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Arnold & Son Stays Thin in Gold & Platinum 

Arnold & Son continues to debut new editions within its impressive Ultrathin Tourbillon Skeleton collection. Two new models display the model’s architectural finesse in new case metals: 5N ‘red’ gold and platinum.

The new Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Skeleton Red Gold.

Still built within the same 41.5mm diameter by 8.4mm case size, the new models display this independent maker’s contemporary one-minute tourbillon prominently at the 6 o’clock position, flanked by rose-gold PVD bridges and nicely decorated with radiating Côtes de Genève stripes.

The new Arnold & Son Ultra Thin Tourbillon Skeleton Platinum.

On both models, a white opal dial displays the minutes and hours. The arrowhead on the staff of the tourbillon’s escape wheel serves as the watch’s seconds pointer.

The watchmaker’s 3.3mm-thick A&S8320 caliber movement is one of the thinnest skeleton tourbillons around. Its thinness is enhanced thanks to its lack of an upper bridge, which means the tourbillon is of the ‘flying’ variety. (See additional specifications below).

As with most Arnold & Son calibers, the power reserve of the Ultrathin Tourbillon Skeleton Red Gold and the UltraThin Tourbillon Skeleton Platinum is a spectacular 100 hours. Each model is a limited edition of twenty-eight pieces. 

Prices: Red gold: CHF 74,400, and platinum: CHF 86,200.

 

Specifications: Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Skeleton Red Gold and UltraThin Tourbillon Skeleton Platinum

(Red gold: 1UTBR.Z01A.C246R; Platinum: 1UTBX.Z01A.C245X)

Movement: 

Caliber A&S8320, 1-minute flying tourbillon, manual winding, mainplate is skeletonized, rose-gold PVD treatment (4N), Côtes de Genève stripes radiating from the center. Bridges are skeletonized, rose-gold PVD treatment (4N), polished and chamfered by hand, Côtes de Genève stripes radiating from the center. Tourbillon carriage has ‘Arnold & Son’ signature, polished, satin-finished and chamfered by hand. Wheels are circular satin-finished and screws are blued and chamfered with mirror-polished heads. Power reserve is 100 hours. Frequency is 21,600 vph.

Dial: White opal.

Case: 5N red gold or platinum (PT 950) measuring 41.50mm by 8.40mm (with domed sapphire crystal).Case back sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. Water-resistance to 30 meters.

Strap: Red gold: blue alligator leather, black alligator leather lining, hand-stitched. Platinum: brown alligator leather, black alligator leather lining, hand-stitched. Folding clasp in titanium with cover in red gold or platinum.

Prices: Red gold: CHF 74,400, and platinum: CHF 86,200.

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Grand Seiko Looks Ahead to Spring With Hi-Beat Debuts 

Grand Seiko drops the case diameter of its 62GS Heritage Collection offerings to 38mm for two new seasonal Hi-Beat 36000 debuts.

One, the SBGH341 “Sakura-Kakushi” (hiding cherry blossoms) features a pink dial inspired by Shunbun, which is the vernal equinox of late March.

The new Grand Seiko SBGH341 “Sakura-Kakushi”

Its colors echo the effect of snow as it covers blooming cherry blossoms of the Tohoku region.

The new Grand Seiko SBGH343 Sakura-Wakaba.

The second debut, the SBGH343 Sakura-Wakaba, is inspired by the Seimei season of early April with its patterned green dial that blends cherry blossom hues and the colors of young leaves.

Both offer a 38mm 62GS titanium case finished by Grand Seiko artisans to the high standards of Zaratsu polishing. Each also is attached to the wrist with a beautifully finished ‘high-intensity’ titanium bracelet secured by a three-fold clasp.

Inside each watch Grand Seiko fits its highly-touted Hi-Beat 36000 9S85 Caliber, calibrated to deliver +5 to -3 seconds of accuracy per day with an impressive fifty-five hours of power reserve.

Like all the Heritage models in this collection, you’ll find extra-strong anti-magnetic protection (to 4,800 A/m) and water resistance to 100 meters.

Price: $7,300.

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Girard-Perregaux Adds Meteorite to Bridge Series

Girard-Perregaux expands its Bridges collection with a celestial twist. The new Free Bridge Meteorite features a central bridge framed by fragments from the asteroid belt.

The new Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge Meteorite.

As each slice of the Gibeon meteorite (discovered in Namibia) displays a slightly different Widmanstätten pattern, each dial is unique.

With its inverted movement, the watch displays its bridges at the front of the watch. This dial symmetry nicely echoes historic (and award-winning) Girard-Perregaux Three Gold Bridges pocket watches, but with a modern treatment.

Skeletonized hands sit atop a bridge that straddles the visible gear train wheels. The open-worked approach continues with a see-through spring barrel at the top of the dial. 

The meteorite pieces here are made of an iron-nickel alloy with small amounts of cobalt and phosphorous, and along with their Widmanstätten patterned lines, create a nicely contrasting tone on the bridged dial.

