Harry Winston Premier Delicate Silk Automatic 36mm

The Premier Delicate Silk Automatic 36mm timepieces explore the origins of luxury and fuse together the ancient art of silk weaving and embossing, with a dash of noble inspiration from Europe’s royal houses.

Harry Winston’s constant exploration in the field of rare artistic crafts has resulted in the creation of two singular dials for the Premier Collection. An inimitable luxury product made from embossed raw silk, the Premier Delicate Silk Automatic 36mm models mark, for the first time, the artistic marriage of silk and the art of embossing.

Silk has always been considered the most precious natural fabric and was first developed in ancient China over 4,000 years ago. Originally reserved for Emperors, a growing demand for the luxurious textile led to the opening of the Silk Route, a vast network of trade routes connecting the East to the West.

Because of its rich historical symbolism and innate beauty, the House of Harry Winston decided to use silk as the backdrop for its new dial. Unlike anything done before in the history of silk production, Harry Winston designers embarked on a new project and used a novel technique that encourages the silkworm to weave its own fabric. The result is a delicate, small area of raw silk created without the interaction of human hands. This gift of raw silk, produced directly by nature, was then dyed to obtain four colors which form the background of the dial: an intense royal red, a silvery grey, a pure white and a delicate imperial pink hue.

Once the unique material was procured, the next step was to find an embossing workshop that would be willing to work with silk. Usually reserved for leather and paper, embossing is a technique that is used to create raised and recessed relief images on a surface. After countless trials, a master embosser was able to stamp the 18-karat or 22-karat gold design into the raw silk, giving the material a remarkable sense of volume and depth.

Since its debut in 1989, Harry Winston’s Premier Timepiece Collection has been the designated series to showcase various artistic forms. Instantly recognizable by the distinctive diamond-set lugs that attach the case to the bracelet and replicate the shape of the arched entrance to Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue Flagship Salon, the Premier Delicate Silk Automatic 36mm cases will be presented in 18-karat white and rose gold with 57 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel and lugs.

The floral motif embossed on the white and pink silk dials will be available in 36mm white and rose gold cases respectively, and will feature 12 diamond hour markers. The star-shaped motif embossed on the silvery grey and the royal red silk dials will also be presented in 36mm white and rose gold cases.

The Premier Delicate Silk Automatic 36mm is powered by a high-end Swiss automatic movement. Equipped with the latest technology – a flat silicon balance spring – the movement is designed to keep impeccable time that is on par with the regal beauty of the dial. True to all Harry Winston designs, this timepiece features a rose gold rotor and elegant finishes on the movement, including circular Côtes de Genève motifs, rhodium plating and circular graining that can be admired through the sapphire crystal caseback.

Presented on satin straps, the gold ardillon buckles are also set with 17 brilliant-cut diamonds. Each model is a limited edition of 30 pieces.

Technical details
Model: Harry Winston Premier Delicate Silk Automatic 36mm

References
18K Rose gold: PRNAHM36RR021
18K Rose gold: PRNAHM36RR022
18K White gold: PRNAHM36WW019
18K White gold: PRNAHM36WW020

Movement
Caliber HW2008
Type: Mechanical, automatic
Diameter: 26.2 mm
Height: 3.37 mm
Number of components: 186
Number of jewels: 28
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4Hz)
Balance spring: Flat silicon balance spring
Finishes: 18K rose gold openworked rotor, Circular Côtes de Genève, rhodium plating, circular graining
Power Reserve: 72 hours

Functions
Hours and minutes

Case
18K rose gold or 18K white gold
Diameter: 36.0 mm
Height: 8.47 mm
Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both sides
Case back: Open, sapphire crystal
Water-resistance: 3 bar
Gemsetting on the case: 57 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 2.32 carats)

Dial
PRNAHM36RR021: 18K rose gold case, pink silk with “flower” motif, 12 diamond indicators (0.16 carat)
PRNAHM36RR022: 18K rose gold case, red silk with “star” motif, 12 diamond indicators (0.16 carat)
PRNAHM36WW019: 18K white gold case, white silk with “flower” motif, 12 diamond indicators (0.16 carat)
PRNAHM36WW020: 18K white gold case, silver-colored silk with “star” motif, 12 diamond indicators (0.16 carat)

Strap
PRNAHM36RR021: Burgundy satin
PRNAHM36RR022: Black satin
PRNAHM36WW019: Black satin
PRNAHM36WW020: Black satin
Buckle: 18K rose gold or 18K white gold ardillon buckle set with 17 brilliant-cut diamonds

Total carat weight
86 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 2.63 carats)

Limited edition
30 for each version