Harry Winston’s new global CEO, Frédéric de Narp, talks about the DNA of the Harry Winston watch brand and the anniversary edition of the legendary Opus series.

Frédéric de Narp isn’t going to rock the boat at Harry Winston. In fact in a recent exclusive interview, he explained to Worldtempus that it is his express goal to honor the brand’s own essence. “Honoring the legacy in the way that we never want to compromise in craftsmanship or design, using the best materials,” he explained. “In the world of jewelry we use D, E, and F quality stones and platinum. And in fine watchmaking we need the best watchmakers contributing to the brand to make the best original pieces.”

De Narp revealed that he plans to make the brand more known in places in the world where it is currently less famous—outside the United States and Japan. “So this is what I am going to do: make sure that the brand keeps its exclusivity but on a more global scale.”

Another way he intends on achieving this goal is to continue the exclusive Opus collection that put Harry Winston on the horological map ten years ago. De Narp intends to continue it as long as possible, though the modalities may change. “Harry Winston is about this celebration of partnership, true partnership.”

What struck most visitors to the Harry Winston booth at Baselworld was the supreme normality of the anniversary Opus model. The Opus X by Jean-François Mojon, a behind-the-scenes movement designer who heads his own Le Locle-based company called Chronode, isn’t about the immediate “wow effect” the other Opus models all had in common. In fact, the observer really needs to see the Opus X in action before the true innovation of it hits home. De Narp, who wore the Opus X himself during the fair, sums it up perfectly: “[Mojon] developed a movement that nobody has ever created on earth…..and one that is wearable. Because not every technical watch of the world is wearable.”

Replacing a traditional fixed dial and watch hands, the time on the Opus X is displayed using a system of rotating indicators mounted on a revolving frame. The technical challenge here is the rotating “frame”: as it completes a full rotation, the dials of each indicator—including the second time zone—turn in the opposite direction, ensuring constant orientation in every position.

“The Opus is exciting because it stimulates creativity,” de Narp explains the past, present and future of the line. “Winston is about creativity ensured by finding the most incredible stones. The same goes for movements. And they stimulate the creativity of all the teams as well: when you say to the team, ‘Work on the next Opus’ it is like adrenaline. It brings in new fire.”

Source: Worldtempus