The new Arnold & Son CTB —Chronograph True Beat— ref. 1CHAS.S02A.C121SCTB features an in-house mechanical movement with a true beat seconds chronograph. Fitted with a highly polished generous case measuring 44 mm in diameter in stainless steel or 18K rose gold, the magnificent Arnold & Son CTB represents the brand's second chronograph where a central true beat seconds hand and a central chronograph seconds hand had been incorporated on the same axis but with different jumping intervals —a huge technical challenge to have both functions operating from the central pinion.
This new watch featuring a subsidiary hour/minutes dial at 12 and a subsidiary running seconds register at 6 o'clock is fitted with a true beat seconds 60-minute chronograph a.k.a dead beat seconds which is a precision function wherein the seconds beat incrementally as opposed to sweeping along the dial, thus allowing for more accurate reading. To accomplish this function Arnold & Son has taken the idea to new heights by incorporating the true beat seconds on the same axis as the chronograph seconds hand. The result, when the continually running chronograph hand is started, is visually amazing. It gives the impression that it can catch up to the true beat seconds hand, but this never happens since the true beat seconds hand jumps away each second in a delightful and entrancing game of cat and mouse. The stainless steel timepiece is offered with a light-grey and silvery opaline dial while the 18K rose gold model features a more off-white dial. The dial has a complex multi-level structure with at least three different finishes that offer breathtaking depth and dimension.
The A&S7103 automatic calibre is a proprietary movement with column-wheel operated chronograph and is fully visible via the display case back. The 31-jewel movement beats at 28,800 vph and offers more than 50 hours of power reserve when fully wound. Each movement is NAC grey treated and meticulously completed in Haute Horlogerie finishing with hand-chamfered bridges with polished edges, fine circular graining and Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, brushed and skeletonized rotor, and screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads.
The movement is configured to give optimum balance and beauty to the dial, with off-centered hour and minutes at 12 o'clock, big central true beat seconds and central chronographs seconds and 60-minutes chronograph indicator at 6 o'clock. While the winding crown and pushers have been meticulously finished and designed to resemble antique marine chronometers in a very elegant way.
This line is inspired by the timepieces produced during the second part of John Arnold's life when he and his son, John Roger, dedicated themselves to the quest for absolute precision establishing themselves as official suppliers to the Royal Navy.
On the wrist, just as expected, the watch wears true to its size and very elegantly. If you like to play with your chrono while listening to a boring conference call with your partners down in Tokyo, this is a perfect timepiece to help you kill time and keep time with precision during your Six Sigma training.
Sticker Price $26,500 USD Stainless Steel, $42,500 USD 18K Rose Gold. For more info on Arnold & Son click here.
