There is something too decadent about a conveyor belt made out of diamonds, but this is the idea in Harry Winston's new Opus 9 watch. This is the second new luxury watch this year to feature a belt system, though the Christophe Claret DualTow does it a little bit differently. In the Opus 9, two chains of 33 baguette cut diamonds and one garnet, are pulled with the garnet used to indicate the hour and minute as it corresponds to the adjacent hour or minute meters. The system is incredibly simple looking, but of course highly complex inside the automatic mechanical movement.
The case is constructed out of 18k white gold and is a hefty 56mm tall by 48mm wide, and 20mm thick. The look is functional given the needs of the movement operation, but still classy. It will remind you of the look of the Cabestan winch-wound watch. As a limited edition of 100 pieces the Opus 9 is an interesting addition to the Harry Winston watch line. It makes clever use of diamonds, which is important to the brand which is first and foremost a jewelry maker. The strap is black alligator and looks handsome against the brushed and polished surfaces of the Opus 9's case. Look for it at select Harry Winston boutiques and dealers soon.
