Arnold & Son, Switzerland’s most English watchmaker, is continuing its exploration of moon and earth with the Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold Cliff Grey Edition which features a dial in the same shade as the cliffs of Cornwall: a homage to the county of birth of Arnold & Son’s founder and the port of departure for His Majesty’s ships, equipped with marine chronometers designed by John Arnold.
The collection’s signature immense moon, standing as a symbol for high-sea navigation, crosses a night sky glittering with the constellations of Ursa Major and Cassiopeia. A limited edition of 28 pieces in red gold, Perpetual Moon 41.5 Cliff Greyis brought to life by glistening hues and Arnold & Son’s watchmaking soul.
This Cliff Greymodel welcomes a dial with a radiating Stellar Rays motif, overlaid with successive variations in colours and materials. It showcases a unique aesthetic. Various depths and widths of rays follow on from one another, creating a distinctive rhythm. Their sequence produces a fluctuating play of light, accentuated by the depth created by successive layers of transparent lacquer. With a case measuring 41.5mm in diameter and 11.30mm thick, this Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Goldproudly showcases one of the largest moons in watchmaking.
Nocturnal
Depicted realistically with hand-painted shadows, the earth’s natural satellite is rendered in mother-of-pearl overlaid with Super-LumiNova. It sits against a grained sky with a blue PVD treatment, adding to its evocative power. True to the custom of the Perpetual Mooncollection, the moon is surrounded by the constellations of Ursa Major and Cassiopeia, both hand-painted and overlaid with luminescent material. The choice of these star patterns is a direct allusion to the history of marine chronometer-maker John Arnold.
Celestial
Ursa Major and Cassiopeia have always served as landmarks in the night sky. Halfway between the two easily identifiable groups is the Pole Star. Its position always shows the north and its elevation angle, or position along the north-south axis, can be used to estimate the distance from the equator, i.e. the latitude. Before the invention of instruments to determine the longitude, it was the most reliable measure of a boat’s position at sea.
Expressive
The sophistication of the dial is complemented by the pared-back refinement of the case. The lugs are taut, plunging and bevelled. They emerge from the curve, continuing on from the profile of the red gold case middle. A diameter of 41.5 mm and a thin bezel help open up as much of the dial as possible. This vast, unobstructed showcase provides the space needed for the large moon disc display.
Accurate
On the case back, a secondary moon-phase indicator allows fast and accurate adjustment of the moon age. The manually-wound A&S1512 calibre that powers it tracks its phases with exceptional accuracy. The total duration of a lunar cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. Arnold & Son has approached this so closely that it would take 122 years for this movement, if constantly wound up, to accumulate a 24-hour discrepancy between the display and astronomical reality.
Exclusive
Like all Arnold & Son’s movements, the A&S1512 calibre was entirely developed, produced, decorated, assembled, adjusted and cased up at the manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This calibre features a large barrel and an oscillation frequency of 3Hz, providing the Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold Cliff Greywith a 90-hour power reserve.