The jumping hour complication, new for the Ocean Collection, adds its dynamic presence to a remarkable timepiece that is a showcase for Harry Winston's calibre HW4401, which required more than 1500 hours of development.
The tourbillon is considered one of watchmaking's most sophisticated complications –originally developed at the dawn of the 19th century. Today, the tourbillon is revered by connoisseurs not only for the history and craftsmanship it represents, but also for the mesmerizing visual effect it creates, which is unlike any other complication.
The tourbillon in the Ocean Tourbillon Jumping Hour has a very unusual design. Instead of being located on the back of the movement plate, it is suspended from two gleaming, hand-chamfered steel bridges which seem to hold it free in space –seeming to move with no apparent mechanical connection to the rest of the timepiece. Only sharp eyes will uncover its secret: the tourbillon is driven by a wheel geared to its outer circumference, which is nearly completely concealed by the minute track of the dial.
Floating in between two panes of sapphire, the tourbillon's open structure contrasts with the rich opacity of the dial, which is also suspended from a system of meticulously hand-finished, open-worked bridges. Executed in black sapphire, the dial reveals the hour through an aperture at the 12 o’clock position, which "jumps" instantaneously once per hour. Unlike many jumping hour watches, the Ocean Tourbillon Jumping Hour timepiece has a minute hand which has been specifically designed so that the hour window is never blocked.
The Ocean Tourbillon Jumping Hour timepiece provides a powerful visual experience –its design draws inspiration from the vocabulary of classic Modernist architecture, which takes advantage of the unique structural and visual properties of steel and glass to create a bold geometry that is also the essence of the Ocean Tourbillon Jumping Hour watch. The combination of a tourbillon rotating once every sixty seconds and a minute hand rotating once per hour is a mechanical meditation on the nature of time itself –with the action of the jumping hour complication lending its own special tempo to this symphony of high horology.
OCEAN TOURBILLON JUMPING HOUR
Technical Specifications
References
OCEMTD45WW005
OCEMTD45WW006
OCEMTD45RR005
OCEMTD45RR006
Movement: Caliber HW4401
Type: Mechanical, manual winding
Dimensions of movement
Total diameter: 36 mm
Height: 8.62 mm
Number of components: Complete movement: 330 components
Number of jewels: 41 rubies
Power reserve: 110 hours
Barrels: Twin barrels in series
Balance wheel
Variable-inertia balance Alt. / hour: 28’800 (4Hz)
Balance spring: Flat spring
Main plate: Hand-chamfered, fine shotpeening
Bridges:Hand-chamfered, leveled
Tourbillon
Rotating cycle of 60 seconds
Tourbillon weight: 0.49 gr
Movement finish
Skeletonized movement
Côtes de Genève
Black DLC treatment, micro-blasted
Circular grained gear trains
Functions
Jumping hour, minutes
Tourbillon
Seconds indicator on the tourbillon
Power-reserve indicator on the case back
Case
18K white gold or 18K rose gold
Polished case and bezel, satin-brushed finish case band
Circular satin-brushed Harry Winston triple arches at 3 o’clock
Integrated jumping hours counter
Case dimensions
Diameter: 45.6 mm
Height: 13.2 mm
Crystal: Sapphire
Case back: Sapphire crystal display back
Water resistance: 50 meters
Crown
Polished 18K white gold or 18K rose gold
Embossed HW logo
Dial
Black sapphire dial, delimited by the metallization of the engraved dial train and indexes
Rhodium-plated or rose gold hour aperture
Sandblasted, emerald-shaped HW logo
Diamond Setting :
OCEMTD45WW006 & OCEMTD45RR006: Case set with 58 baguette-cut diamonds (approximately 6.25 carats)
Strap: Hand-sewn black matte alligator leather
Buckle: Polished 18K white or rose gold ardillon buckle
Limited Edition
OCEMTD45WW005: 100 pieces
OCEMTD45WW006: 10 pieces
OCEMTD45RR005: 200 pieces
OCEMTD45RR006: 10 pieces