A new addition to the highly technical Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon collection. This time a piece unique in white gold with a unique amber dial.
Press Release information with commentary in italics.
New: Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold, amber edition
The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold, amber edition Ref. 1DTAW.Z07A.C291W retails at CHF 227,100 inclusive of Swiss VAT.
Commentary
The novelty is not a new watch, but a new dial for the Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon. The watch was released in 2014, and we reviewed it in detail in 2015, then christened as DTE (Double Tourbillon Escapement).
Even back then, we noted the similarity to the MB&F LM2 released in 2013, which one of our colleagues pointed out to us when we received the release documents. We did note then, and again that the LM2 is a far simpler watch. It is not equipped with a tourbillon, much less two. The similarity is mainly in the bridges used to suspend the balances, though on the A&S, the double bridges are angular and reaches from the center of the dial outwards, whilst the LM2 are curved from the edge of the dial inwards. But the déjà vu feeling persists. Perhaps the power of the marketing engine which engrains the image of the LM2 in the minds of collectors.
And not taking anything away from this decade old movement, the caliber A&S8513 has remained largely unchanged, and is still be considered as a state of the art movement. Highly complicated with two gear trains driving the two tourbillons. Movement finishing on A&S calibers have always been excellent, and we expect this to be no different.
The use of amber is an interesting choice. We have not seen any watch dial made by this material, which is a fossilised resin with inclusions which may include plants, insects and small animals. This makes each dial unique. The press materials do not describe how the amber is used to make the dial. We would imagine thin slices are taken from an amber piece and fitted over a brass dial frame.
Pricing wise, A&S seems to have been quite reasonable. The DTE was SGD 300k in 2015 (SGD 397k accounting for inflation in 2024 purchasing power), and this amber edition retails for SGD 347k (converted from CHF 227k, today’s exchange rate). Fair dinkum!
Release information
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 grey gold of the case and skeletonised bridges and the pure white of the opal hour dials, as well as an array of different and unique reflections, in the image of this exceptional and vibrant one-off edition.
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.
Fossilisation
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.
Duality
In historical terms, Double Tourbillon White Gold draws on the two most fundamental vocations of John Arnold’s work: chronometry and world time. His production of marine chronometers sought to simplify and augment the perfect reliability of time measurement. The aim was to keep track of the time at the point of departure. By comparing it with that of the place where the measurement was taken, based on observing true solar noon, ocean navigators were able to measure their position on an east-west axis – giving their longitude.
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.
Craftsmanship
Double Tourbillon White Gold 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, skeletonised, 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, 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.
Finishes
The structure of this movement is underscored by extremely sophisticated finishes. This is a speciality of the Arnold & Son manufacture, and it is taken to the very highest level in this model. From the radiating Côtes de Genève stripes to the circular-grained mainplate, 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 tourbillon bridges in solid white gold 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.
Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold, amber edition Specifications
Functions local hours and minutes (Roman numerals), independent reference hours and minutes (Arabic numerals)
Movement
Calibre A&S8513, hand-wound mechanical
Jewels 42
Diameter 37.30 mm
Thickness 8.35 mm
Power reserve 90 hours
Frequency 3 Hz / 21,600 vph
Finishes
- mainplate: NAC-treated, circular-grained bridges: NAC-treated, polished and chamfered, radiating Côtes de Genève
- wheels: rhodium-plated, circular-grained, polished and bevelled
- chatons: 18-carat white gold
- screws: chamfered, mirror-polished heads
- tourbillon bridges: 18-carat white gold, mirror-polished, satin-finished and hand-chamfered
- tourbillon carriages: polished and hand-chamfered
Dial Baltic amber
Hour dials white opal
Case
Material 18-carat white gold
Diameter 43.50 mm
Crystal domed sapphire with an anti-reflective coating on both sides
Case back sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating
Water-resistance 3 bar (30 metres/100 feet)
Strap
Material jungle-green alligator leather with papaya-yellow alligator leather lining, hand-stitched
Buckle folding clasp, 18-carat white gold
References 1DTAW.Z07A.C291W
Limited edition one-off piece
