Harry Winston

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The Z6: which version do you prefer ?

A black version of the Z6 was unveiled at Baselworld this year in a context of a LE.

Of course, this Z6 has still the Zalium case but with a black DLC. The dial was put in harmony with the case with black finishings. The consequence is that some details become more visible like the hammer and the hands.

The "black style" is a big market trend and we can find a lot of "all black" watches around. Hopefully, Harry Winston didn't take the decision to make it full black and despite its very dark design, the Z6 Black Edition remains quite colorful... if not fun! Look at the dial: you will see the different touches of red, blue, grey. Moreover, the black dominance didn't kill the feeling of depth brought by the dial layers.

In fact, the colors of the day/night displays, of the shuriken, of the alarm indicator were not changed: but with the black context of the dial, they are enhanced.

The "classic" Z6 is almost the opposite: the dial is bright, very luminous but also with less contrast. The watch looks bigger on the wrist which is a very classic visual effect. A dark watch looks more "hunched up".

Obviously, both have their own charm... the Black Edition is more original and despite that we may think at first glance, carries a more positive message than a lot of black watches which seem to come from the deepest darkness. The Z6 Black Edition is not a "phamtom" watch or something equivalent. The Z6 Alarm takes the opportunity of the black design not be more readable than the original Z6 but to be as readable... with a different way.

If I had to choose between them, I think that my heart would go to the Black Edition. There is something intriguing in this case. I don't know if it is due to the classic Ocean elements around the crown, or its shape but its color reinforces the geometrical achievement of the case. If we loose the special color of the Zalium case, we gain the feeling to have a "sharper" case.

There is another point which makes the Z6 Black Edition very attractive: it is the way the movement was finished. Harry Winston didn't change these finishings a lot but to make them more suitable with the black case, they replaced the Geneva strips by a homogeneous surface: the movement becomes even more technical than with the classic Z6.

Its layout is perfect in the context of the Black Edition: the shape of the bridges, the balance bridge and the two barrels make it very enjoyable for our eyes surrounded by the black case.

Of course, if the Z6 Black Edition is very attractive thanks to its originality, it is the same reason which can lead us to prefer the classic edition: if we first perfer the Z6 Black Edition, maybe the danger is to grow tired of this dark design: on a mid-terme point of view, maybe the classic version would be more reasonable... but what ? Reasonable? Who needs reason in a world of passion?

If you are not afraid of this strange mix of dark and bright colors, go to the Z6 Black Edition: the watch is so beautiful that it seems to have been designed to be created with this black atmosphere. If you think that these black cases are too "à la mode" and lack of the required  timeless ingredient, go to the classic Z6. This watch is exciting enough (the beauty of its caliber, the lay-out of the dial, the sound of the alarm)  to bring a lot of joy to its lucky owner.

But again... if you hesitate, go to the Black Edition, to the most radical version, you won't be disappointed !



The dial of the Black Edition. The two main hands are also black but Harry Winston kept the same color for the superluminova. You will also notice that the hammer is more visible:



The dial of the classic version:



The movement of the Black Edition with its two barrels:



The Geneva stripes of the classic version:



Two different watches on the wrist. The Black Edition is clearly very intriguing:



Don't get me wrong... the classic version may look unadventurous when we compare it with the Black Edition... it is absolutely not. The Z6 is a watch full of fantasy thanks to the great combo between the Ocean case and the multi-layers dial. And don't forget that the Zalium case has very specific shades of light...



And what about you? Which one is your fav version? The most daring one ? Or do you prefer the quieter originality of the classic Z6?

Fx