SpotlightSplendour Of Lavender: The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold Charoite Edition

Rare mineral dials and the Swiss watchmaker Arnold & Son have a thing for each other. This love affair keeps getting better, as it has led to some of the most aesthetically appealing timepieces in the brand’s roster that are backed by precision, accuracy, complexity, and craftsmanship. Earlier this year, the watchmaker released a Double Tourbillon White Gold timepiece. With it, the brand welcomed a new material to its creative repertoire—the Baltic amber, also known as tiger amber. This shade of yellow surrounds the two tourbillons, a feature that gives its name to Arnold & Son’s Double Tourbillon collection. Now, the Amber Edition meets the Charoite Edition of the Double Tourbillon and just like its sibling, it is housed inside a white gold case and further embraces the stone of charoite. The muted shade of lavender combined with the textures of this rare mineral create a soothing dial, for which Arnold & Son cut the stone with care so as not to break it and polished it to bring out the fine white veins naturally present in the charoite stone. The 43.50mm Double Tourbillon White Gold Charoite is a one-off piece, which adds to its rarity.

The Suave Mauve: The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold Charoite

The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold Charoite is a 43.50mm timepiece featuring an 18-karat white gold body, paired with an aubergine alligator leather strap, featuring a papaya yellow lining and a buckle folding clasp in 18-karat white gold. One of the biggest challenges for Arnold & Son was to not break the stone and create openings for the white opal sub-dials and tourbillon carriages. Another noteworthy feature of the dial that does not go unnoticed are the bevelled, satin-finished, and mirror-polished tourbillon bridges in white gold that create a striking relief display.

The Double Tourbillon White Gold watch shows the local time on the sub-dial at 12 o’clock, marked by Roman numerals. The second display shows the time in another location, which is placed at six o’clock, using Arabic numerals. These two dials display hours and minutes with high accuracy and are completely independent. It is the little things that create this thoughtful watch; for instance, its convex sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on both sides is designed to accommodate the depth of the two tourbillons. Each tourbillon is attached to a three-dimensional, open-worked bridge made of white gold.

An Avant-Garde Movement

The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold Charoite finds its power in the hand-wound mechanical A&S8513 movement. This engine beats at a frequency of 3Hz and achieves a substantial 90-hour power reserve. The A&S8513 calibre showcases a tasteful array of features, including the Côtes de Genève stripes, a circular-grained main plate, double-snailed barrels, sunray-brushed crown wheels, and polished gold chatons.

The manual-winding movement features two barrels, two crowns, and the ability to track two time zones. This comes with multiple possibilities, like showing the time, displaying two different times, or one for telling the time and the other for keeping track of time for a long event. Arnold & Son believe this is a travel watch like none other, given its high-precision double tourbillon feature that can easily adjust to time zones that differ by 15, 30, or 45 minutes.

With a gentle dial design, comfortable case profile, and avant-garde movement, the Double Tourbillon White Gold Charoite is a representation of Arnold & Son’s commitment to sophistication, artistry, and exceptional quality.

The Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon White Gold Charoite In A Nutshell

• Case: 18-karat white gold, 43.50mm in diameter
• Movement: A&S8513, hand-wound mechanical, 90-hour power reserve
• Functions: Local hours and minutes, independent reference hours and minutes
• Water resistance: 30m
• Dial: Charoite
• Crystal: Domed sapphire with an anti-reflective coating on both sides
• Strap: Aubergine alligator leather with papaya yellow lining, hand-stitched; folding clasp, 18-karat white gold
• Limited edition: One-off piece

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a tourbillon watch?

A tourbillon watch features a rotating cage that holds the escapement mechanism of the watch. This arrangement provides timekeeping accuracy by counteracting the effects of gravity. In earlier times, tourbillons were used in various high-end watches, especially pocket watches. This was later included in marine chronometers used for navigation at sea, where the constant motion of a ship could affect a watch’s precision timekeeping.

• Why do luxury watches incorporate precious stones?

High-end watch brands often use rare and valuable stones as design elements in their case and dial construction for that extra layer of exclusivity and visual appeal. Precious stones commonly used in luxury watch dials include diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and even the more unique ones charoite. These stones are used to create hour markers to even full pave dials (the entire dial). Utilising gemstones requires specialised techniques that focus on not damaging the stone or compromising the functionality and performance of the timepiece.

• When would someone choose a manual-winding watch?

Manual-winding watches need to be wound by turning the crown to keep them ticking. People who prefer these watches are often enthusiasts and collectors who appreciate the hands-on, traditional ways of timekeeping. Winding a watch can be ritualistic, for some even therapeutic, as it creates a personal connection with the timepiece.