To create the namesake meteorite dial decor, Girard-Perregaux artisans first slice the meteorite. After machining them into the correct shape, the slices are then pierced with two holes to accommodate two functional and decorative screws. Each plate is then rhodium-plated to protect the iron-rich meteorite, inhibiting corrosion.

Girard-Perregaux polishes the watch’s 44mm stainless steel case with a blend of polished and satin-finished surfaces.

Inside the Free Bridge Meteorite the watchmaker fits its superb caliber GP01800-2085, a self-winding movement equipped with silicon components. 

Price: $25,700.

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Frederique Constant Applies Humor to Moonphase Model 

While a glance at the newest Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Date might reveal a classical moon-phase subdial with a hand-date, a closer inspection reveals something much more unusual. The hour markers on the two hand dress watch seem oddly askew, scattered around the dial as if forgotten during assembly.

The new Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture Seconde/Second/Limited Edition

What’s more, the brand’s logo and the date display appear to be written by hand. Even the moon and stars within the moon-phase disk look uneven, as if written by an amateur.

Rest assured that the dial typography and finish are not made in error, but are a result of an unusual collaboration by Frederique Constant with artist Romaric André, known as ‘Seconde/Seconde/,’ that is meant to highlight the hand-assembled nature of the watchmaker’s products.

Each of the askew elements themselves are actually perfectly executed and embellished by hand, but their placement and tentative nature are aimed at emphasizing how Frederique Constant hand-finishes its dials, movements and cases.

The caseback gives the game away. The watch’s sapphire display back features a telltale explanation of the collaboration, with “How do we tell the world that manual‐assembly is at the core of our Manufacture? We asked artist seconde/seconde/. He took it too far” printed on the back. 

Just beneath the message the owner can eye the Frederique Constant FC‐705 in‐house automatic caliber that artisans have finished with perlage graining on the base plate, côtes de Genève striping on the bridge and blued screws throughout.

André notes that “As watch lovers, we’re looking for perfection… but when it becomes too perfect, we start to regret the lack of soul, the lack of connection with the ‘artisanal roots’ of watchmaking.”

Frederique Constant and André have created two limited editions of the watch. One is an online boutique limited edition of ten pieces that features rose gold accents on the case and dial. The second model is limited to 100 pieces encased in steel and available at Frederique Constant retailers worldwide. Price: $3,495.

 

Specifications: Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture Seconde/Second/Limited Edition 

(Ref. FC-705SOC4S6, limited edition of 100 and FC-705SOC4S2 with gold-colored indexes, limited edition of 10) 

 

Movement: FC-705 in-house caliber, automatic 38-hour power reserve, 28,800 alt/h. 

Case: 42mm by 11.3mm polished stainless steel 3-part. Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 30 meters, see-through case back. 

Dial: Silver with matte finishing, Frederique Constant Geneve logo hand-written by artist Seconde/Seconde, hand-applied off-center silver color indexes, hand-polished silver color hour and minute hands, moonphase at 6 o’clock, date by hand at 6 o’clock written by Seconde/Seconde.

Strap: Black alligator leather with matte finishing and tone-on-tone stitching, stainless steel folding buckle.

Price: $3,495. 

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Bell & Ross Adds Green to Bronze Diver

Bell & Ross expands its bronze-cased offerings with the new BR 03-92 Diver Black & Green Bronze, the latest model in the watchmaker’s dive collection.

The new Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Black & Green Bronze.

Boasting a color that might recall recent green-dial additions to the above-ground BR 05 collection, the new watch’s dial appears as a subdued matte green rather than the glossy green of those earlier land-based examples.

Bell & Ross teams the green dial with a bronze case that fits perfectly within  existing bronze-cased offerings in this collection. Last year the watchmaker  launched one new model in bronze, and a year earlier we saw the debut of two bronze-cased BR 03 Dive models.

Bronze cases are valued by many collectors for their ability to display the results of oxidation, a process that creates an individualized brownish, reddish or green patina pattern on each watch. Bronze is also an alloy of choice on sailing boat fittings. As Bell & Ross notes, “bronze gives watches extra soul and puts the wearer in touch with nature.”

As with all Bell & Ross dive watches, the new BR 03-92 Diver Black & Green Bronze is built to meet international standard ISO-6425, which states that a “diving watch” is a watch that must withstand immersion in water to a depth of at least 100 meters and have a highly visible time control system, among many other dive-ready specs.

Bell & Ross employs its automatic BR-CAL.302 movement (based on Sellita SW300-1) that beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations/hour and guarantees a 54-hour power reserve.

Protecting the movement, the solid steel caseback has been engraved with an image of a vintage bronze diver’s helmet. Bell & Ross attached the case to a black rubber strap with ‘ultra-resilient’ black synthetic fabric. 

Price: $4,900 (limited edition of 999 pieces).

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