A celestial blue moon from Arnold & Son
Arnold & Son continues to explore the theme of moon phases with its latest Perpetual Moon 41.5 Platinum “celestial blue” that in a platinum case measuring 41.5 mm in diameter and 11.30 mm thick, presents the largest of all moons
This edition showcases the latest characteristics of the Perpetual Moon collection, substantially redesigned to achieve greater refinement and subtlety. 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 in towards the dial, its finishes, its immense moon, and its dominant pale-blue shade.
The dial is adorned with the “Stellar Rays” finish. Its aesthetic is obtained through skillfully irregular engraving that 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.
The constellations have been chosen as a reference to John Arnold’s history as a maker of naval chronometers. The Big Dipper and Cassiopeia have been used as points of reference since time immemorial. Midway between these easily identifiable constellations is the North Star.
On the case back, a secondary indicator allows the moon phase to be adjusted quickly and precisely. The hand-wound calibre that powers it, reference A&S1512, is capable of tracking the development of its segments with exceptional precision. The duration of a complete lunar cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. Arnold & Son has succeeded in representing it in such a way that it would take 122 years for this movement, if regularly wound, to accumulate a day’s difference between its display and celestial reality. Like all Arnold & Son movements, the A&S1512 calibre has been entirely created in-house and features two barrels and an oscillating frequency of 3 Hz, providing a power reserve of 90 hours.
