With its new limited-edition Ocean Zalium, Harry Winston has once again proven its reputation of the major player on the seriously overcrowded “ultra-luxury” market.
Their recently introduced Ocean Zalium limited edition came right before the winter holidays and there is a good chance that the main bulk of the 50 pieces lot has already been sold out or booked. Still, you may want to call an authorized dealer near you and ask for a quote. It is worth the effort if you want to make a truly great present for your loved one for the upcoming St. Valentine’s Day 2011.
As you can see on the photos, the limited edition features Harry Winston’s signature dial layout with an off-centered hour circle at 12 o’clock, which is accompanied by a subsidiary seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock and a moon-phase indicator between the 7 and 8 o’clock.
The whole layout is slightly off-balanced towards the left side of the dial, so Harry Winston’s designers made a successful attempt to visually compensate for this bias with a “Harry Winston” logo engraved on a massive stainless steel plaque and a pair of crown guards that have a certain gargantuan quality about them.
The crown guards, the polished bezel and the lugs are set with perfectly matched diamonds that make this sporty watch look especially light-weight. Perhaps, the diamonds look so bright thanks to the use of an aluminum-zirconium alloy, which widely used in the aerospace business and is called Zalium. Sporting a “lustrous” gunmetal finish, the polished alloy serves as a perfect background for the precious stones.
The Ocean Zalium Ladies is issued in a compact 36 mm round case and will look just fine on any wrist. Especially, if matched by other Harry Winston jewelry. Yes, that’s probably a hint.
Although the name of the model sort of implies increased resistance to water (I mean, they must have called the collection ‘Ocean’ for a reason, right?) the ability of the piece to hold its own against most non-aggressive liquids is not particularly impressive. Still, with its official WR rating of 100 meters (10 BAR) the case guarantees that you won’t ruin it in case of an unplanned submersion to, at least, a standard pool depths (I can’t imagine someone bomb-diving into a pool wearing one of these beauties even during a particularly wild pool party,) which is certainly a relief knowing the timekeeper’s minimum recommended price of whole CHF 34,000.
As far as the caliber goes, the jewelry brand doesn’t specify its origins in its press release, but it may be safe to assume that the mechanism was supplied by Girard-Perregaux: after all, they used a GP caliber for their ultra-luxury 2008 Premier Excenter Perpetual Calendar Platinum.
See also: Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 4897 R ladies
WWR Verdict
Originality 5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Overall Legibility: 4.5/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Photos: Harry Winston
Harry Winston Ocean Zalium specification
Price: CHF 34,000 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, 28,800 vph, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, moon-phase
Power reserve: 42 hours
Case: Zalium
Shape: Round
Size: 36.00 mm
Dial: Silvered
Numerals: Arabic
Hands: Orange Superluminova, luminous
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: White rubber strap
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Sapphire