Out of all the luxury watch brands I know, I feel like Harry Winston comes in first a giving their women's watches odd names. They certainly aren't the weirdest names, but they just feel the most awkward. No better example that the "Talk To Me, Harry Winston" line of watches. This version being the Talk To Me, Harry Winston Snowflake. I can't tell if it is a question, a phrase, a term of endearment, or just someone who doesn't speak English making up watch names.

This new Talk To Me, Harry Winston watch takes the same case style and adds a diamonds-as-snowflakes dial. The dial is available in either a black or silver tone with 111 set diamonds in a falling snowflake display. The dial is rotatable, and the entire disc is moved via turning the disc that is accessible on the side of the watch case. A little thing, but something to play with nonetheless. The white gold case is 33mm wide and 40mm tall. The case itself is lovely in shape having strips of polished surface space to serve as the hour indicators, while the rest of the case is covered with 164 more diamonds. Then another 24 diamonds on to rotating ring, and still another 29 diamonds on the white gold buckle attached tot he black satin strap. Total diamond weight for the watch is 4.1 carats. The movement is Swiss quartz. Price is yet unknown, but in the ultra luxury range, of course.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

This watch almost slipped under my nose, but thanks so a helpful reader I was alerted to the timepiece. It just goes to show that watch makers still think wealthy people read museum catalogs. What? Like the rich have nothing better to do that wander around monolithic art depots all day? Well, maybe some do.

Specially made for the Guggenheim art museum is this Harry Winston Premier Collection Guggenheim Chronograph timepiece, for women. It is all about the bling. Nothing special about the Swiss quartz chronograph movement. You won't even use it anyway. The dial design is meant to replicate the view when standing in the Guggenheim and looking up at the atrium glass window - that here looks remarkably like an umbrella. The look is done with alternating diamonds and mother-of-pearl. A total of 2.65 carats of diamonds awaits your wrist. The rest of the watch is in white gold, and I am guess that it is not incredibly large in diameter. For the Frank Lloyd Wright and Harry Winston enthusiast who wants to pony up for the timepiece, maybe it is just what you need to lighten that dark winter coming up. You can also be assured that the iconic style of the watch tells people it is Harry Winston. Price is $46,000, but you lucky museum members out there get almost five grand off! Look closely at the Guggenheim online catalog and you can get some matching Harry Winston accessories.

See it here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Harry Winston continues to fill out its line of sport watches with another Ocean Diver, this time a chronograph. A logical layout and color scheme for the chronograph subdials makes sense matched up to the luxury of 18k rose or white gold. The watch also contains copious amounts of Zalium - a special Harry Winston only metal alloy made up of aluminum and zirconium. Realize that "Ocean" is a name applied to an entire line of Harry Winston watches, so calling this watch the "Ocean Diver" Chronograph is not just a silly obvious statement. Harry Winston will not be releasing a "pond" or "stream" diver. The case is an admirable 44mm wide with three dial colors that are slate, silver, or rose gold. A fine looking dive watch with a nice rubber strap and the name of a good luxury brand attached to it. Pricey at between $36,400 and $39,400 dollars.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The famous Hope Diamond which is in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History is getting reset to mark the 50th anniversary of its donation to the museum by jeweler Harry Winston. The 45.52 carat blue diamond will be reset by the House of Harry Winston in one of three possible modern settings. You can vote on your favorite at the Smithsonian website. The voting continues through September 7 and the diamond in its new setting will be revealed in conjunction with the world premiere of the Smithsonian Channel's documentary "Mystery of the Hope Diamond" in March 2010. The setting is only temporary. The diamond will be returned to its original setting by the end of 2010 which makes me wonder why they are doing it in the first place but I suppose that this is one piece of jewelry that need never be evaluated in terms of resale value.

[via LA Times]

This is the newest timepiece for women from watch and jewelry maker Harry Winston. While typically presenting aesthetically and mechanically impressive timepieces with complex mechanical movements, this Ocean Lady Moon Phase leans much more on just the good looking side of the fence as it has a quartz movement inside - as opposed to something mechanical. No worries though as most women who are lucky enough to enjoy wearing this watch won't mind. In addition to the time there is a larger-sized central moon phase display.

