The Perpetual Moon is one of Arnold & Son’s signature pieces. It is distinctive because of its large moonphase display. Large is perhaps an understatement — it’s humongous. The moon itself is over 10mm, and it completely dominates the dial. New for this year, Arnold & Son has released two new versions that feature smaller 41.5mm cases and a different kind of dial. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5.
As I mentioned, this new version of the Perpetual Moon comes in a smaller 41.5mm case. Two versions will be available: one in 18k red gold and another in platinum. The red-gold version will be a regular production piece, i.e., there will not be a fixed number of pieces. The platinum version, however, will be limited to 28 pieces. The case hasn’t just been downsized, the lugs have been redesigned too as slimmer and with beveled edges. Additionally, Arnold & Son says it has kept the size of the dial the same by shaving width off of the bezel.
The dial is the undisputed highlight of these new watches. Aside from the oversized moonphase display, it also has a new finish that Arnold & Son calls “Stellar Rays” created through “irregular engraving” and multiple layers of lacquer. I think the best way to describe it is that it looks like a combination of guilloche and sunray finish. The red-gold model gets a striking blue dial, while the platinum model has a salmon-pink dial.
The large oversized moon is actually a disc of mother of pearl coated with Super-LumiNova. Yes, it glows in the dark. And the details that you see on it are actually painted by hand, so no two moons are exactly alike. The moon sits on another disc that is blue PVD-treated and grained to depict the sky. Hand-painted on the sky disc are the constellations of the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia.
The movement within is the Calibre A&S1512, the same movement in the earlier Perpetual Moon watches. This hand-wound movement beats at 3Hz and has a fairly long power reserve of 90 hours. Its moonphase display is accurate to 122 years. It’s also visible through the display caseback and is highly decorated with a rhodium-plated mainplate with Côtes de Genève, bridges that are polished and chamfered, wheels that are satin-finished, and all screws are blued by heat, chamfered, and feature polished heads. There’s also a second moonphase indicator.
Once again, Arnold & Son demonstrates its prowess at creating simple watches filled with the kinds of details that only dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts would notice and appreciate. On the surface, this looks like a watch with a gimmicky oversized moonphase display. But if you spend some time learning about the watch, you’ll soon realize that there’s a lot more to see and admire. The Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 is 34,500 Swiss Francs in red gold and 46,500 Swiss Francs in platinum. For more information, visit the brand’s website.