Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold Cliff Grey Edition
In honour of John Arnold’s birthplace, the Perpetual Moon rises again with a dial inspired by the colour of Cornish cliffs.
Swiss watchmaker Arnold & Son is named after the 18th-century English watchmaker John Arnold, the ingenious inventor who popularised the expression ‘chronometer’ to describe his precision marine timekeepers. Before the advent of marine chronometers to determine longitude at sea, navigators relied on the position of the Sun, Moon and stars to determine their position. Astronomy, which is indelibly linked to horology, is celebrated at Arnold & Son with a collection dedicated to moon phase complications, home to the beautiful Perpetual Moon. The latest 41.5mm red gold iteration of the Perpetual Moon features the signature stellar ray pattern picked out in a Cliff Grey colour inspired by the cliffs of Cornwall.
Introduced in 2013, the Perpetual Moon features one of the largest moon indications with our neighbouring satellite occupying a 29mm aperture in the upper half of the dial. Revisited in Royal Blue, Salmon Pink, Celestial Blue, Fern Green and now Cliff Grey in 41.5mm cases with stellar ray dials, there are also smaller 38mm case sizes, including a sun-brushed Cliff Grey model.
The motivation behind the new Cliff Grey colour is rooted in the fact that John Arnold was born in Bodmin, Cornwall, in 1736. The irregular stellar rays emanating from the centre of the dial are engraved at varying depths and widths to create a unique pattern that plays with light, producing alternating areas of shadow and light. The Cliff Grey colour is obtained with a PVD treatment and then coated with several layers of transparent lacquer.
Dominating the upper half of the dial is the large, realistic 11.2mm moon. Crafted from white mother-of-pearl and coated with Super-LumiNova, the shadows on the lunar surface are painted by hand. In true maritime tradition, the hand-painted and luminous constellations – Ursa Major and Cassiopeia – represent the constellations mariners relied on to find their bearings at sea.
The 41.5mm polished red gold case measures 11.3mm in thickness and features a slim bezel. The manual-winding calibre A&S1512 keeps the moon phase in sync with a deviation of just one day every 122 years. If the watch is not wound, there is a second moon phase indicator on the back to fine-tune the settings. Beating at a frequency of 3Hz, the movement is equipped with two barrels for a robust 90-hour power reserve.
The Perpetual Moon Cliff Grey is paired with a warm grey alligator strap and an 18k red gold prong buckle. It is a limited edition of 28 timepieces and retails for CHF 37,000 (incl. tax). More information at arnoldandson.com
