We feature four new novelty timepieces from Arnold & Son, each one an exceptional timepiece in its own right. Exquisite detailing on the dial and superbly finished movements, the hallmarks of the house, are taken to new heights with these 2023 releases. From the “Celestial Blue” dial of the Perpetual Moon to the black and gold of the “Year of the Rabbit” Perpetual Moon models, the spellbinding green of the Double Tourbillon Jade – a grand complication piece – or the calmness of the silver-toned opaline dial that sets the background for the Ultrathin Tourbillon, these watches are some of the finest examples in watchmaking.
Perpetual Moon 41.5 Platinum “Celestial Blue”
This A&S classic has been substantially redesigned for a more refined aesthetic. The lugs have been simplified and refined. Instead of their original cross shape, they now present a tauter form of plunging bars with bevelled ends. They form a single piece with the case middle, in terms of both their construction and appearance. After remaining at 42 mm for a long time, the case has been slightly reduced to 41.5 mm without altering the dial opening, giving a slimmer bezel instead. As a result, the eye is drawn, more than ever, towards the watch face.
The dial is adorned with the “Stellar Rays” finish. Its aesthetic is obtained through irregular engraving. Various depths and widths of rays are successively combined to create a specific rhythm. Their sequence produces a fluctuating play of light, which is accentuated by the depth created by several layers of transparent lacquer.
The large white mother-of-pearl moon is realistically rendered with hand-painted shadows and coated with Super-LumiNova. It is placed on a grained sky featuring a midnight-blue PVD treatment. Following the tradition of the Perpetual Moon collection, it is surrounded by the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia constellations, which are also hand-painted and coated with luminescent material.
On the case back, a secondary indicator allows the moon phase to be adjusted quickly and precisely. The watch is powered by the hand-wound in-house A&S1512 calibre. It would take 122 years for this movement, if regularly wound, to accumulate a day’s difference between its display and celestial reality. The calibre features two barrels and an oscillating frequency of 3 Hz, providing a power reserve of 90 hours.
Perpetual Moon “Year of the Rabbit”
As a continuation of A&S’s celebration of the traditional Chinese calendar, the brand released an eight-piece limited edition of its Perpetual Moon. It features a sculpted golden rabbit – symbolising longevity, peace and prosperity – set against a backdrop of black aventurine, and posing next to a pagoda surrounded by waterfalls.
As with the Celestial Blue, the large moon on this watch is crafted from mother-of-pearl with painted elements in relief, and enhanced with Super-LumiNova. The dial’s aquatic elements as well as the pagoda’s windows are also hand-painted with luminescent material. In the background, the disc bearing the star is made from deep black aventurine glass.
The rabbit is the dial’s key element. Sculpted in three dimensions, it is crafted from 18-carat rose gold. Its expression, its pose and the details of its fur are hand-engraved and -burnished to add depth and nuance. This painstaking work is worthy of the exceptional attention A&S has always paid to its limited-series timepieces, especially those created in tribute to the Chinese Zodiac.
The same holds true for the dial. On a disc of black aventurine glass dotted with glittering inclusions, the foliage and pagoda decorations are hand-painted with gold powder. To complete this narrative tableau, the watch is mounted on a glistening black alligator leather strap with visible platinum stitching. It is lined with red alligator leather in a nod to the lucky colour of Chinese symbolism.
Ultrathin Tourbillon Gold
The uncluttered expanse of this watch’s silver-toned opaline dial features two apertures. One houses the hours dial and the other elegantly displays one of the slimmest tourbillons in the world, housed in an 8.3 mm-thick case. With a bassiné design, the slim 5N red gold case encircles the dial. A fine metal band of the same golden colour surrounds the hours dial and the tourbillon aperture. These repeating round lines are established according to a gentle yet rigorous geometry, creating a symmetry that enables the tourbillon carriage to stand out all the more clearly.
At the heart of the watch beats the A&S8300 calibre, which – at only 2.97 mm thick – is one of the slimmest ever designed. The highest point of the calibre is at the top of its redesigned tourbillon carriage, which echoes the leading role John Arnold played in marine exploration during the 18th century. Its triangular shape evokes a sextant, while its double-arrow counterpoise represents an anchor. The point in the middle serves as a seconds marker, as the carriage completes a full rotation in one minute. The variable-inertia balance ensures more stable calibration over time.
In the background of the tourbillon, its bridge appears in the mainplate aperture, hand-engraved with a design inspired by the engravings found on John Arnold’s pocket watches. Crafted in 3N yellow gold, it blends with the gear train while creating an aesthetic contrast with the rest of the calibre. Modifications to the tourbillon carriage and regulating organ have increased the power reserve of the A&S8300 calibre, which now lasts 100 hours. This is a high power reserve compared to classic tourbillons, particularly slim ones.
Double Tourbillon Jade
Arnold & Son’s watchmaking has now climbed up a notch with the two new unique versions of its Double Tourbillon model. Both one-off watches feature a green jade dial punctuated by two opal sub-dials in immaculate white. The jade, sourced from Wyoming, is a bright green nephrite known as Apple Green, which is slightly veined with black. This brings greater depth and contrast, making it more precious.
The dial plate has been cut in the shape of a clover. This allows the sub-dial and the tourbillon to emerge to their full height, but complicates the stone-cutting and engraving processes. One case is red gold while the other is white gold. Both have a diameter of 43.5 mm and a domed sapphire crystal. The two tourbillons are attached to a three-dimensional, skeletonized, cantilevered bridge, and are made in the same gold as the case.
For the double time zone, instead of the classic central hour hand that indicates the second time zone, A&S has chosen to give each time zone its own regulating organ. As a result, the Double Tourbillon Jade can, therefore, follow time zones offset by 15, 30 or 45 minutes.
The A&S8513 calibre is, therefore, equipped with two barrels and two crowns that control the two time zones. At midday, the local time is visible in Roman numerals. At six o’clock, Arabic numerals indicate the time of a second place. The structure of the movement can be seen through the case back.
The finishes include the radiant Côtes de Genève, the circular-graining on the main plate, double snailing of the barrels, sunray decoration on the crown wheels, and polish on the gold bezels held in place by blued screws, to mention a few.
