PERPETUAL MOON YEAR OF THE DRAGON BLACK AVENTURINE

Displaying exceptional artisanship and craftsmanship, the Arnold and Son Perpetual Moon Year of the Dragon Black Aventurine watch is presented in a limited series of only 8 pieces. Crafted to celebrate the Chinese New Year and its corresponding Animal of the Zodiac, the Wood Dragon, the watch showcases this prestigious watchmaking company’s incredibly accurate moon phase complication upon a black aventurine dial, featuring stunning métiers d’art sculpture and hand-painting.

Representing the night sky, the dial of the watch is of black aventurine that is alive with sparkling nuances. Hand-worked, and displaying extraordinary detailing, the 18ct rose gold dragon is arranged across the lower dial with claws outstretched. Beneath him, and complementing his profile, hand-painted stone pines with gnarly branches add to the drama.

Enabling the artwork to dominate, the time indications are reduced to a minimum, and the hours and minutes are indicated via faceted hands and diminutive applied hour markers at the dial edge. On the upper sector, the generous moon phase disc is breathtaking. Crafted from hand-painted mother-of-pearl, it is accompanied by a starry sky displaying hand-painted representations of the Great Bear and Cassiopeia constellations, with Polaris, the guiding North Star visible in the middle distance, included as a visual reference to the importance of John Arnold’s marine chronometers.

During daylight hours the golden artwork and shimmering aventurine is exquisite. However, when darkness falls, the dial becomes ethereal as the moon and stars, together with selected elements of the landscape, become illuminated bringing the entire panorama to life.

The casing of the watch is of 18ct red gold, with a polished finish. Sized at 41.5mm diameter and resting just under 12mm high, it exhibits a rounded form, with a trim bezel. Beating inside, the Manufacture A&S1512 manual winding movement runs at a frequency of 3Hz (21’600 vib/h) and it derives a minimum of 90 hours of power reserve from its two barrels. Finished to Haute Horlogerie standards, it features Côtes de Genève decoration, blued screws, swirled surfacing upon the barrels and ratchet, and hand chamfered edges with every detail appreciable through the caseback sapphire crystal. Notably the moon phase display of this movement will remain accurate for 122 years before deviating from the lunar cycle for one day and, in addition to the generous moon display aperture on the dial, a second, secret dial on the movement side displays the eight stages of the moon phase.

A wonderful artisanal timepiece boasting a complex in-house movement, the Arnold and Son Perpetual Moon Year of the Dragon Black Aventurine watch comes presented on a glistening black alligator strap backed with red alligator leather, and secures to the wrist with an 18ct red gold pin buckle. The edition is an exclusive release of 8 pieces.