Originally released in 2014 to celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the company founded in London by the Englishman innovator and inventor John Arnold, the magnificent DSTB by Arnold and Son is an exceptional tribute to the legend of one of watchmaking’s true pioneering forefathers, and in particular the marine chronometers which transformed maritime navigation.

A contemporary expression of the elegant beauty and profound complexity of the watchmaker’s art, the DSTB, or Dial Side True Beat, is a spectacular modern day masterpiece of mechanical intricacy and uncompromising execution throughout, and the origins of its maritime inspiration are reflected in the little anchor which rocks back and forth every second.

At its focal point, the deceptively complex true beat/dead seconds complication, which makes the seconds hand jump instead of sweep, is assembled on the upper face of the dial plate, revealing a constant and mesmerising animation, and one gets the feeling that the great Master himself would approve of this wonderful tribute to his ingenious and fundamentally important contribution to the philosophies of horology.

Beneath the sapphire crystal the black dial plate has been finished with fine circular brush strokes, providing a light catching surface as the backdrop for the beautiful mechanical novelty which is laid out upon it. The hours and minutes are displayed in an off-centred silvered dial, screwed onto the plate and featuring roman numerals and blued steel hands, but the DSTB is all about the seconds which dominates its face.

Elevated and partially overlying the time dial, the seconds are indicated by an arrow pointer onto a large ring of sapphire crystal, which is screwed to the dial plate, and stands above the seconds mechanism. Secured beneath three palladium plated bridges, the elegant arrangement is fully exposed. Between the two wheels a small mobile toothed wheel moves the ‘anchor’ lever at the end of which a ruby pallet is locked and released every second, so the pointer jumps from one to the next.

The Arnold and Son DSTB is presented in polished stainless steel in a round case measuring 44mm and features a sapphire caseback through which the meticulously finished A&S6003 self winding movement can be appreciated. The skeletonised rotor is finished with a deep guilloché decoration, and spins above the Côtes de Genève decoration of the plate, the edges of which have been hand chamfered and polished. Boasting 45 hours of power reserve, the movement beats at a brisk 28’800 vib/h (4Hz).

A stunning watch which contemporises the essence of those early John Arnold pocket watches, the DSTB by Arnold & Son is presented on a black hand stitched alligator leather strap with folding deployant clasp.