The 36mm wide case comes in either 18k white or rose gold, a typical offering, with each having a plate of mother of pearl on the dials as well as a large amount of diamonds for decoration. The case is set with 57 (2.1 carats) brilliant cut diamonds while another 195 (0.6 carats) diamonds reside on the dial of the watch. Lastly, you have another 33 (0.3) diamonds on the gold buckle attached rubber strap. Yes, rubber is an odd material for such a watch as it is formally dressed with a technical strap. Still it is an interesting look and I have no doubt that alternative straps are available for use during the right occasions. The watch is 100 meters water resistant, so the rubber strap might come in handy if you get curious to see how all the diamonds appear sparkling under water.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Here is another complex and beautiful limited edition watch from luxury watch and jewelry maker Harry Winston. The newest is this Ocean GMT Traveler watch that wants to excel at being the perfect two timezone watch. You have the main watch dial and another watch dial (on the left) that you can adjust to different timezone in one hour increments. A small window above the dial has the reference city that you can switch with the pusher at 10 o'clock. A simple to use and highly effective GMT traveler watch.

The watch is available in 18k rose or white gold in a 45mm wide case. There are versions with and without diamonds with a total of six limited edition variants of between 80 to 15 pieces per model (total of 200 for the line). The watch features an automatic tourbillon movement with the tourbillon cage serving as the seconds hand for the watch located at 6 o'clock. Detail rich, the Ocean GMT Traveler is a pure Harry Winston, combining style and function with a distinct emphasis on luxury that is easy to live with. The fitted strap is alligator and the dial enjoys Cotes de Geneve polishing that is something typically reserved for decoration on watch movements. Price will no doubt be in excess of $50,000 most likely, of course more for the diamond covered varieties.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Delicate and sophisticated is what I want to think about when I think of Harry Winston women's watches. This Avenue Traffic watch fits the bill and is based on the architecture of New York City - mostly the classic architecture that is. The long and narrow case is meant to allude to the many tall buildings of the great city while the dial is meant to remind you of looking down Fifth Avenue at night in conjunction with the 58 diamonds all over the dial to serve as the "sparking lights." The overall case has 97 diamonds, while the dial itself is mother of pearl. Total stone weight for the movement is 3.18 carats and the case is in white gold.

Inside the Harry Winston Avenue Traffic is a Swiss quartz movement. The style of the watch is elegant with a sense of industrial modernism in the quasi art deco charm that does have that city feel. While the small hands might be on the hard side to read, this is an almost pure jewelry watch that is meant to communicate the sophistication of the wearer as opposed to being a trusty timepiece, though it functions for that need when called upon to do so.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

There is something too decadent about a conveyor belt made out of diamonds, but this is the idea in Harry Winston's new Opus 9 watch. This is the second new luxury watch this year to feature a belt system, though the Christophe Claret DualTow does it a little bit differently. In the Opus 9, two chains of 33 baguette cut diamonds and one garnet, are pulled with the garnet used to indicate the hour and minute as it corresponds to the adjacent hour or minute meters. The system is incredibly simple looking, but of course highly complex inside the automatic mechanical movement.

The case is constructed out of 18k white gold and is a hefty 56mm tall by 48mm wide, and 20mm thick. The look is functional given the needs of the movement operation, but still classy. It will remind you of the look of the Cabestan winch-wound watch. As a limited edition of 100 pieces the Opus 9 is an interesting addition to the Harry Winston watch line. It makes clever use of diamonds, which is important to the brand which is first and foremost a jewelry maker. The strap is black alligator and looks handsome against the brushed and polished surfaces of the Opus 9's case. Look for it at select Harry Winston boutiques and dealers soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The last batch of Harry Winston watches I saw were complex technical marvels with highly unique designs suitable enough for magazine covers. Now the shock-watch luxury brand brings a more elegant lady's watch to the table with the "Talk To Me, Harry Winston" watch. It isn't obvious when you view the watch, but it has a little gimmick to it. Consider the fictional "king of diamonds" who for pleasure rolls loose diamonds in his hands and between his fingers. This concept is metaphorically transcended into the Talk To Me, Harry Winston watch via a roller on the side of the watch (that bears the title of the watch). This roller can be spun to reveal the entire title of the watch, as well as the 24 diamonds on the ring as is spins around the watch case - something to do with your hands when idle. According to the name of the timepiece, you may even speak to it, but don't expect it to talk back.

