Golden tigers and ultrathin tourbillons from Arnold & Son
Arnold & Son is a Swiss watchmaking brand that draws on the heritage of the English master watchmaker John Arnold (~1736 – 1799), whose name it shares. Over the years, Arnold & Son has earned a reputation for creating timepieces that are stunning not only visually but horologically. This year too, the manufacture has lived up to its reputation with its offerings of an Ultrathin Tourbillon and its Chinese New Year Perpetual Moon
Ultrathin Tourbillon Gold
The ultrathin tourbillon by Arnold & Son is offered in two new designs, featuring a new dial with tinted gold and aluminium sparkles to match their precious cases, which have also been redesigned. In 5N red gold or 950 platinum, the cases are just 8.3 mm thick beneath their domed sapphire crystals. The offset display and the tourbillon aperture echo the way in which information was arranged on John Arnold’s marine chronometers. After reworking the structure and appearance of the rotating regulating organ, the power reserve now lasts at least 100 hours – outstanding for an ultrathin tourbillon.
The 41.5 mm cases have been redesigned, making them even slimmer and refined. The bezels have been reduced to a fine metal band, the sapphire crystals are domed, and the transparent case backs have been screwed down. A new manufacturing technique ‘Cosmic Grené’ has been used on the dials. Gold powder mixed with aluminium sparkles has been placed on the dial plate to create a lightly sandblasted surface. This is then coloured: blue for the Ultrathin Tourbillon in red gold, and green for the platinum version, giving a subtle and finely textured look, with a discreet lustre. At the heart of the Ultrathin Tourbillon lies the A&S8300 calibre – just 2.97 mm thick with extremely refined finishes – one of the slimmest ever designed. The triangular shape of the tourbillon 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.
“Year of the Tiger” Perpetual Moon – Golden Water Tiger
Arnold & Son has fashioned an expressive Perpetual Moon with a golden tiger, roaring and alert. In the background, a waterfall symbolically tempers this feline’s ferocious energy. On the dial, in a wide window, a turning disc reveals the waxing and waning of a large moon – crafted from mother-of-pearl, enhanced with Super-LumiNova, with a painted relief. In daylight it is grey, almost white. In the dark it lights up, brimming with gleaming detail. This is complemented by all the aquatic details on the dial, also hand-painted with luminous pigments. The sky, in the background, is of a deep black aventurine glass.
The centrepiece of this dial is the tiger. A three-dimensional sculpture, it is crafted from 18-kt rose gold, with Its details hand-engraved and -burnished. This meticulous, high-calibre work is a testimony to Arnold & Son’s exceptional attention to detail in their limited editions paying tribute to the Chinese zodiac. A decoration depicting bamboo is painted in gold powder on the hematite disc with glittering inclusions. This dazzling watch is completed by a glistening black alligator strap backed with red alligator leather and stitched with platinum thread. The A&S1512 calibre – entirely developed and created in-house – is based on two barrels with an oscillation frequency of 3 Hz, giving a 90-hour power reserve. The moon-phase display of this movement will remain accurate for 122 years before deviating by one day.
