Opus V

Opus is the story of a sequence of creative encounters between Harry Winston and visionaries committed in watchmaking history. This year, the company has enjoyed the immense pleasure of cooperating with Felix Baumgartner in creating Opus 5. As he eloquently demonstrates through his creativity and his technical mastery, Felix Baumgartner embodies the new generation of Haute Horlogerie. Opus V invents the "satellite hour "

The hour display on Opus V is a world première with three small blocks arranged like satellites within a three-dimensional system permanently displaying three hours on the dial. Since each block carries four numerals, two rotational axes are required to display all 12 hours: the first central axis enables each hour numeral to "move past" the minute counter while driving the retrograde hand; while the second reveals the four numerals in accordance with the first rotation.

The movement and beyond:

Astonishing and remarkable in every way With its asymmetrical nature, this movement represents a technical response to the challenge raised by the thickness of the satellite system. Whereas a movement normally drives two to three hands, that of the Opus V powers three-dimensional elements. The parts have been machined from an extremely resistant and stable alloy, ARCAP.

The ball-bearing system to which the retrograde minute hand is attached combines two major difficulties: it has a wellabove average diameter (for watchmaking) and yet is very thin. Since this hand has to cover a long distance (120°) before returning to zero, it is brought back by an extremely fine and highly resistant traction spring which is wound by a ring fixed to the ball-bearing mechanism. The satellite system, as it turns, drives the entire ring. When the hand reaches the figure 60, a double star is released and in turn releases the spring, and so on. The Opus V movement hides another technical refinement that had to be "invented" due to its exceptional architecture: by turning the crown, three springs (coupled with the three blocks) not only reverse the system's rotational direction in order to move the hours back, but also absorb the shock of the minute-hand's return. At the point fixed to the central axis, each of the blocks is shaped like a Maltese cross to ensure friction-free rotation. The centre and rim of the system are micro-sandblasted to avoid excessive diffusion of light and to facilitate read-off. These two surfaces are also polished with a diamond milling-cutter to achieve a mirror-like effect. The blocks and the hands are fine-brushed and diamond-polished. The 122-hour power reserve is indicated in a counter between 10 and 11 o'clock by a "+" sign when the movement is fully wound and a "-" when it is "discharged". Since the three blocks only show figures 1 through 12, Opus V indicates the time of day or night corresponding to the hour on display through a counter between 7 and 8 o'clock.

Two wo major firsts on the back.

Felix Baumgartner had the idea of integrating another world first on the back of the watch: a "service indicator" graduated from 0 to 5 years, enabling the wearer to know when it is time for the watch to undergo period maintenance. Operating exclusively when the watch is actually worn, this function has no influence on the validity of the guarantee. The other first is the fine adjustment. Thanks to a small screw located on the back and designed to adjust the index, the user can adjust the gain or loss of the watch (± 30 seconds)