In the weeks leading up to Baselworld the excitement starts to build, and there are always a handful of timepieces so impressive that they get tongues wagging well before the event has even begun. The Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillon 4 is one such timepiece.
The Histoire de Tourbillon 4, which is limited to just 20 pieces, represents the most complicated and technically resplendent pieces from the watch and jewellery brand recently acquired by the mighty Swatch Group.
The watch is the fourth timepiece from Harry Winston’s Histoire de Tourbillon collection, which showcases the tourbillon in a modern, 21st century timepiece.
The toubillon was invented in the early 1800’s to try and counteract the detrimental effects gravity had on the mechanisms of the pocket watches of the day. The tourbillon works by placing all the critical regulating parts of the watch into a rotating cage, which ensures that they are never in the same position long enough for gravity not to alter the watch’s accuracy.
However, the Histoire de Tourbillon 4 takes the original design of the tourbillon mechanism to a whole new level, boasting a triple tourbillon, which put simply is a tourbillon inside a tourbillon, inside a tourbillon!
The triple tourbillon is presented by the watch’s single oscillator which is housed inside three concentric cages. Each cage turns at different speeds and angles in relation to the other cages. The outermost cage spins once every 300 seconds, with the middle cage turning every 75 seconds, whilst the innermost cage completes one full rotation every 45 seconds. Working together, the three tourbillon’s ensure that gravity can’t have a wreak havoc on the watch’s oscillator.
The incredibly accurate and extremely sophisticated movement comprises 345 parts and also has a power reserve of 50 hours.
Harry Winston claims that almost 4000 hours of labour and additional testing of the high performance movements are required to develop the watch, which could go some way to explaining why the Histoire de Tourbillon 4 is limited to just 20 pieces!
Take a look at this video of the Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillon 4 in all of its finery.
Specifications
Movement: HW4501 calibre mechanical hand-wound movement, featuring tri-axial tourbillon. 345 parts, 59 jewels, beating at 21,600 vph, with a 50hr power reserve. Also includes Phillips terminal curve and Geneva type balance spring stud.
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds with power reserve indicator
Dial: three dimensional dial in a black gold finish, features an open grid hour dial found at 1 o’clock, with a minute dial at the position of 9 o’clock. 300 seconds located on the tourbillon at 6 o’clock, with the power reserve indicator located between 3 and 4 o’clock.
Case: 47mm Zalium polished 18k white gold case. Case band, lugs, arches and tourbillon bezel DLC treated. Also includes a domed sapphire crystal on the front and is partly open in 18k white gold on the reverse. Water resistance of 30 metres.
Strap: black alligator strap, hand stitched and fastened with 18k gold double buckle.
