The final edition of the illustrious Harry Winston collection known as Historie de Tourbillon was released in Geneva during the Time to Move event. This the 10th in the edition, and features a very innovative movement with four tourbillons in a rectangular case connected via three differentials. Here are the details with our high resolution photographs.
Harry Winston Historie de Tourbillon 10
For the first time, four distinct tourbillons are driven by a single movement train through three separate differentials. This piece was conceived by the Harry Winston team and realized through Complitime (Greubel Forsey), who were also involved in the earlier Historie de Tourbillon pieces.
The surface coloring of the HW4702 caliber rounds out the personality of the three versions of Histoire de Tourbillon 10. The unique Winstonium piece can be recognized by its two large blue tourbillon bridges, a color borrowed from the gearwheel bridges inside the case, while the rest of the platinum is completely rhodium-plated. The white gold model features rhodium-plated tourbillon bridges and a dark gray platinum. This shade is repeated on the back of the barrel bridge. Finally, the version with the rose gold case inverts its colors in the barrel bridges and features a rhodium-plated platinum.
The strap of each Histoire de Tourbillon echoes the various models. The Winstonium and white gold versions are mounted on alligator leather with large scales and topstitched with a 950 platinum thread. And, the pink gold version launches a new bracelet color: black with copper highlights enhanced by topstitching in rose gold thread. Elegant, sophisticated touches and a profound attention to the tiniest details allow for a series of truly unique timepieces.
Case, dial and hands
The case is a rectangular shaped case with a case middle in metal of choice, either RG, WG, or platinum. The bezel is chamfered, beveled and highly polished and punctuated by 2 notches on either side to break the monotony. The bezel is diminutive in size, and features a greater elevation at 6 and 12. Together with the notches, the raised bezel is a stylistic nod to the Harry Winston arches, a reference to the architecture of the entrance to the iconic Fifth Avenue Showroom.
The massive box crystal allows plenty of light into the dial to showcase the elements of the movement. The tourbillons in their cocks rise from the central column like wings, and strikes a very imposing and impressive stance. The rather massive 53.3 mm wide and 39.1 mm tall dimensions helps.
From the center is mounted a piece of sapphire glass which acts like the dial proper. Its shape is a ring which serves as the hour/minute sub-dial, with bar markers for the hours. The crystal extends upwards and downwards through a rectangular extension which carries the enlarged numerals 6 and 12 are engraved.
The hands are baton, which are partially skeletonized and the remainder coated with SuperLuminova. The bar markers and the huge 12 and 6 also feature SuperLuminova fillet inserts.
Movement: HW4702
The movement is impressive. Four tourbillons, beating on the four corners of the case, visible from the dial side. Each tourbillon rotates counterclockwise and makes one revolution every 36 seconds, further animating the action on the dial side.
From the case back, the movement looks like a strong lattice to support the quadruple barrels arranged as 2 x 2 coaxial barrels in a series with rapid rotation (1 rotation every 3.2 hours). Each barrel is fitted with a spring featuring a sliding brace to prevent over winding.
The movement is extremely complex with no less than 673 components. To ensure that the four tourbillons’ rates are equalized properly, three differential systems are used. The first is connected to the two tourbillons on the left, while the second is connected to those on the right side of the case. The third, which is large and located in a central position, does the job of averaging the two previous differentials and transmitting its information to the juxtaposed hands.
Movement finishing is excellent. The movement features a platinum finish with the bridges, including the tourbillon cocks made of titanium. The finishing style is not showy, as the four tourbillons do all the talking. But the finishing is competently executed with micro bead blasting. All edges of the bridges and cocks are hand anglaged with polished chamfers. The screws sit on countersunk openings and appear to be flush with the surface.
Concluding Thoughts
We intentionally omitted the Competitive Landscape section because this the world premiere of watch powered by four tourbillons unified by a set of three differentials. Even Greubel Forsey’s own Quadruple Tourbillon is not the same. Greubel Forsey’s Quadruple is not a literal use of the word quadruple, being made of two double tourbillons connected by one differential. Each double tourbillon is inclined against each other and rotate at a different rate. While the Harry Winston HdT 10 is literally four distinct tourbillons unified by the differential system.
There is no denying that this is a huge watch. On the wrist, it is surprisingly not bulky, as the large dimension is lengthwise from 3 to 9 instead of from 12 to 6. The watch is also very thick, and as the massive dimensions would suggest, has a huge wrist presence. As seen in the photograph above, it is not overly large on the author’s 7.5″ wrists, and can even slip under the cuffs of his bespoke shirt.
As the last in the series of illustrious tourbillon watches, No 10 is certainly one which will remain a prominent member of the entire collection. We have reviewed several HdT watches, and have always come away impressed. From the Historie de Tourbillon No 1 to No 7 and No 8 and No 9. They are all impressive, both in the massive size and wrist presence, but also as each offers a very special peek into the world of the technical tourbillon, each stretching the limits of technical virtuosity.
Histoire de Tourbillon 10 Technical specifications
Name Histoire de Tourbillon
10 References 18K white gold: HCOMQT53WW001
18K rose gold: HCOMQT53RR001
Winstonium: HCOMQT53PP001
Movement Caliber HW4702 Type Mechanical, manual winding
Movement dimensions Dimensions: 45.0 mm x 32.0 mm Thickness: 12.85 mm (on the tourbillon bridge) Number of components 673, including 78 per tourbillon Number of jewels 95 Tourbillons 4 tourbillons that rotate counterclockwise in 36 seconds Barrels 2 x 2 coaxial barrels in a series with rapid rotation (1 rotation every 3.2 hours), barrel fitted with a spring featuring a sliding brace Power reserve 55 hours Frequency 21 600 vibrations/hour (3 Hz) Balance springs Phillips terminal curve and Geneva-style stud Balance wheels Variable-inertia with gold adjusting screws Finishes Platinum, bridges and tourbillon bridges made of titanium, microbead blasting, anglage and handpolished chamfers Functions Hours and minutes, power reserve Case 18K white gold, 18K rose gold or Winstonium
Case dimensions Dimensions: 53.3 mm x 39.1 mm Height: 17.60 mm Crystal Domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both sides Case back Open, sapphire crystal Water resistance 3 bar (30 meters) Dial Skeletonized sapphire dial Bracelet HCOMQT53WW001: Black alligator leather with stitching in platinum 950 thread HCOMQT53RR001: Black alligator leather with copper highlights and stitching in 18K rose gold thread HCOMQT53PP001: Black alligator leather with stitching in platinum 950 thread
