rnold & Son is offering its first watch designed, created, embellished and powered for women. A new 38 mm case houses a calibre designed for this moon-phase complication. It extends into a blue alligator-leather strap with a satin finish and fuchsia lining.

The 38 mm diameter case is 10.44 mm thick and crafted from white gold. Its bezel, four horns and crown host a total of 80 brilliant-cut diamonds. This sumptuous setting announces the ornamental richness with which Arnold & Son has graced the dial of this large-moon timepiece.

The dial of the Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I is composed of a fine layer of blue aventurine crystal, featuring lace-like cut-outs through which the large moon disc can be glimpsed. The starry sky is made of mother-of-pearl in a graduation of shades from blue to white. The two lunar discs are depicted by ruthenium crystals. Between them, the constellations have been painted by hand.

At 8 o’clock, the main motif of the Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I scintillates with precious stones. The cut-outs adorning the lace-like aventurine backdrop have been encrusted with white and blue mother-of-pearl fragments, diamonds, and blue and pink sapphires, all cut to form a large star complete with glistening halo.

By playing with transparency, colour and mineral composition, the Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I showcases the know-how of Arnold & Son as it adopts new, particularly expressive techniques.

The Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I transposes the high watchmaking standards that have always guided the brand into the world of ladies’ timepieces. As a result, the Arnold & Son Manufacture has created an entirely new calibre, which is also the smallest in its collection. At 30 mm, the A&S1612 calibre was designed to fit the new 38 mm diameter case that is just 10.44 mm thick. This manually wound movement with an autonomy of 90 hours thus perpetuates the range of Arnold & Son calibres with impressive power reserves.

The emblematic complication of the A&S1612 calibre is its moon-phase indicator. Drawing on its ingenious large-moon principle, Arnold & Son has naturally incorporated a majestic lunar disc into its Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I timepiece. Its various crescents fill the large aperture located between 10 and 2 o’clock. Faithful to its precision watchmaking tradition and the history that linked John Arnold to navigating the high seas, Arnold & Son has endowed this moon with an accuracy of 122 years. Thus when kept constantly wound, it would take more than a century for the moon on the timepiece to experience a time lag with its real-life counterpart in the sky.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Movement

• Calibre: A&S1612, mechanical with manual winding
• Jewels: 24
• Diameter: 29.40 mm
• Thickness: 4.95 mm
• Power reserve: 90 hours
• Frequency: 3 Hz / 21,600 vph

Finishes

• Main plate: rhodium-plated, Côtes de Genève stripes radiating from the centre
• Bridges: polished and chamfered
• Wheels: circular satin-finished
• Screws: blued and chamfered, polished heads

Dial

• Aventurine lace crystal encrusted with white mother-of-pearl and blue-tinted mother-of-pearl
• Set with 35 brilliant-cut diamonds, 3 pear-cut diamonds, 4 brilliant-cut pink sapphires and 8 pear-cut blue sapphires

Moon phases

• Sky: blue-tinted mother-of-pearl
• Constellations: hand-painted
• Moon: ruthenium crystal disc

Case

• Material: 18-carat white gold, set with 80 brilliant-cut diamonds
• Diameter: 38 mm
• Thickness: 10.44 mm
• Crystal: domed sapphire, with an anti-reflective coating on both sides
• Case back: sapphire crystal, with an anti-reflecting coating
• Water resistance: 30 metres / 100 feet

Strap

• Material: satin-feel blue alligator leather, satin-feel fuchsia alligator leather lining
• Pin buckle: 18-carat white gold, set with 22 brilliant-cut diamonds

Gemstones

• Diamonds: total weight 2.72 carats, colour D-E-F, clarity IF-VVS
• Sapphires: total weight 0.25 carat, clarity loupe grade

Price

• CHF 77,900 including taxes (may be subject to modifications)
• Limited edition 18 timepieces