Arnold & Son has always liked pushing boundaries and, in a surprise move, unveiled the prototype for a new watch with an amber dial at Dubai Watch Week. The marque has also been exploring other new territories as its latest releases target the ladies. “Day & Night” magazine sits down with Bertrand Savary, CEO of Arnold & Son, to discuss the brand’s oeuvre and new directions
Q: How has 2023 been for Arnold & Son?
A: 2023 has been a very good year for us. We are growing, but the supply chain is the most difficult part for us – I mean, sourcing all the components at the right time has been problematic. But if we’re speaking about the market, the Middle East is still one of our biggest markets and still growing; US and Southeast Asia are also performing very well.
Q: Do you think the issue of the supply chain is going to get better anytime soon as a lot of brands are facing the same problem?
A: In a way, we are lucky because we have our own movement Manufacture, so that is not an issue. As for the supply chain, the issue is that the big groups are putting pressure on the suppliers requesting for priority delivery, but I think 2024 is going to be more relaxed as these issues smooth out.
Q: The Luna Magna line debuted very recently, but became iconic very quickly; are you surprised by its success?
A: No, I am not surprised because you cannot compare the Luna Magna to any other piece in the watch industry. I think that we are the only watch brand offering a perpetual moon in three dimensions, and the beauty is that we are able to use distinctively different materials every time and we are producing limited editions. We are not putting too many watches on the market, which is good for the clients and helps maintain the value of the watches.
Q: Arnold & Son is mainly known as a men’s brand, but your Perpetual Moon 38 is for the ladies; how has the feedback been for that?
A: Yes, we were initially mostly offering watches for men, but we have tried to change that in the past three years and the feedback on the Perpetual Moon 38 has been amazing. One of the reasons they have been so successful is that they are completely different. The Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I, for instance, has a different character and DNA from the Perpetual Moon 38 Mintnight. We have a lady, Dominique Rytz Renaud, Senior Product Manager – Watches, and she is in charge of the ladies’ watches, and I think it makes a difference because she is bringing a touch of femininity – something that is missing when a man is creating a ladies’ watch.
Q: As Arnold & Son is better known for men’s watches, does selling ladies’ watches present a problem?
A: Not at all; we completely sold out the Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I and the Mintnight is almost sold out too. We do not have any noticeable issues when we are selling ladies’ pieces.
Q: How important is the Métiers d’Arts line for Arnold & Son as you are very active in that?
A: It is very important; we are good, especially in the field of bespoke pieces as we are able to create some bespoke pieces in less than six months. There is increased demand because people have realised that we are a very good value proposition, in regard to the Métiers d’Arts.
Q: The moon features extensively in the Arnold & Son collection; why is that?
A: Because the moon is closely related to the history of the brand and John Arnold. We have 3 pillars of the brand – Astronomy, Chronometry and Travel. They are all related to John Arnold’s history and the moon, of course, was very important at the time of John Arnold. We pay tribute to John Arnold’s history and that is the main reason that the moon plays an important role in our collection. And, of course, the Perpetual Moon and the Luna Magna lines are very important for the brand.
Q: The Globetrotter Watch has been updated in a new release; can you tell us what are the changes and why?
A: This is a tricky question because we are planning to come out with a new edition of the Globetrotter at Geneva Watch Days 2024. It is going to be of a smaller diameter, and we have completely revamped the design. I cannot tell you more than that now.
Q: Many of the Arnold and Son’s watches originally had bigger case sizes, and most of these watches have been redesigned and re-released on a smaller case; why is that?
A: I think the trend of big-diameter watches stopped years ago and so we decided to work on the collection and slowly reduce the size and create watches that are wearable in all regions. For us, it is also important that our watches are not only for big wrists and to make them more of daily-wear timepieces. The 45-46mm watches that came out 15 or 20 years ago were too big, in my opinion, and people with small wrists cannot wear them.
Q: Can you tell us about your latest collaboration with Jasem Al Zeraei of @patekaholic, the watch and how the project started?
A: The project began because he got this idea of using amber as the dial of a watch, as it is something very important for the region. So, we purchased some blocks of amber almost one year ago and we conducted a lot of tests on it because it is not easy to precisely cut and slice amber as it cracks very easily. We were, finally, able to get good results. What we have now is just a prototype, but we are very satisfied with the product. Firstly, it is something unique as each piece of amber is different and it will also age with the client, so each person is going to have a different dial and each watch will be totally unique. We have already patented this, so we will be the only brand in the world being able to use amber in the dial.
Q: You had already previewed the watch in Jewellery Arabia 2023 exhibition in Bahrain and at Dubai Watch Week; How has the feedback been from watch collectors for the prototype?
A: The feedback has been really amazing; we were showing the watch to potential clients every five minutes. That piece is good for the brand, and it resonates a lot in the region; we are on point with this product. I think it is the perfect product for the Middle East and China certainly because amber is much loved in China too.
