If you like double tourbillons, you're going to love this watch from Arnold & Son. The Double Tourbillon Escapement Dual Time DTE not only features a double tourbillon but also the ability of keeping track of two different time zones. In this timepiece, Arnold & Son deftly blends its rich British heritage and superior watchmaking ingenuity, by presenting a superb timepiece that reflects its famed past with a visionary look forward. The unique and impressive Double Tourbillon Escapement Dual Time watch —DTE— is a marvel of mechanical mastery and aesthetic elegance. Renowned for its innovative technology and technical prowess Arnold & Son continually brings horological excellence to new heights. Such is the case with the new DTE reference, which joins the brand’s much-coveted Instrument Collection, whose signature is in-house manufactured movements 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.
The Dial
Arnold & Son can easily be considered one of the fathers of modern marine timekeeping. Arnold & Son developed and produced chronometers that solved the 18th-century problem of determining longitude at sea, establishing themselves as official suppliers to the Royal Navy. The DTE is a masterpiece of symmetry, balance and three-dimensional beauty combined with technical foresight and ultimate performance precision. The watch, powered by the mechanical manual wound calibre A&S8513, brings the centuries-old tradition of double movements back to life in 21st century style.
This new Arnold & Son Tourbillon Escapement Dual Time DTE features two separate time zone displays —each of which can be set independently from the other thanks to dedicated setting mechanisms. Each has its own gear train and its own tourbillon escapement. In addition to the double tourbillon escapement and the dual dial/dual time indication, the watch is incredibly efficient in that it not only offers local time in hours and minutes, but also offers hours and minutes of a second time zone to be set separately —thereby enabling the wearer to have precise time in zones that differ from Greenwich Mean Time by quarter or half-hour increments. The silvery opaline dials —one with Roman numerals and the other with Arabic numerals— are accentuated by blued hour and minute hands.
The double barrels of the watch offer a superb 90 hours of power reserve. In typical Arnold & Son style, the watch is incredibly detailed and features superlative Haute Horlogerie finishing. The dial side of the timepiece offers symmetry and depth. It features two silvery opaline dials —one at 12 o’clock and another at 6 o’clock —for the dual time display. The two tourbillon escapements are harmoniously balanced at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock and seem to float over the dial thanks to their alluring raised 18-carat white gold bridges. The backdrop for these double dials and double tourbillon escapements is a magnificently decorated vertical Côtes de Genève stripes plate treated in NAC grey.
The Crowns
The two crowns —one each for setting the local and the home time— are located at 2 o’clock and 8 o’clock, and the two mainsprings are wound using the crown at 2 o’clock.
The Movement
The 43.5 mm 18K white gold case on the new Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon Escapement Dual Time DTE ref. 1DTAW.S01A.C121W is highly polished with a very classical and elegant design. The back of the watch features a sapphire crystal display case back that allows for full view of the splendidly decorated nickel-silver movement with NAC grey treatment. The calibre features 42 jewels and double barrels to provide an outstanding power reserve of 90 hours when fully wound.
On the Wrist & Pricing
On the wrist, the Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon Escapement Dual Time DTE watch wears slightly bigger than its actual size and more like a 45 mm watch. The wrist presence is unparalleled and mesmerizing thanks to its elegant look rounded out by its black hand-stitched alligator strap. If you want a double tourbillon at a reasonable price this is the way to go. The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon Escapement Dual Time is available in a limited edition of 28 pieces in 18K white gold with black alligator and 28 pieces in 18K red gold with brown alligator.
Sticker Price CHF208,000 —approximately $215,000 USD. For more info on Arnold & Son click here.
