Story | Connie Li Photography | Arnold & Son
What a coincidence!
As you read this story, you are greeted by Arnold & Son’s latest Perpetual Moon 41.5 Cliff Grey Edition, right on the cusp of a total lunar eclipse set to take place on Sept. 7. This eclipse will last a full 3½ hours, with the blood-red moon visible in Europe, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.
Humanity has always been fascinated by the sun and the moon, celestial bodies shrouded in mystery. Arnold & Son, Switzerland’s most English watchmaker, continues its cosmic exploration with this timepiece. It pays tribute to the moon’s poetic presence, as well as the legacy of 18th-century English watchmaker John Arnold, a pioneer in marine chronometers.
This model showcases one of the largest moon-phase displays in watchmaking. The luminous moon, crafted from white mother-of-pearl, is hand-painted with realistic shadows and appears to float serenely in a starry night sky, textured with a blue PVD grain finish. Surrounding the moon are the constellations Ursa Major and Cassiopeia, delicately hand-painted and coated with luminescent material to glow in the dark.
The dial is adorned with Arnold & Son’s signature Stellar Rays motif—alternating rays of varying depth and width that create a mesmerizing rhythm and a play of light. The layered transparent lacquer adds further depth, while the Cliff Grey tone evokes the misty coastlines and rock formations of Arnold’s birthplace.
On the case back, a secondary moon-phase indicator allows for precise and easy calibration of the lunar age. The watch is powered by the manual-winding A&S1512 calibre, which tracks the lunar cycle (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds) with exceptional accuracy. If kept continuously wound, it would take 122 years for the display to accumulate a one-day deviation from astronomical reality.
Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold Cliff Grey Edition
REFERENCE: 1GLBR.N01A.C0246A
MOVEMENT: A&S1512, mechanical with manual winding
FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes, astronomical moon phase, second moon-phase indicator on the case back
CASE: 18-carat red gold (5N), sapphire crystal with an anti-reflecting coating
POWER RESERVE: 90 hours
WATERPROOF: 30 m
BRACELET: Warm grey alligator leather, hand-stitched; prong buckle
EDITION: 28 pieces
PRICE: Approximately $63,000 (CHF 37,000 incl. VAT)
