At the same time, it is likely this example will sell for more, because the pink dial is more striking than the dark turquoise dial of the watch that sold last month.

Still, the US$500,000 achieved by the turquoise-dial Opus 1 is a meaningful sum, indicating that some enthusiasts recognise the intriguing nature of the Opus 1. The quality and technical competence of servicing at Harry Winston is unquestionably excellent, albeit at a price, and they do a fine job repairing even the most complex of the Opus series, like the Opus 3. Mr Journe unsuccessfully sued Jaquet Droz, also owned by Swatch Group, for allegedly copying his dial designs. The reason for this due in part to a long-ago legal tussle between Mr Journe and Swatch Group, which owns Harry Winston. Journe will not service them – this was confirmed by the brand several years ago – so they can only be serviced by Harry Winston. Going forward, however, the Opus 1 watches are entirely Harry Winston. Journe brand is certainly more desirable for a watch aficionado, while the Harry Winston name is a bit of a drag in that respect, since the jeweller is now largely a jeweller, having dialled back its efforts at serious watchmaking. Journe nor a Harry Winston, instead it’s mostly F.P. That leaves the Opus 1 feeling undervalued, but the value is likely because the watch falls into a twilight zone of being neither an F.P. They are all exceptionally rare watches.īut an Opus 1 tourbillon sold only a month ago at Phillips in Geneva for the equivalent of US$500,000 including fees, which is not that far off the value of an late-ish F.P. Only six each of the respective Opus 1 models were made, with each unique in dial colour (and a handful set with diamonds). Journe – and the chunky, hinged lugs that help shrink the case in relative terms.īecause of its proportions of the Opus 1 have a stout presence, and none of the Breguet-inspired elegance that characterises F.P. The disparity is perceived size is due to proportions – the Opus is quite a bit thicker than the F.P. Journe, despite being the exact same 38 mm diameter. I wore another Harry Winston model that’s identically-sized for a long period, and the Opus 1 certainly feels smaller than the equivalent F.P. But the dial layouts and movements are, of course, entirely the same.

If you closed your eyes and compared the two in tactile feel, they’d be entirely different watches. The Opus 1 – any one of the three versions – is a peculiar watch. Phillip’s Hong Kong watch auction this weekend includes an Opus 1 Tourbillon, which is worth a closer look, if for no other reason than the fact that it’s one of the rarest variants of the early F.P. Journe model, meaning an identical movement but a platinum case in the trademark Harry Winston style. The Opus 1 was made up of three models – the Tourbillon, Resonance, and Reserve de Marche – each based on the equivalent F.P. But that also makes the Opus 1 interesting simply because they were F.P. Journe movements dressed in Harry Winston attire. Ironically, despite being the opening act, the Opus 1 models were amongst the least novel, because they were essentially F.P. Named after the Opus One vineyard that’s also a joint venture between Americans and Europeans, Opus established Harry Winston as a bona fide watchmaker. Though Harry Winston has now put more emphasis on its primary jewellery business, its past Opus projects are mostly interesting and important examples of contemporary watchmaking. Journe Tourbillon Remontoir d’Egalite, the Opus 1 Tourbillon was part of the inaugural project of the Opus series, the annual independent-watchmaker collaboration invented by Max Büsser of MB&F fame. Share Facebook Linkedin Twitter Weibo InstagramĪ variant of the fourth-generation F.P.

Opus one 2011 auction