ARNOLD & SON Perpetual Moon Year of the Ox
Arnold & Son offers a spectacular eight-piece limited edition of its Perpetual Moon watch in celebration of the traditional Chinese calendar New Year . The 42mm red gold Perpetual Moon Year of the Ox watch displays its extralarge mother-of-pearl moon at the top of its dial shining on a buffalo with large horns standing at 6 o ’ clock .
The ox appears as a miniature 18-karat gold sculpture placed in front of several multi-story pagodas , hand-painted with gold powder . Arnold & Son has generously painted the moon and the pagoda windows with SuperLuminova . Thus , in a dark setting the wearer views a pleasing , miniature evening scene .
In its unusually large aperture , the watch ’ s moon disc turns as the moon progresses from new to full and back each month . During the day , the moon appears nearly white amid hand-painted constellations , nicely contrasting with the dial ’ s textured and speckled black background .
Arnold & Son creates that darkness with specular hematite , a mineral the company laminates and layers to heighten its natural glossy appearance . The hematite ’ s iron composition creates iron , which appear as silvery flakes in a black mass .
Arnold & Son has also incorporated those glittering specks into the double-sided alligator-skin strap . On the strap ’ s outer face you ’ ll see them sparkle , embellished with platinumthread stitching .
The La Chaux-de-Fonds-based manufacture fits the watch with its own Caliber A & S1512 , a single-barrel manual-wind movement with an oscillation frequency of 3 Hz , offering an outstanding ninety-hour power reserve . Arnold & Son says that the caliber ’ s moon-phase display and rotation will remain accurate for 122 years before deviating by one day from the actual appearance of the moon in the night-sky . Price : CHF 49,900 , limited edition of eight .
38 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2021