Minimalism is a popular design philosophy in watchmaking, pairing understated dials with utility focussed hands and markings that fuse function and style. However, with the Nebula 40 Steel Blue Edition Arnold & Son have said to hell with minimalism. Instead, we want over engineered design and dramatic angles because, well, because we can. Take a quick glance and you’d expect the skeleton watch to be an insane grand complication. Look closer and you’ll see that it’s really a humble 3-hand watch.
There’s nothing humble though about the seven bridges that arc in from the peripheral edge to suspend the skeletonised forms of the watch’s core organs. It makes for a dramatic appearance set against a backdrop of blue PVD architecture, like a cluster of metallic stars against the early evening sky. Going around the bridges starting from 3 o’clock and heading clockwise you have the winding mechanism, the balance wheel, the small seconds subdial, the first wheel of the gear train, a power barrel, another gear wheel and lastly the second power barrel.
In the same way that a nebula is a cloud of gas and dust that slowly constitutes together to form new celestial bodies, the Arnold & Son Nebula 40 showcases the constituent parts of a movement that come together to form a watch. Though unlike the randomness of a nebula, the Arnold & Son feels laid out like a blueprint with the equilibrium between the four prominent discs of the dual power barrels, balance and small seconds.
The skeleton movement that’s on display is the calibre A&S5201. It has manual winding with a 90-hour power reserve meaning it won’t need relentless daily winding, which is the benefit of the double barrel system. The Nebula 40 isn’t itself a new watch but what is new about this edition is the addition of the blue PVD coating on the lower architecture, which lends the piece a sportier aesthetic compared to previous versions at 40mm (there was a previous blue edition at the older 41.5mm sizing).
As for price, the Arnold & Son Nebula 40 Steel Blue Edition is CHF 16,700 (approx. £15,000) on rubber strap, CHF 16,900 (approx. £15,200) on alligator leather and CHF 17,600 (approx. £15,800) on steel bracelet. That all said, the previous Nebula 40 Steel Black Edition on bracelet is £17,400 so expect around the same for the blue. For the most complicated 3-hand watch you’ve ever seen, that makes sense.
Price and Specs:
CHF 16,900 (approx. £15,200) - alligator strap
CHF 17,600 (approx. £15,800) - bracelet
More details at Arnold & Son.