With an 18k white gold case bearing 290 applied diamonds, the glitzy sun-burst pattern makes for a striking, but simple woman's timepiece. There is also an even more 'diamondier" version of the watch with a full 340 diamonds on the case. Inside the watch is a Swiss quartz movement and the strap is satin. Look for a release at Baselworld soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Wasn't it just last year we heard about a Harry Winston boutique in Paris getting robbed? It's happened again and bigger this time. This time, as Bloomberg reports, armed robbers stole diamonds valued at 85 million euros ($108 million) from the Paris branch of jeweler Harry Winston. Four armed men entered the store shortly before closing time and took most of the jewels on display and forced the staff to give them diamonds from storage. No one was injured. This theft did have one quirky detail, at least two of the thieves wore wigs and women's clothing and addressed some of the store's staff by name. Investigators are chasing down all clues and trying to catch the thieves before the pieces slip into the black market and disappear.

Luxury jeweler Harry Winston has joined De Beers and others in bringing their wares online. This is the first time that Harry Winston jewelry has been available online. The Harry Winston online salon showcases diamond jewelry including rings, watches, bracelets and cufflinks. One of the most expensive is this stunning necklace from the Harry Winston sunflower collection. The center stone of each flower is surrounded by eight round brilliant diamonds set in platinum. It is approximately 25.8 carats and sells for $135,000.

[via Fashion Week Daily]

Although anybody can take gold and diamonds and make jewelry, some jewelers have the gift of putting precious metals and gems together to form truly beautiful and inspiring pieces of art. Much like in the art world every person has their own personal tastes and preferences when it comes to jewelry, but of the best jewelers in the world have you ever wondered who was the best of the best? The Luxury Institute in New York did, and so they recently interviewed 500 wealthy luxury consumers and asked them to rate 20 of the world's top jewelers in order to come up with a ranked list of the top 10.

Harry Winston came out as the #1 most prestigious jewelry brand.

Do you agree or disagree? See the rest of the top 10 and then let us know in the comments!

They say jewelry is a bad investment but it depends on what you buy. Calvin Klein, who bought jewels belonging to the Duchess of Windsor for Kelly Klein made quite a return on his investment. The collection of natural pearls the couple put up for sale brought in $4.82 million, far above the $3.1 million high estimate. I hope whoever bought it wears it, wearing pearls helps them keep their luster.

The jewels were part of the Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels auction in New York Tuesday in which 366 lots went for a total for $48.827 million. Other expensive pieces included a pair of Harry Winston diamond pendant-earrings that sold for $3.961 million and a pear-shaped 32.16 carat Harry Winston diamond ring which went for $3.289 million. The Jewels for the Jungle auction also did well bringing in a total of $1.181 million for the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Harry Winston is making some interesting moves in the diamond area. WWD reports on the fact that Aber Diamond Corp., the mining company that owns Harry Winston is officially being renamed to Harry Winston Diamond Corp. What makes this interesting to jewelry industry watchers is that the firm has a 40 percent interest in the Diavik Diamond Mine in Lac de Gras in Canada's Northwest Territories which produces 10 percent of the world's diamonds. Those diamonds are sold to Winston and other suppliers. Now that Aber is officially Harry Winston, every diamond that comes out of the mine becomes a Harry Winston diamond, tying those stones to one of the most recognizable names in the jewelry world. This is just another layer to the trend we recently mentioned in which branding the stone has become as important as branding the jewelry itself.

One interesting fact from the piece is that most of the diamonds that come from the Diavik mine are long and linear, so the company still has to outsource for round, pear and marquise-shape diamonds as well as other gemstones. Aber has also invested $2 billion in Canadian mining opportunities. Canada is the site of massive mining growth, not just for diamonds but for other gemstones such as rubies and sapphires.

Winston is also expanding their retail outlets into large 5,000 to 6,000-square-foot flagship stores, medium sized 2,000 to 2,500-square-foot stores and smaller 1,000-square-foot stores. All of them require deep pockets just to get in the door, the opening price point is set at close to $4,000 and of course, the sky is the limit. Check out the diamond-heavy wristwatch at right, it is a limited edition of 50 that cost $176,000 each. The company also uses only diamonds at the top end of the color grading scale, just diamonds graded, D, E and F (the scale starts at D for the whitest diamonds and goes all the way to Z).

The article also addresses briefly the huge robbery at Harry Winston Paris in October. So far no arrests have been made in the theft of over $28 million in diamonds.