Moving ahead with time

David Gouten, vice president of Harry Winston, talks about the success of the Opus X concept watch

For Harry Winston vice president, David Gouten, the man in charge of the leading American jewellery brandâ??s timepiece subsidiary, this is the most exciting time of year. In Bangkok recently to launch the brandâ??s latest and extremely complicated fine concept timepiece Opus X, from the famed 10-year-old Opus series, Gouten was glad, though not surprised, that the two Opus X watches allocated for the Thai market had been snapped up even before the timepiece had been launched.

So despite having a lot to say about the latest Opus modelâ??s warm reception here Thailand, Gouten, 43, wanted to explain what Opus is all about to ensure his potential clients donâ??t confuse the Opus with other high-end watch brands.

â??Opus X like its previous predecessors in the Opus collection, is a concept watch. Itâ??s not a collection. Itâ??s a prototype, an adventure, a platform for innovative watchmaking because we create innovative watches that tell the time in an innovative way.

â??You donâ??t wear an Opus for social status. You wear Opus because you are proud of yourself and the watchâ??s innovative timekeeping. Nobody in the industry will recognise what you wear. Only the expert can tell what it is. Itâ??s not a symbol of anything. Itâ??s the watch that appeals to watch enthusiasts not collectors,â? he says with a smile.

With only 10 years in business, the Opus collection has earned quite high recognition from serious watch lovers, with its emphasis on making rare, exclusive, innovative, high quality timepieces, Gouten points out.

The technical Opus series seeks to push the boundary of haute-horology, placing design and imagination at the forefront of the Harry Winston brandâ??s hallmark, explains the vice president. The Opus timepieces combine high quality and craftsmanship of a true American luxury brand with the time-honoured traditions of fine Swiss watch making.

The latest limited edition Opus X model, created in collaboration with designer/engineer Jean-Francois Mojon, features an innovative movement mechanism. The entire time display is mounted on a rotating platform, in which the orientation of the dials remains intact..

â??The making of the Opus X was not a one-man show. It reflects a team spirit. While the Opus IX was dreamed up from the design point of view, the Opus X took off from the technical side,â? he says.

The team spirit is present in every Opus model, he stresses, as everyone has a say in every brainstorming session.

The Opus series has come along through the brandâ??s long-term partnership and friendship with famed designers and watchmakers that date back more than a decade.

Opus I came onto the scene a decade ago, which was a big challenge for Gouten and his team because he had no idea of what to expect as far as the marketâ??s feedback was concerned.

â??It was not easy at all as weâ??d been considered as the king of jewellery, not as a watchmaker. But weâ??ve proven that we can make exceptional technical watches that are daring and innovative. It was quite a make-or-break decision to do the Opus. But the effort has paid off finally as Harry Winston has won credibility as a watchmaker too in just a short time,â? he observes,.

Gouten is hoping to keep the Opus series moving ahead with more models. He likes to take a small step at a time, he says, reflecting his personal philosophy about the relation between time and life.

While he prefers highly functional and elegant timepieces with a dual time feature, Gouten believes time is important, but not crucial. â??While time is my work, if I were clever and everybody was clever, time would not be important. If we care about life we should not care about time too much.â?