Already the owner of mines in Canada (on lake Gras, in the North-Western Territories), the “King of Diamonds” is now completing its verticalisation in Geneva by a “mine” of mechanical gems, located in Plan-les-Ouates and surrounded by other major watch brands. The similarities between this new Manufacture and the monumental Harry Winston booth at Baselworld are due to the work of the architect who designed both: Frédéric Legendre. Many features of the building are also reminiscent of a Harry Winston watch, beginning with the architectural glass details reflecting the company’s natural attraction to precious stones. The two wings (one for production and the other for administration) are linked by bridges and areas shared by various professions. The other distinctive characteristic of the Manufacture Harry Winston is not visible, since it relates to its succession of top executives, between the moment when the project was launched (by Max Büsser, the father of the Opus concept); its construction phase under Hamdi Chatti (now in New York), and its move into the new premises last November, supervised by the current Harry Winston CEO Thomas O’Neill. While Hamdi Chatti evoked the possibility of “raising the added value of our products and the reaction times of our teams”, Thomas O’Neill preferred to insist on increasing production capacities. In his interview published in the October 2006 issue of GMT, Hamdi Chatti quite rightly stated that “the internal layout will feature significant flexibility, since Harry Winston is very much on the move and we need to be able to adjust rapidly.” Also engaged in a reconstruction process, will the Geneva-based management prove as solid as its new Manufacture?

The internal layout will feature significant flexibility, because Harry Winston is very much on the move and we need to be able to adjust rapidly.