Limited series celebrates mineral and myth with five distinct dial variations
Arnold & Son has added new dimension to its thinnest tourbillon. The Ultrathin Tourbillon Dragon & Phoenix merges ancient mythology with ancient minerals. Each of the five versions, limited to just five pieces each, presents a different hardstone dial. The unique structure, color, and richness of these minerals serve as a dramatic backdrop for the two legendary creatures, the dragon and phoenix, depicted dancing around a prized pearl.
The expert Swiss artisans of Arnold & Son have decorated the series of 25 pieces with iconic figures of Chinese mythology, nestled below the off-centered dial. Since the 18th century, Arnold & Son has often employed this dial composition to accommodate its manufacture calibres, including the famed marine chronometers developed by John Arnold. The dial format allows ample room not only for the Maison's mechanical movements but also for artistic expression
Arnold & Son references the myth of the Dragon and the Phoenix, expressed in the highest horological art. Chinese myth holds that these fantastic creatures were neighbors who decided to make a pearl together, one using its talons, and the other using its teeth. The jewel was the extraordinary product of their equally impressive magic powers. Stolen by the mother of the Jade Emperor, the pearl fell down from the heavens and the creatures rushed to catch it in mid-air. This pearl of wisdom and fertility is the essence of the Ultrathin Tourbillon Dragon & Phoenix tale.
Each of the five Ultrathin Tourbillon Dragon & Phoenix models features a dial made from a different hardstone. Despite being little known and rarely used in the world of watchmaking, the five colored minerals employed (Bronzite, Eudialyte, Marcasite, Pietersite, and Verdite) were chosen for their evocative properties and richly textured, visually complex surfaces.
Each of these versions comes with a large-scaled alligator skin strap that coordinates with the dial, topstitched with 18-carat gold thread. The strap attaches to a 5N red gold case that measures 42 mm in diameter and a mere 8.60 mm thick, an astonishingly thin profile that incorporates the tourbillon calibre of the Ultrathin Tourbillon Dragon & Phoenix.
Beneath each rare stone dial lies the A&S8200 calibre. Measuring 2.97 mm thick, it is one of the thinnest ever to be regulated by a tourbillon. Like all the movements utilized by Arnold & Son, the A&S8200 calibre was entirely developed, produced, decorated, assembled, adjusted, and finished within the walls of the brand's manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
This calibre is based on a large barrel with an oscillation frequency of 3 Hz, giving a 90-hour power reserve that is extremely rare for a tourbillon, especially given its thinness. The structure is refined further still by the skeletonized tourbillon bridge and hand engraving on the rear tourbillon bridge. As the light passes through the Ultrathin Tourbillon Dragon & Phoenix, it illuminates the mythological scene and brings the mechanical lacework into the mineral landscape.
About 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 HM Perpetual Moon displaying one of the biggest 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. For more information, please visit: arnoldandson.com.
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