Hands On The Harry Winston Avenue Dual Time Automatic

Perhaps the most singular design presented during Baselworld 2015, the Harry Winston Avenue Dual Time Automatic left us speechless, and quite perplexed when we first handled it.

While most brands present the Dual Time complication through a pair of subdials – recent examples include the A. Lange & Söhen Saxonia, the Vacheron Constantin Harmony Dual Time and the Montblanc Vasco da Gama Limited Edition 238, Harry Winston prefers the unorthodox route.

With a dial split down through the middle into two zones, indicating local and home time, it had us guessing no how to read it for a while. If at first, Harry Winston’s dual time looks like it was written in a foreign language, it’s surprisingly easy to read.

After all, the Dual Time a complication the brand is familiar with. In fact, it was the one it chose to represent during this year’s Only Watch 2015 charity auction with the Retrograde Only Watch.

So what’s the time on these pictures? We set the watch at the same time in both zones to show how hours and minutes are indicated. If you guessed 3:15 PM, congratulations! You’re spot on.

Here’s how it works: Local Time is indicated by a retrograde hours hand, in red, which moves gradually from 0 to 12 o’clock, before instantly returning to 0 to start over. Meanwhile, a more traditional, two-hand indication displays Home Time in an off-center position to the right-hand.

But how do you know its 3:15 PM and not 3:15M? We get that information via a day / night indication sitting just beneath Home Time, at 4 o’clock. Split in two semi-circles, the disc shows the sun during the day, but since it’s descending, we can conclude it is the end of the day.

While the aesthetic appeal of the dual time is obvious, Harry Winston has made sure it does not supersede functionally. In order to facilitate the use of the watch while travelling, both indications can be controlled via a single crown, while a date indication is clearly visible inside an aperture window at 6 o’clock.

Powering the unique off-center dual time indicators is Caliber HW3502, an in-house movement demonstrating the brand’s ability to combine powerful designs, with surprisingly user-friendly complications; qualities Harry Winston have built their reputation around with the Opus line – the Opus 14 beings the latest example.

While the dial side of the watch is beautifully complicated, the case-back is a shining example of simplicity. An open case reveals the stunning caliber and its 18K white gold rotor. Finishing includes Côtes de Genève, circular graining and chamfered bridges.

Measuring 53.8 mm by 35.8 mm, the Harry Winston Avenue Dual Time Automatic is made for bigger wrists. However, it’s surprisingly light and conformable, because of the case’s material.

Presented in Zalium, a new ultra-light and non-allergic material introduced in the Harry Winston Z9, it features shot-blasted edges with satin-finished surfaces give the case an edgy look. The watch comes with a matt black alligator leather strap, with a Zalium ardillon buckle.

Photo Credit: Haute Time. For more information, please visit the official Harry Winston website. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.