Manufacturer: Harry Winston and F.P. Journe Year: Circa 2001 Case No: 004533, 200/MRFPJ 38P Model Name: Opus 1, Chronomètre à Résonance Material: Platinum Calibre: Manual, cal. 1499, 39 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Platinum Harry Winston deployant clasp Dimensions: 38mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed by maker, case dial and movement further signed by watchmaker Accessories: Accompanied by Harry Winston blank warranty card, warranty booklet, blank form and envelope for activation of double warranty in conjunction with Lloyd's, leather document holder, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
The genesis of the Harry Winston Opus Series is a story rarely heard in modern horology: that of a major brand putting forward the watchmaker who built the movement.
More often than not, large brands boast movements and complications that were made by third parties with the name of the latter rarely disclosed.
During his time as CEO of Harry Winston Timepieces in the early 2000s, Max Büsser decided to team up with young independent watchmakers and create a watch that would bear the genetic codes of both Harry Winston and the watchmaker and to have the name of the watchmaker proudly displayed on the watch! This project gifted to the world some of the most unusual, fascinating and complex timepieces to ever see the light of day.
The very first Opus project was launched in 2001 with an up and coming watchmaker whose watches 20 years later would be competing with centuries old behemoth brands in the auction room: François-Paul Journe. Journe had just recently launched his brand when Büsser invited him to work together on the Opus project.
The result was not one but three timepieces housing Journe’s signature creations: a time only with large date and power reserve display, the Tourbillon with Remontoir d'Égalité and the present Chronomètre à Résonance.
Each of these models was realized in an extremely rarified series of 6 pieces, each with a unique dial (2 gem-set and 4 non gem-set pieces per series).
One of the most unusual regulating mechanisms found in watchmaking, Resonance timepieces have dual balance wheels placed in close proximity which resonate with each other, thus increasing the resistance to outside perturbations. The model, one of F. P. Journe’s earliest creations and inspired by a pocket watch made by A.L. Breguet, is one of the most spectacular incarnations of this fascinating horological device - both from an aesthetic point of view and from an horological point of view and well: the two wheels being not connected by any differential gear, they achieve “true” resonance without mechanical aids.
Beyond the technical proficiency of the watch, one can not help but marvel at the extremely bold purple dial with orange graphics, a surprising and hardly ever seen in watchmaking (especially back in the early 2000s) color scheme which grants to the present watch incredible allure and wrist presence while de-dramatising at the same time the importance of this momentous timepiece.
The present Opus 1 “Chronomètre à Résonance” is a must have for any collector thanks to its excellent state of preservation, ultimate rarity, historical relevance and stunning beauty.
