In 2016, acclaimed American jewelry house Harry Winston created the iconic Histoire de Tourbillon 7 Timepiece. This year, they have created an even more exceptional model, the Histoire de Tourbillon 8. Baroque Access has all the details
The 2016 creation, Histoire de Tourbuillon 7, was recognized for its exceptional qualities by international watch aficionados. Harry Winston’s latest creation, the Histoire de Tourbillon 8, is even more eye-catching. The timepiece features a new time display where the hours and minutes jump. It also offers two bi-axial tourbillons, each of them comprising 117 parts and weighing a mere 0.76 grams.
The two tourbillons in the new iteration feature an outer cage that makes a full rotation every 75 seconds at an inclined axis of 30 degrees. A second cage makes a full rotation every 45 seconds. These two tourbillons work independently and are unified by a spherical differential. They are housed in a calibre HW4503 that measures 43mm in diameter and features two rapidly rotating superposed barrels.
The watch is large, with a 51mm 18K white gold case that is adorned with alternating finishes of satin and polished mirror. The entire surface of the dial is one single component created from 13 different elements that boast various finishes and textures. The hour and minute displays are housed in two conical discs made of aluminium.
The new timepiece has a power reserve of 55 hours that is displayed through a grooved scroll that is situated at the bottom of the dial. This is designed to complement the cone designs of the hour and minutes that are positioned on the right hand side of the dial and gives the new timepiece a more technical style compared to its predecessor.
What makes the new Histoire de Tourbillon 8 so unique is that it comes in a limited edition of just 20 pieces – 10 with a red dial and 10 in anthracite grey with blue accents. Although prices have not yet been released, the limited qualities produced make these timepieces extremely rare and precious. And let’s not forget the uniqueness of the watches’ tourbillons themselves.
Although initially more famous for its high-end jewelry, Harry Winston began selling watches in the late 1980s. The brand opened its own factory in Geneva in 2007 and has been producing various timepieces since then. The Histoire de Tourbillon collection was initially created to explore and exceed the boundaries of the complication. This latest iteration goes much further than that: it brings the complication itself to life.
The Histoire de Tourbillon 8 is the latest in Harry Winston’s ongoing series of tourbillon watches, already famous for their degree of complication and unconventional design. We can’t wait to see what this innovative American jeweller comes up with next.