{"id":7512,"date":"2015-12-09T23:29:42","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T04:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/harry-winston-glitz-glam-and-gorgeous-rocks\/"},"modified":"2015-12-09T23:29:42","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T04:29:42","slug":"harry-winston-glitz-glam-and-gorgeous-rocks","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/harry-winston-glitz-glam-and-gorgeous-rocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Winston: \u201cGlitz, Glam, and Gorgeous Rocks\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Business Model<\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded in New York City in 1932, Harry Winston represents the best in fine jewelry and high end watch making, setting the standard for all brands within the luxury segment. With his innovative design philosophy focused on allowing stones to dictate settings as opposed to the metal, Mr. Harry Winston, the founder, transformed fine jewelry design, establishing the foundation of the timeless aesthetic of today\u2019s Harry Winston creations. To this day, the company remains focused on delivering creativity, rarity, and quality with each of its products and throughout its retail experience.<\/p>\n

Operating Model<\/strong><\/p>\n

The company\u2019s operating model maps to its two businesses: fine jewelry and high-end watch making.<\/p>\n

Fine Jewelry<\/em><\/p>\n

Maintaining the high quality, requires a focus on the development of new products and investment in diamond and gemstone acquisition. Winston was known as the \u201cKing of Diamonds,\u201d building a collection of the world\u2019s most famous diamonds and rare gemstones including the Hope Diamond, the Star of the East, the Portuguese Diamond to the Indore Pears, and his first major rough diamond, the 726 carat Jonker. By the early 1950s, his collection was the second largest and most important in the world. The signature style focused on allowing the diamond to guide each design. To accommodate the focus on the diamond, clustering, their signature production technique, was developed, where different cuts of diamonds were set together at varying angles to create highly dimensional pieces capturing light from all directions. This method created the unparalleled sparkle associated with Harry Winston jewelry.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

The entire production process was designed to ensure adherence to their three pillars of creativity, rarity, and quality. Vertical integration guaranteed access to a reliable supply of materials with steady pricing and ethical sourcing. Harry Winston was formerly owned by the Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, now Dominion Diamond Corporation, the operator of Canadian diamond mines and part owner of the Ekati and Diavek mines. A continued partnership was established in January 2013 at the time of the acquisition by the Swatch group, maintaining this access.<\/p>\n

Diamonds were selected using the Four Cs: carat weight, clarity, color, and cut. The precise cut determined the final size, shape, and facets of the diamond and was undertaken to enhance overall beauty. Designers and master craftsman were responsible for the entire production process from gemstone sourcing, working with gemologists, to the initial sketch to finally setting creation. The process took place in the upper floors of the flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Once a diamond was sourced, the designer created a sketch of the setting for each stone, providing details to the craftsman who then produced the piece. Items were produced in extremely small batches depending upon the number of diamonds yielded from rough stones with no piece exactly the same. Only platinum settings are used to maintain the focus on the diamond itself. An extensive quality control process ensured that each detail of the piece was reviewed before the jewel left the workshop.<\/p>\n

Continued investment was made in human capital to ensure that all involved in production possessed both an understanding of the material and technical aspects but also the creativity and vision to realize the brilliance of each stone. By combining superior materials, craftsmanship and innovation with experience and tradition, Harry Winston was able to create handcrafted, impeccable jewels attracting a high net worth clientele that includes Hollywood and royalty.<\/p>\n

High End Watch Making<\/em><\/p>\n

Harry Winston Timepieces were unveiled in 1989, with the application of their innovative approach to fine jewelry design to the tradition and art of fine watch making. Continuing the focus on quality, Harry Winston created ZaliumTM<\/sup>, a lighter, harder titanium that was rust resistant, following the history of requiring better materials to create exceptional products. The timepieces echoed the manufacturers own aesthetic and were identifiable. Unlike, fine jewelry which was produced in New York, the watches were made in Geneva, Switzerland in a factory operating at 40% capacity. The focus on rarity was essential to the business and the desire to maintain luxury.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Alignment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, Harry Winston\u2019s operations are designed to produce high quality, one of a kind pieces and are focused on allowing for creativity, rarity, and quality which is central to the preeminence of the brand. Historically, the company has been focused on limited production to maintain the placement of its product in the fine\/high end or \u201cart\u201d category. The Swatch acquisition, has resulted in a desire to expand the international footprint and improve the ~5.7% 2012 profit margin to ~25% by 2018, mainly by focusing on the watch making business given Swatch\u2019s expertise in this area. Despite Harry Winston\u2019s original designs and well-respected place in the industry, the low production volume has hindered significant growth within watches. With the economies of scale due to the group-wide sourcing and the ability to utilize the excess factory capacity across all Swatch brands, there is room for improvement. Additionally, the retail distribution network has been extended to five new locations with renovations of existing salons. The deal represents a tremendous opportunity for growth, but attention must remain on maintaining Harry Winston\u2019s reputation for creating exceptional fine jewelry and timepiece collections with the focus on craftsmanship and design which have defined and will continue to define the brand.<\/p>\n

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