Arnold & Son unveils new edition of the Golden Wheel
Masterfully reinterpreting history with a visionary eye, Arnold & Son unveils a new version of the world’s first wandering hours and true beat seconds watch
With a rich British watchmaking heritage that dates back to the 18th century, the Arnold & Son brand regularly unveils complicated watches with a unique twist. The patented Golden Wheel deftly reflects the brand’s ingenuity and commitment to haute horlogerie.
The Golden Wheel combines the first-ever wandering hours function with the true beat seconds complication. It is part of the Instrument Collection, which pays tribute to the timepieces focused on chronometry that were developed by John Arnold during the second half of his life and with his son Roger.
The timepiece is a unique three-dimensional interpretation of the ancient wandering hours complication that has roots in the table clocks of the mid-17th century. In fact, the first implementation of the wandering hours complication in pocket watches was most likely made in England at the beginning of the 18th century.
Arnold & Son crafts the central time-carrousel in solid 18-karat red gold, thereby giving the masterpiece its name: the Golden Wheel. The mother-of-pearl arc displays the current hour, as the sapphire disks with the black hour numerals float over the contrasting white arc. Black arrows on the hour disks now point to the minutes dial-frame located above the hours arc. Finally, the true beat seconds indication is displayed via large dots on the outer ring and read via the central golden hand. The dial plate is now black ADLC, treated with Côtes de Genève finishing.
The wandering hours function, also known as a jumping digital hours indication, occupies the top arc of the watch dial (from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock). Beneath it, Arnold & Son fills the time-carrousel of the Golden Wheel with a true beat seconds hand from the central axis – adding visual complexity and elegant motion. The true beat seconds (sometimes referred to as dead beat seconds) is a specialty of Arnold & Son. The precision function enables the seconds to beat incrementally as opposed to sweeping along the dial – allowing for more accurate reading.
The movement is visible from the dial side in spectacular glory. Not only does the brand use three separate transparent sapphire disks (that seem to float above the dial) for the time indication, but it also elevates many of the other movement parts for an incredible three-dimensional allure.
Three years in the making, the A&S6018 is a mechanical self-winding movement with 29 jewels and 232 components. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers 45 hours of power reserve. The movement is treated in palladium and is meticulously decorated with haute horlogerie finishing, including hand-chamfered bridges with polished edges, fine circular graining, Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, circular satin-finished wheels and blued screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads.
The oscillating weight is skeletonised with brushed surfaces and palladium treated. The Golden Wheel, with its magnificent movement housed in a superb 44 mm 18-karat red gold case, is a limited edition of 125 timepieces.
