Harry Winston

Transcription of the chat with Emmanuel Bouchet , the Opus 12 master watchmaker

 

Dear all, please find below the transcription of the chat with Emmanuel Bouchet, the Opus 12 master watchmaker who answered to our questions from New-York.

Q (Mathieu Robert): 
Dear Emmanuel, I want to congratulate you for the uniqueness of this timepiece and tell you that it's in my top 3 favorites of this collection. I specially like the animation once per hour.

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Mathieu, thank you for your kind words!!


Q (Lucasz Doskocz):
Dear Mr. Bouchet. Congratulations on a great timepiece. My question is - out of the entire OPUS collection, which piece is the most impressive for you and why? (of course except the OPUS 12 that is)

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Lukasz, all of the Opus are amazing timepieces! They are all unique in terms of complexity and in the way they reinvent time. One of my favorite, in terms of design and mechanical architecture, is Opus 7.

Opus 7 by Andreas Strehler:




Q (Lucasz Doskocz):
One more If I may. You fitted this incredible movement into a quite large, 46mm case. Would it be possible, with all it's complexity, to make the piece a bit smaller? 42-44mm?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
You're most welcome Lukasz! To fit the Opus 12 movement into a 42mm or 44mm case would have been possible but very challenging. Also, with a smaller case, the hands would have been smaller and the time more difficult to read. 46mm ensure the perfect balance between wearibility and legibility.

Emmanuel, we can feel all your passion for watchmaking in the achievement of this Opus 12, what was for you the most complex and tricky part to design?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Bonjour a tous! Oui, effectivement! Opus 12 est le fruit de mes annees d'experience et de ma passion pour mon metier. La partie la plus complexe a ete le developpement des aiguilles, qui sont de vrais composants horlogers d'une extreme precision.
Hello everybody! Yes, indeed! Opus 12 is the fruit of my years of experience and of my passion for my craft. The most complex part was the development of the hands which are true watchmaking components with an extreme precision. 



Q (Watchonista):
Dear Emmanuel, more than 600 different components in the OPUS 12: Which is the most difficult part of the assembling process? Thanks!

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Watchonista team, the hands were one of the most difficult components to assemble due to the complexity of the rotation system.


Q (Watchonista):
Another question from one of our special friends: "Is it possible to have one OPUS 12 customized?" Thanks and enjoy The City!

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Absolutely! We are customizing a few pieces with brilliant-cut diamonds as well as baguette-cut diamonds. And yes, I am truly enjoying being in New York City! See you soon in Switzerland!

Q (Watchonista):
..."And the color of the hands?"

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Excellent question! We are not planning on changing the color of the hands, but everything is possible! In that case, we would use a different treatment for the hands.

A (Watchonista):
Sure that your answer will make pretty demanding collectors very happy! Thanks!

Q (Jack Forster):
Dear M. Bouchet --thank you for joining us! Can you explain how the speed of rotation of the hands is controlled? Is there a regulating system similar to that used for minute repeaters?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Jack, thank you for your question and I look forward to meeting you in person tomorrow at TimeCrafters in New York! The rotation of the hour hands is controlled by a regulating system but this system is not comparable to the system used for minute repeaters. It is a system that we developed exlusively for Opus 12.

Q (Jack Forster):
Thank you for your answer --is it possible for you to provide a description of the system and how it works? This must have been one of the biggest challenges in creating the watch, and one which you must have known would be a problem very early in the design process.

Q (Lucasz Doskocz):
I subscribe to this question by Jack to - wonder how it works in details?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Jack, it would be difficult to explain in writing how the regulating system works but what we've done is working on the inertia of the components and the driving force.


Q (Robert-Jan Broer):
Dear Emmanuel, changing hours for example is quite a 'mechanical show'. Did you encounter problems with the [level of] energy of the mechanical movement as it seems that all these visible movements uses a lot of force?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Robert, yes, this was a challenge! This is why we developed two barrels, one for the animation and one for the timekeeping function.



Q (me):
Dear Emmanuel, I'm happy to be able to chat with you. What are the elements which inspired you when you imagined Opus 12?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Francois-Xavier, watchmaking and aviation are my two passions and the Opus 12 concept was inspired by the Copernican revolution.

Q (me):
Thanks a lot Emmanuel. What are the Opus 12 features you are the most proud of?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
The perfect harmony between the Opus 12 overall design and the complexity of its movement. This is what I am the most proud of!

Q (me):
Dear Emmanuel, How and when did you first meet Harry Winston?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
I've had the idea of rotating hands for many years and my team and I first started to work on the Opus 12 concept with Harry Winston in 2010.

Q (me):
Dear Emmanuel, How did the Centagora and the Harry Winston teams work together?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Francois-Xavier, Centagora works hand in hand with the Harry Winston team. It's a true cooperation and we've established mutual confidence and a true partnership.

The Centagora Team:


Q (me):
Dear Emmanuel, Can we imagine an other partnership between Harry Winston and Centagora in the future?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
Dear Francois-Xavier, it was a pleasure to meet you for the first time in Basel! I hope you're well and thank you for all these questions! Harry Winston develops a new Opus every year and collaborates each time with a different watchmaker. However it is very possible that we partner again with Harry Winston in the future to develop another timepiece for their "regular" collection.

Q (me):
A last question from my side: In the current Harry Winston collection, what is your fav watch?

A (Emmanuel Bouchet):
This is a difficult question! There are several Harry Winston watches that I love. For men, I particularly like the Z6 in Zalium and for women, the Premier Feathers.

Z6:



Premium Feathers:



Harry Winston:
Dear all,
Thank you for all your questions. I look forward to seeing you at TimeCrafters in New York this weekend or meeting you in Switzerland!


I would like to thank a lot Harry Winston for the organisation of the chat and of course Emmanuel Bouchet for his availability and his answers!

Fr.Xavier

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