A new material has joined Arnold & Son’s creative repertoire. A first in watchmaking, Baltic amber or ‘tiger’ amber further enhances the collection of extraordinary dials created by the house. The rich, moiré yellow of this exceptionally rare material surrounds the two iconic tourbillons in the eponymous collection. The amber brings softness and texture to the 43.5mm 18K white gold case as well as to the skeletonized bridges and the pure white of the opal hour dials.
In the watchmaking language of Arnold & Son, the tourbillon is a rare construction, treated with the respect that its 260 years of history have taught the brand. The even more exceptional construction of the double tourbillon makes the collection a vehicle for one-off pieces, as is the case with this amber model. Double Tourbillon White Gold draws on the rich appearance of the stones that Arnold & Son explores with method and originality. After imperial jade, malachite and aventurine, the brand has now adopted amber.
Contrary to common belief, not all amber is translucent orange. Baltic amber has a creamy appearance and a surprising variety of colours. The shade chosen by Arnold & Son is a warm, moiré yellow. This amber is the fossilised resin of a wide variety of plants, particularly conifers, which grew on the Baltic Sea coast some 44 million years ago. Carried away by rising water levels, the plant matter began the geologically slow process of transformation. It gave rise to this precious, highly sought-after, symbolically rich material of astonishing aesthetic refinement. While natural materials —such as Arnold & Son’s signature stones— make each dial unique, amber adds an extra dimension of individuality. Exposure to sunlight will alter the shade of the stone over time. This will cause a perceptible change in the colour and opacity of the material, which will age very differently depending on how its wearer uses the timepiece.
Turning the watch over reveals its beating heart the manual wound calibre A&S8513 which provides a power reserve of 90 hours when fully wound. The structure of this movement is underscored by extremely sophisticated finishes. From the radiating Côtes de Genève stripes to the circular-grained main plate, the double-snailed barrels, the sunray-brushed crown wheels and the polished gold chatons, everything about the A&S8513 calibre exudes elevation, craftsmanship and excellence.
The bevelling, satin-finishing and mirror-polishing of the 18K white gold tourbillon bridges is the highlight of an exceptionally elegant display in relief. Double Tourbillon White Gold offers a mechanical and ornamental counterpart to the symbolic aesthetic that reigns on its dial.
The Double Tourbillon White Gold perpetuates this duality by displaying local time on the small dial at 12 o’clock, calibrated by Roman numerals. It is complemented by a display of the time in another location at 6 o’clock, using Arabic numerals. These two dials display hours and minutes that are completely independent, and accurate to the minute. The Double Tourbillon White Gold Amber draws on the Manufacture’s design, production, finishing, and adjustment capabilities. The sapphire crystal is convex to accommodate the depth of the two tourbillons, which are in turn each secured to a three-dimensional, skeletonized, cantilevered bridge in white gold. They are also at the end of a double-gear train. The A&S8513 calibre is thus equipped with two barrels, two crowns, and two time zones.
They can display the same time or two different times, or one can tell the time while the other is timing a long event. Unlike the vast majority of so-called travel watches, Double Tourbillon White Gold can thus adapt to time zones that are offset by 15, 30, or 45 minutes.
The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold Amber Unique Piece is delivered on a jungle-green alligator leather with papaya-yellow alligator leather lining, hand-stitched and secured by a folding clasp buckle in 18K white gold.
Sticker Price CHF 227,100 —approx. USD 257,000. For more info on Arnold & Son click here.
