Arnold & Son marks the year of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Water Rabbit with a new artistic version of the brand’s Perpetual Moon timepiece. The brand continues its annual celebration of the traditional Chinese calendar with this limited new series of eight high-precision moon-phase wristwatches. The Perpetual Moon “Year of the Rabbit” timepiece features a sculpted golden rabbit set against a backdrop of black aventurine, posing next to a pagoda, and surrounded by waterfalls.
The Perpetual Moon “Year of the Rabbit” timepiece is at once powerfully symbolic, sophisticated, and full of meaning. Arnold & Son has sculpted the animal in a calm yet watchful pose. It sits majestically against a backdrop of black aventurine, beneath a great mother-of-pearl moon. In Chinese Zodiac iconography, the water rabbit is the moon’s loyal companion. The sophistication of this dial, showcasing the artistic crafts, demonstrates Arnold & Son’s expertise. In addition to its fine watchmaking movement complete with large astronomic moon, the timepiece also displays masterful aesthetics.
The year of the Water Rabbit begins on Saturday, 21 January 2023. In the founding legends of the Chinese Zodiac, the rabbit inhabits a white jade moon, and serves as its pet. It embodies prudence and agility. When shown alongside the characteristic element of the year of the Water Rabbit, this animal promises longevity, peace, and prosperity.
Celestial light
Arnold & Son has accommodated a large moon with its dial serving as the canvas of this exceptional timepiece. In a large aperture, a turning disc reveals the waxing and waning of the night’s celestial body, the appearance of the crescent moon, and its light. It is crafted from mother-of-pearl with painted elements in relief, all enhanced with Super-LumiNova.
Pale during the day, it transforms at night, shining brightly and adorned with scintillating details. The dial’s aquatic elements add further dimension to the scene, as do the pagoda windows, each hand-painted with luminescent material. In the background, the disc bearing the star is made from deep black aventurine glass.
Artistic expression
The rabbit remains the dial’s key element. Sculpted in three dimensions, it is crafted from 18-karat rose gold. Its expression, its pose, and the details of its fur are hand-engraved and burnished to add depth and nuance. This painstaking work is worthy of the exceptional attention Arnold & Son has always paid to its limited series created in tribute to the Chinese Zodiac.
The same holds true for the dial. On a disc of black aventurine glass dotted with glittering inclusions, the foliage, and pagoda decorations are hand-painted with gold powder. To complete this narrative tableau, the Perpetual Moon “Year of the Rabbit” model is mounted on a glistening black alligator leather strap with visible platinum stitching and a lining of auspicious red alligator leather.
Expert watchmaking
Like all the movements used by Arnold & Son, the A&S1512 caliber was entirely developed, produced, decorated, assembled, adjusted, and finished at the brand’s Manufacture located in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This caliber is powered by a double barrel with an oscillation frequency of 3 Hz, delivering a 90-hour power reserve.
Last but not least, thanks to the Manufacture’s research and development efforts, the moon phase display of this movement is so precise that it will remain accurate for 122 years before deviating from the actual lunar cycle by one day. The Perpetual Moon “Year of the Rabbit” timepiece therefore works in perfect harmony with the astronomic, astrological, and collection cycles. This sense of eternity is characteristic of all Arnold & Son creations.
Arnold & Son
Named after John Arnold, English watchmaker of the 18th century renowned for his ingenuity and work on marine chronometers, Arnold & Son perpetuates today his legacy, exploring contemporary ways to interpret traditional watch craftsmanship. From its Manufacture based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, cradle of the Swiss watchmaking industry, Arnold & Son develops its timepieces in-house including its complicated calibers.
The House established iconic collections such as the Time Pyramid with its unique architecture, the Nebula featuring a fully skeletonized movement, the Perpetual Moon and the Luna Magna displaying among the most spectacular moon phases on the market or the Globetrotter, impressive three-dimensional worldtimer. The twenty plus calibers presented to date by Arnold & Son have all been conceived, designed, developed, machined, decorated, assembled, and adjusted by its sister Manufacture, La Joux-Perret. This independence and creativity demonstrate the House’s ability to perpetuate John Arnold’s exceptional inventions.
Perpetual Moon “Year of the Rabbit”
Technical specifications
Functions Hours, minutes, astronomical moon phases, second moon-phase indicator on the back
Movement
Calibre A&S1512, mechanical with manual winding
Jewels 27
Diameter 34 mm
Thickness 5.35 mm
Power reserve 90 hours
Frequency 3 Hz/21,600 vph
Finishes Main plate: rhodium-plated, radiating Côtes de Genève stripe
Bridges: polished and chamfered
Wheels: circular satin-finished
Screws: blued and chamfered, polished heads
Second moon-phase indicator: rhodium-plated and circular-grained
Dial Material: black aventurine glass
Rabbit: 18-carat rose gold (4N), hand-engraved and -burnished finished
Landscape: hand-painted with gold powder, enhanced with Super-LumiNova
Sky: black aventurine glass
Constellations: hand-painted, enhanced with Super-LumiNova
Moon: mother-of-pearl disc with hand-painted details, enhanced with Super-LumiNova
Case
Material 18-carat red gold (5N)
Diameter 41.5 mm
Thickness 11.67 mm
Crystal Domed sapphire with an anti-reflective coating on both sides
Case back Sapphire with an anti-reflective coating
Water resistance 30 m/100 feet
Strap
Materials Glistening black alligator leather, red alligator leather lining, platinum thread (PT950), hand-stitched
Buckle pin buckle, 18-carat red gold (5N)
Reference 1GLBR.Z06A.C161A
Limited edition 8 timepieces
Swiss retail price CHF 57,000 including taxes (may be subject to modifications)
For more information, visit arnoldandson.com
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