Harry Winston debuts Moments collection with Chinese dragon timepiece
The Chinese Year of the Dragon marks the debut of a new collection called Harry Winston Moments, designed to bring captivating new aesthetics to Harry Winston’s lineup of timepieces. The inaugural piece boasts a playful red Chinese dragon on dreamy clouds
Confected in warm 18-karat rose gold, the rounded case has a compact 36mm diameter and a slim height of just 9.15mm, perfectly calibrated for women’s wrists. The distinguishing feature of the case is its magnificent gold crown, placed at noon and graced with a gleaming white pearl. Two rose gold bands, set with 118 brilliant-cut diamonds, emphasise the sloping contours of the polished case and sweep majestically up towards the crown. Marking the union of the two bands are two graceful diamond-set arches, which evoke the impressive arched façade of Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue Flagship Salon in New York City, framing the crown.
The spectacular scene on the dial reveals a red Chinese dragon cavorting in fluffy white mother-of-pearl clouds as he seizes a pearl in his jaws. Natural beaded mother-of-pearl has been expertly sculpted to recreate the billowing three-dimensional white clouds that swirl around the dragon’s body. The dragon’s body is composed of shiny hand-carved gold scales filled with rich red lacquer as he dips playfully in and out of the soft clouds.
The head of the dragon, with a bright blue lacquered eye, coils around the central hour and minute counter as his jaw seizes the precious pearl. Duplicating the large pearl in the crown, the smaller pearl in the dragon’s mouth marks noon on the dial and is accompanied by a halo of brilliant-cut diamonds with ten larger diamonds marking five-minute intervals. Inside the scintillating halo is a dreamy mother-of-pearl sky painted in soft twilight colours, twinkling with the light of stars.
The timepiece is fitted with a Swiss automatic movement with a 40-hour power reserve that can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back. Finely decorated with hand-finished circular Côtes de Genève and graining, the movement obtains its power from the skeletonised rose gold rotor bearing the emerald-shaped Harry Winston logo. Incorporating a flat silicon balance spring that is impervious to magnetic fields, resilient to corrosion and less vulnerable to shocks will ensure years of impeccable service.
The Chinese New Year Automatic is a limited edition of eight timepieces with the corresponding limited-edition number x/8 engraved on the gold case back and comes on a matching shiny red alligator strap secured to the wrist with a rose gold ardillon buckle set with 17 brilliant-cut diamonds. Presented in a red Chinese Temple octagonal box and decorated with golden clouds, the golden sphere to open the box is shaped like a pearl.
