptical gears producing vertical impulsions, spirals, rockers, a triangular gear, conic pinions, and much more. The ensemble is protected by a transparent sapphire crystal in the shape of a shell. This was certainly the most amazing and playful watch at BaselWorld, even if we might feel some hesitation at the addition of two lateral ‘pavilions’ encompassing the minutes and the balance. Why not dare to just show the hour, as that would have been more radical?

OPUS 11 by Harry Winston and Denis Guiget

This Opus 11 is the most emblematic example of a real trend. Although certainly a niche trend, it is one that encompasses a type of whimsical and three-dimensional timekeeping accumulating kinetic plays. It is the product of a second generation of independent niche brands that concentrate their research on the display of time.

Discover the intricate movement of the newest edition to the Opus series in the video below: