bernard cheong
7182
Opus 9..personal take after 5 hours
Pictures taken by Ian Skellern
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In Opus 9, diamonds are not a decorative elements, but the functional!. Teamed up watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederecht and haute designer Eric Giroud . I won't be surprised if all expect me to say really bad stuff about Opus 9.
I won't pretend that it is not going to be important that I say something, after all, this forum HWRT was created more with the birth of the spirit of the Opus projects back in 2002, after Opus 2 and 1.
I have to be responsible in that way.
Hell, I was around for Opus 1, and I bought the version of it made by Journe.(cheaper).
The Opus project 9 is going to be not well recieved by most serious academic onlookers, but will be sold out.
That is my prediction.
It is the first time in hsitory that a later project makes an earlier one look and present itself better...and that is Opus 8.
My remarks on Opus 8 were honest, but I could understand why the executives at HWRT did not like me for saying it. BUT..on looking at Opus 9....I am thinking these things:
(1) I made a mistake about Opus 8, and this is NOT because Opus 9 is not good, or that Opus 9 is better. But that I had misjudged the direction of the Opus project. I think that the Opus 9 is correct in its direction, its statements. and its intent.
(2) The direction appears to be new boundaries in size, and new boundaries in the use of diamond decorations. I personally like these changes, I like the size, although it is way too large for me or most others. BUT wait...I am saying that the Opus 9 is large, but probably not with the intent to BE LARGE, but that this is as small as they could do it. This is VERY important, it means that the company has not backed out of having the courage to make new things....the spirit of Opus is alive. It is just that it has infected almost EVERYBODY. There are so many other companies making things like Opus today.
(3) Although many companies make "far out" designs...Opus 3, 5, 8 and 9 seem to be special.
The intent of these 4 designs are now more cohesive in retrospect. Although there is no link wiht each other except by executive decisions, an dthat 3 and 5 are Max Busser's children, I would seriously relook at Opus 8 and 9 today, if I were collaborating on setting up a book of seriously important watches. Opus 3 and 5 are without any doubt historical.
Now..Opus 9.
Way too big.
It looks as if it were a streamlined Cabestan. Minus a few things, yet bigger...possibly because of the desire to use diamonds internally on the chain.
The advertisorial spin can say what it wants, but when boiled down...it looks BIG. The statement is that this is a BIG watch. This is an over riding aesthetic..that it is BIG.
However, here is my personal take. I actually LIKE IT. And "if I had the money", I would buy it.
And more...because of it...I would also now want to buy the Opus 8.
The 8 and the 9 seem to be part of a hand of watches.
The Opus 3, cabestan and the MBF 3 are the other "cards".
That would make a beautiful set.
However, on its own..the Opus 9 may be found "wanting" or "lacking".
On a historical note...the maker is one of HWRT's original old hands....and the designer Eric is someone I am getting to admire for brave works.
The DeGrisogono's diital monster fails where Opus 9 suceeds...it is about finesse in execution. To make a BIG watch elegant is VERY difficult...I mean big parts. But this Opus 9, has many tiny parts put together tightly...and Eric has made the big casing full of small details, typical of a few of his designs. I really like it.
Now...I must see if it is possible to actually wear it.
Thru experience. I would not dare say something large like this cannot be worn...when my wife wore MBF1, it probably feels like this Opus 9!!!
Surely, after these few hours...I have decided to write a # of coming up for air on Harry Winston's Opus series.
Thanks for reading.
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Opus 9..personal take after 5 hours
Pictures taken by Ian Skellern In Opus 9, diamonds are not a decorative elements, but the functional!. Teamed up watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederecht and haute designer Eric Giroud . I won't be surprised if all expect me to say really bad stuff about Opus 9. I...
Interesting watch
Harry Winston is very innovative with Opus to be sure. What is frustrating however is that Opus 3 is always talked about as if it exists, yet it does not. And Harry Winston never releases any official word about it at all. The rumors were that it would fi...
