Arnold & Son has revealed a new red gold and meteorite edition of its beloved Luna Magna moon phase timepiece, offered in a limited edition of 38 pieces. Midway between Mars and Neptune, between warm and cool, the color scheme of the A&S Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite evokes the sky, fire, and the stars. Its three-dimensional moon-phase complication gives it an astronomical feel, the 44 mm red gold case a terrestrial side, and the blue PVD-treated meteorite dial a stellar dimension. The largest of all moons receives a rare and precious new interpretation in dynamic hues.
With contrasts between its shades, materials, and perceptions, the Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite is brought to life by the oppositions, symbols, and energies of its fundamental components. The subdial displaying the hours and minutes has a milky, almost lunar sheen thanks to its surface in opal, a semiprecious stone prized for its white color, whose delicacy perfectly complements the unique complication of the Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite. The spacious dial, freed up by the structure of this display, is made from a large disc of ferrous meteorite-colored blue using the PVD process. The warm glow of the red gold, which contrasts with the midnight-blue dial, completes the precious and understated look.
The meteorite’s crisscrossing, jagged geometric structures, which are known as Widmanstätten patterns, reflect the light across a vast surface reminiscent of the Sea of Tranquility. In no way concealing their depth, the deep matte blue PVD treatment instead subtly reveals them to those who know to look for them. The moon, a sphere formed half from Cacholong opal and half from blue PVD meteorite, reflects the nature of the celestial body.
The way these textures catch the light, its rotation controlled by an exclusive complication, makes this an ever-shifting timepiece —all the more so as the opal half of the moon and the subdial are coated with SuperLumiNova, only revealing their blue-green glow (invisible by day)— once night falls.
The Movement
Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite is driven by the A&S1021 caliber, which has been fully developed, machined, assembled, and adjusted in the Arnold & Son Manufacture. This hand-wound caliber, which has been designed with the lunar globe in mind, features a 90-hour power reserve and a regulating organ oscillating at a frequency of 3 Hz. The movement also includes a secondary display detailing the age of the moon on the case-back side. Its clearly readable markings are designed for high-precision lunar adjustments.
The sophisticated celestial mechanics are also based on precise astronomical reality. The duration of a complete lunar cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds, and Arnold & Son has managed to replicate it in such a way that it will take 122 years for the movement’s display to deviate from the correct celestial reading by one day. The correction required at this time will be easy to make, as the Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite’s moon-phase function is directly accessible from the crown. This practical feature has been made possible by Arnold & Son’s total command of the watchmaking process.
Sticker Price $61,100 USD. For more info on Arnold & Son click here.
