Arnold & Son have teamed up with specialist watch retailer The Limited Edition to celebrate the historic watchmaker’s 260th anniversary as well as the retailer’s 10th. Both brands have a connection to British horology with Arnold & Son being founded by English watchmaker John Arnold in the 1700s and The Limited Edition opening their first lounge and physical retail space, Pietro’s, in central London. As such, this celebratory limited edition is focussed on London too, appropriately called the HM London Skyline.
Jumping straight to the dial I would go so far as to say that this is the definitive rendition of the London skyline in wristwatch form. There’s no reason for any watchmaker to ever revisit this scene again because Arnold & Son have nailed it. That’s because to my mind it’s the only watch dial that has ever captured a glimpse of the spirit of the city.
It’s produced in mother-of-pearl but they’ve managed to create precise images of iconic London landmarks. The foreground is occupied by Tower Bridge and in the background, partially obscured by fog, are the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben and St Paul’s Cathedral. There’s also a gradient across the top part of the display making it look like early evening with the sun just set and the buildings all cast in silhouette. It feels atmospheric and ancient with gothic spires looming out of the fog.
However, while London is an historic city, it’s also a modern, cosmopolitan centre and so to represent the complete spirit of the city you would also need to represent that. Which is precisely what Arnold & Son have done. When you turn out the lights, the watch comes to life as a second, completely different skyline becomes visible in Super-LumiNova. The Gherkin, Shard and London Eye blaze out in vibrant blue lume. I also like that the clock face of Big Ben is also lumed for a little extra detail.
Turn the watch over and you’re met by an equally striking sight, the A&S1001 manual winding calibre. It’s gorgeous with Côtes de Genève in arabesque across its plate radiating out from the balance wheel. Below the balance you can also see perlage while the gear and barrel covers feature an almost spiral-like brushing around a sunray brushed centre. It offers a 90-hour power reserve with hour and minute functions.
That movement is housed in a 39.5mm diameter x 7.82mm thick case that’s available in either steel at £15,000 or red gold at £23,500 (both prices excl. tax). The collection is limited to just 20 pieces and will be presented at a launch event at Pietro’s on Friday June 12th. It’s the first London themed watch I’ve seen that acknowledges the multiple sides of the city’s character and in doing so is the best representation of London in wristwatch form.
Price and Specs:
More details at Arnold & Son.
