The aptly-named new edition continues the jewelry house’s pioneering spirit.

In keeping with its inventive sense of design and constant exploration into new ideas at once aesthetic and functional, the House of Harry Winston has rewritten history, so to speak, with its Histoire de Tourbillon 2, which the company unveiled at Baselworld, the recent, annual international watch and jewelry show in Basel, Switzerland.

This highly unusual and striking timepiece actually represents a second edition of Winston’s original Histoire de Tourbillon series launched in 2009—itself a groundbreaking watch that likewise artfully combined both technical sophistication and pioneering innovation in design. Powered by an exclusive mechanical hand-wound movement, the Histoire de Tourbillon 2 retains the sci-fi appeal and design sensibility originally developed by Maximilian Büsser, Winston’s watch-making wunderkind often credited as the man most responsible for the esteemed jewelry house’s virtual overnight success in the realm of complicated horological achievements through his celebrated Opus series.

Though limited to just 20 pieces, the new 18-karat white gold Histoire de Tourbillon 2 is already being viewed as Winston’s latest signature-style timepiece given its bi-axial flying tourbillon with running seconds at 9 o’clock, the hours with day to night indication at 2 o’clock and the minutes at 6 o’clock and displays isolated in independent subdials with their own partitioned fields of expression set at varying levels.

Further innovations abound, including the two concentric carriages on the tourbillon that increase precision by enabling the regulating organ to perform multidimensional rotations. Visually striking, the outer titanium carriage completes one full turn in 120 seconds and houses an internal carriage that revolves in just 40 seconds and maintains the balance, balance-spring and escapement.

The subdials are underscored by a beveled inner bezel ring, and swept over with orange-accented hands that stand out against the backdrop of an opaline black dial. Readability is also enhanced by day to night indications, which distinguish night and day by color: orange for day and blue for night. The decidedly masculine appeal of the Histoire de Toubillon 2 is reflected in two additional dial apertures set in a straight-line guilloché motif adding a finishing touch to the watch’s aesthetic appeal.

Apart from the complexity of the inner mechanism, few would argue that Büsser’s design is pretty intense and innovative not just in design, but pure aesthetics. The Histoire de Tourbillon 2 features a hand-crafted, handsome circular-grained, polished and shotpeened finish, highlighting the timepiece’s many components in “an extraordinary contrast between light and dark shades.” In addition, the watch features eight sapphire crystals. Three of the five on the dial side provide time indications, and the House of Harry Winston describes another three on the case back as “windows to a futuristic world in which technology forges the passing of time.”

The oversize 48.5mm case of the Histoire de Tourbillon 2 has a power reserve of up to 50 hours, features a matte black alligator strap and is water resistant up to 30 meters. Price available upon request.

Harry Winston, 212.245.2000, www.harrywinston.com