Luxury watches clad in titanium seem to have a strong momentum in 2024. Arnold & Son is the latest to introduce a timepiece made from this beneficial material, which is lightweight yet durable and comfortable to wear. Drawing on the brand’s long nautical history and its essential role in calculating longitude at sea, the Longitude Titanium Collection are inspired by John Arnold’s historic marine chronometers. As such, it features a prominent subsidiary seconds display at 6 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock. The new timepiece is available with three different dial colors and equipped with an interchangeable system. The Longitude Titanium Collection comes with an additional rubber strap with a fabric-like.
Measuring 42.5mm x 12.25mm and water-resistant to 100 meters, the case is distinguished by gentle curves and a combination of polished and satin-finished surfaces that is continued on the rounded links of the integrated bracelet. Echoing the fluted ring of John Arnold’s marine chronometers, the bezel is graduated with 60 notches.
The design of the dials is both graphic and historic. The graphic aspect can be seen in the satin-finished, polished and luminescent hour-markers, which echo the shape of the links of the bracelet. It is also very concise in the presentation of the indications, which are aligned with the vertical axis of the dial: a mirror-polished power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, the hour and minute hands in the center, and the imposing small seconds at 6 o’clock.
Cornwall, John Arnold’s birthplace, inspired the colors of the Longitude’s dials. The first edition, limited to 88 timepieces, is adorned with a sandy golden shade called ‘Kingsand’ in reference to the eponymous beach, which is one of the county’s hidden jewels. The second version sports an Ocean Blue, while the third boasts a Fern Green hue.
At the heart of the Longitude Titanium beats the new A&S6302 caliber. A certified COSC movement, it is wound by an oscillating weight with a design influenced by sailing. Its shape is reminiscent of the prow of an 18th-century English frigate cleaving through the water, and it is carved from a single block of 22-carat gold. Its felloe is engraved with graduations similar to those on a sextant – another maritime element.
The caliber, entirely developed, produced, decorated, assembled, adjusted and encased in La Chaux-de-Fonds, is finished with the same high standard commonly seen at Arnold & Son, such as chamfered bridges with the manufacture’s specialty ‘Rayons de la Gloire’ motif. This caliber features a large barrel and an oscillation frequency of 4Hz, providing a 60-hour power reserve.
The Longitude Titanium retails for approximately $25,000 (Kingsand Limited Edition) and approximately $23,800 for the Ocean Blue and Fern Green editions.
To learn more, visit Arnold & Son, here.