Sensei...my thought on the Opus 9
purely base on the photo.....it look likes a design gimmick . I don't like it at all. I like the Opus 8 alot better. For me, Opus 3, 5 and 8 are the ones *CL
it does makes opus 8 a lot more attractive
thats the 1st reaction i have seeing it for the 1st time... it might make sense if its chain mechanism power train can make good the delivery of opus 3... no offense but personally i feel the direction they r taking now r more cater toward a new weath gro...
You are 100% correct about the direction.
I feel this in the same way...much more "obvious" and much more "show", it's the historical aspect of it. I fear that it will get worse, hence this Opus 9, and the 8, may be catching the end of a tide. On the subject of the Cabestan, yes and yes..it is we...
Number 9
Though Opus 9 is very impressive and remarkable, something's missing. If we consider the Opus series as a concept, Number 9 smells like a Michelin 3 stars menu warmed in a microwave. Opus 1 to 5 where Max's babies, then Hamdi gave birth to 6 to 8 while la...
Max, and actually the commune he created, made Opus1 to 5 and began also 6.
Howvever, I think much political tussles between the East coast stateside and geneva "may have" resulted in several babies being attributed wrong surnames and parents...to simply carying the analogy further, in a mischevoius way. The Tourbillon Gliss, Opu...
Seems that
one of the highlights of the Opus 9 is the sapphire crystal case, which is difficult to manufacture. Any info on this? I like the concept of the linear representation of time. The other watch that did this was the Christophe Claret "Dual Tow". While total...
The Dual Tow is way cooler and looks better imho
You are right...the dual tow is a watch I like better for any number of reasons. Cool!
IMHO the Opus9 is pretty refined and the DT is a disaster
The DT is a putting to show of all kinds of complications for their own sake, time shown on rubber bands, let everyone know you are playing with your chrono because it chimes each time you use the pusher, chrono with differential because it is more compli...
Was lucky enough to see it in person at Basel with Eric and. . .
. . . felt very privileged to do so. A few quick thoughts. Pics as usual don't give an accurate impression -that's just the nature of the beast. The movement actually seems to float inside the flattened sapphire tube created to encase it much more so than...
What..you actually believe me? Chuckles...
Kidding Jack. I do like Opus 9. Also because I am looking from a customers pOV..as in "would I save up to buy it"? And..I have so far, supported Eric's POV of design, especially in MBF1,2 and 3. Eric has done all sorts of work, from conseras in Tissot..to...
Hey, who knew. Listen, speaking of seeing things in person. . .
. . . I also got around to meeting Ivan Castro and his team at Nubeo and I gotta say, I get what you were talking about when you first started championing his work over here -again, another case of needing to see it in person and keeping an open mind abou...
Thanks Jack. I guess I care about my hobby.
And I guess it's important to me how I spend any of my time...especially "free time", ie time that I get to choose how to spend it. Looking at work from creative sources is one way I chose to spend free time...books and new watches are just 2. So,,,I sort...
You're not meant to be in Basel....
Jack: in fact, you're not meant to be anywhere..... Have you got over your fear of flying? Or did you take the boat like Florentine Jones? Regards, MTF PS: I know...I know: You have no fear of flying.....it's just a fear of crashing. Or: Flying is the 2nd...
LOL I would like to say necessity was the mother of courage but in this case. . .
. . . I have discovered that the path to aerial nirvana lies, more or less, in the warm embrace of a liberal application of benzodiazepines to the ol' synapses . It seems to be a church with a lot of members too, at least when in the air. I think my big b...
Also known as "Pharamaceutical Business Class".
BTW - Nice to meet you the other day Jack. Cheers Tony P
Hahaha, ain't it the truth ;)
. . . better living through chemistry. It was really great to meet you too Tony -funny how that can happen even at a mob scene like the Basel Fair. Incidentally I really appreciated your professional evaluation of two of the individuals involved in the pr...
Guts?
What do we know about the guts of this beast? One of the things I have always enjoyed about the Opus line was the blending of some fantastic designs with some cutting-edge horology. Even the 8, not to my taste, had to come up with some real interesting de...
I guess none of the Opus were to my tastes, not one...but there's the wonder.
Every Opus taught me something. I may be more stupid than the majority of the market, but I actually learnt from all the Opus about caring and attitude to work. So...for me, it was wonderful that no Opus was to my tastes...all of them taught me about tast...