Basel Preview: Arnold & Son Eight-Day Royal Navy

This new 2016 watch is a testament to Arnold & Son’s marine chronometer tradition. With a new eight-day power reserve movement, the Eight-Day Royal Navy joins Arnold & Son’s Royal Collection.

The movement here features two of the hallmarks of Arnold & Son chronometers: a power reserve display at 12 o’clock and the large-sized small seconds at 6. To perpetuate the company’s heritage, Arnold & Son’s R&D team started with a blank sheet of paper and set out to design a movement with a long power reserve, date displays and a slim case.

The watch’s A&S1016 caliber is equipped with a highly efficient twin barrel and, despite this, remains only 4.7 mm thick. Arnold & Son has carefully finished the caliber: the entire palladium-treated nickel-silver movement features hand finishing, skeletonized and chamfered bridges with polished edges, Côtes de Genève rayonnantes and fine circular graining, circular-grained wheels, and blued screws with polished and chamfered edges. The main jewels are set in solid 18-karat gold chains.

The Eight-Day Royal Navy watch measures 43mm in diameter and 10.7mm in height. Viewed from the side, the housing is stepped and tapers from top to bottom, the widest section accommodating the extra-large glass with the lower part narrowing to fit snugly on the wrist. As an indication of the attention to detail, the satin-finished inserts in the horns can be dismantled during servicing and re-satinized if necessary.

The watch is available with a choice of three guilloché dials in different colors: silver grey, black anthracite or the shade of royal blue typical of the brand. Further examples of the attention to detail are the color of the date disc and the exquisite hand-aged calfskin strap, both of which match the color of the dial.

Specifications

Caliber: A&S1016 Manufacture Arnold & Son mechanical movement, hand-wound, 33 jewels, diameter 33 mm, thickness 4.70 mm, power reserve 192 hours (eight days), double barrel, 21,600 beats per hour

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve indicator, digital date

Movement decoration: Palladium-treated nickel-silver movement, main plate featuring skeletonized hand-chamfered bridges with polished edges, cotes de Geneve rays, fine circular graining, circular-grained wheels, blued screws, screwed gold chatons, screws with beveled and mirror-polished heads

Dial: Guilloché polished lacquer. Colors: Blue, Silver or Black

Case: 43mm stainless steel, cambered sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides,

see-through sapphire case back, water-resistant to 30 meters

Strap: Hand-stitched blue, black or brown, hand-aged calf leather

More coverage on Baselworld is available here.