By Mr. E
The new timepiece evokes the 1930’s Art Deco glam of New York, but with a modern twist thanks to its sophisticated automatic movement.
This year is the year of the Avenue Collection as far as Harry Winston. We’ve already seen a lot of novelties coming from the maison in 2017, and now we have the latest addition: an American beauty with a Swiss heart that combines the brand’s past and present.
New York City has been at the heart of Harry Winston for many years, and the city was a constant source of inspiration in the jeweler’s life. So much so, in fact, that this collection was named after Fifth Avenue, the most prestigious shopping address in the US and home to the brand’s flagship salon.
The aptly named Avenue Collection evokes the streamlined styling and urban sophistication of the Art Deco period of the Big Apple. It is also when the company was founded back in 1932.
The styling of the new Avenue Classic Automatic certainly pays homage to this period. The refined rectangular 18-karat gold case is set with 29 brilliant-cut diamonds and a truncated diamond in the crown, meant to sparkle like a New York skyscraper at night. The arches positioned at either end of the case are also a nod to the famous arched doorway of Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue salon, an iconic feature of this collection.
The vintage typography set against mother-of-pearl used for the numerals also complements the Art Deco mood of the timepiece. So does the minute track, which is actually a novelty appearing on all Avenue timepieces this year.
But at the same time, the Avenue Collection Automatic is also moving with the times. That’s largely thanks to its mechanical automatic Swiss movement. This is the first time an Avenue Classic timepiece has been fitted with an automatic movement. The brand was so proud of the change that the word “automatic” has also been printed on the dial.
And to ensure that the new watch will be ticking well into the future, it has been equipped with the latest technology, including a silicon balance spring. To maintain the slim case profile, the rotor was also reworked – which now protrudes slightly on the case back – to avoid making the case larger to fit the new movement.
The Swiss heart of the watch, as well as its 18-karat gold rotor is decorated with a guilloché motif and can be admired through the case back. It has been made available in either white gold or rose gold, each variant paired with an alligator leather strap with a shiny finish.
