Do You Buy Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Replica Wholesale Center


Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

For Baselworld 2017, Arnold & Son unveiled yet another masterfully skeletonized watch that carries the brand’s conceptual DNA forward. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton is the newest addition to the DBG (Double-Balance GMT) collection which we reviewed the original, non-skeletonized version of in greater detail here back in 2013. For those unfamiliar with this piece, it’s basically two movements which share a winding system, housed in one watch. Skeletonized, this watch looks incredible and is the perfect example of Arnold & Son’s relentless progress.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

First, a little bit more about Arnold & Son’s DBG system. Each time display is powered by its own barrel, with its own gear train, escapement, and balance, while sharing a single winding system. While this isn’t necessarily unprecedented, because of the offsets of the shared components compared to the independent components, it’s not always pretty, and rarely skeletonized. However, with the DBG Skeleton, we see almost perfect symmetry on the dial and caseback.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

The unusual nature of the in-house A&S1309 movement allows for some added mechanical and practical benefits. For instance, because of the separate barrel, gear train, and escapement/balance, the GMT function includes a “minutes” hand instead of the standard 24-hour counter only. Each time zone display in the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton can be set to incremental quarters of the hour. So for some Indian, Australian, and Canadian time zones that are off by half-hours, for instance, the watch can account for that. Additionally, the Equation of Time display at 12 o’clock determines the difference between each display, as well as whether it’s day or night in the second time zone. The A&S1309 beats at 21,600bph and features a 40-hour power reserve.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

The case measures in at 44mm, will be available in rose gold, and is water-resistant up to 30m. The dial is completely skeletonized with dual balances set against Côtes de Genève stripes, providing a nice contrast and additional symmetry. The time zone indicators, as with previous models, differ with Arabic and Roman numerals against an increasingly popular smoked backdrop. I feel these add an eclectic touch to almost identical halves of the watch. Since the movement does feature independent time zone components, each time zone is managed by its own crown, or “ears” as some enthusiasts refer to them, at 3 and 9 o’clock. Each time zone is set with its individual crown, while the watch is wound solely by the crown at 3 o’clock.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Watch Releases

Overall, the aesthetic refinements to the dial and the symmetry of the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton watch will refresh and breathe new life into the Arnold & Son DBG. It manages to display the intricate and impressive details of a very complicated timepiece without delving into the “too busy” category that many tend to fall into when tackling such a complex endeavor. While I can definitely see a white gold or platinum option in the future, I feel this is a welcome addition to the collection, and one I would be excited to wear. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Ref. 1DGAP.S10A.C120P will be limited to 30 pieces and will carry a price of $38,850 which is actually a few thousand dollars less than what the original DBG watch in gold cost. arnoldandson.com

The motion is merely 4.4mm thick and also works in 3Hz (21,600bph) and suggests the time in a subdial with the moments in a lesser, smaller subsidiary dial. For the steel edition of the Time Pyramid, Arnold & Son coats much of the movement bridges in “NAC Gray” for its darker look which contrasts nicely with the blue tones of the palms and screws as well as the lighter silver-colored gears and wheels. Don’t miss all of the hand-decoration such as the chamfered and polished bridges. The overall look is quite fine, and with all the new manner of sapphire crystal caseback that the entire presentation of the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid steel is better than ever.With the hand-stitched black alligator strap, this Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back watch looks fantastic on the wrist, particularly because of how much of your wrist you can not see. The extra element of fixing the sapphire crystal caseback is minor but very effective, and I can’t really see people needing to return to totally clear sapphire crystals on completely skeletonized dial watches (unless they’re working on very interesting wrist tans). Price for this reference 1TPAS. S01A.C124S Arnold & Son Time Pyramid watch is $31,900. The watch was just 8.34mm thick and housed the calibre A&S8200 which steps just 2.97mm thick. Though it has since dropped the title of thinnest tourbillon see to the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon (hands-on here), the UTTE still remains an impressive masterpiece.

Where To Buy Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Replica Watches Buy Online


Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Would you like for me to remind you what the biggest issue is on watches with fully skeletonized dials and movements? It is that you can often see right through to your own skin and arm hair. Yes, those sexy-looking timepieces with skeletonized movements and dials can seem amazing in theory (and pictured alone), but place them on your wrist in a real world scenario and only those people with the most beautiful of wrists will have no reason to complain at all. This is actually a common “thing” which watch lovers can and do complain about.

So, to remedy this situation and respond to this concern, Arnold & Son has done a little experiment with this new version of their Time Pyramid watch in steel in the model reference 1TPAS.S01A.C124S “Translucent Back” version. This model will also outright replace the original version of the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid in steel with the traditionally transparent front and rear sapphire crystal.

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son did an amazing job with this watch but gave it no special name – that was rather lazy. “Time Pyramid Translucent Back” is the name that I am giving it whereas the closest thing Arnold & Son gets to a unique name (aside from the reference number) is “Time Pyramid Translucent-Grey Coated Sapphire Case Back.” Ugh… Anyways, even without a proper title, the watch is still exactly what you want since the caseback is really just one-way mirror material.

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

That means that from the front of the watch looking at the caseback you see a dark reflection and no view of your sickly arm hair. From the back of the watch, you can see right through to the other side. So compare this steel “Translucent Back” version of the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid with the first version that has the totally clear sapphire crystal caseback that I went hands-on with here. And yes, this “updated” version costs a bit more, of course. How much will this specially tinted sapphire crystal caseback cost you? About $2,000. It does seem a bit steep after the original version in steel was released less than a year before.

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

The Arnold & Son Time Pyramid watch originally came out in 2013, and in 2014 I reviewed the 18k rose gold version of the Time Pyramid on aBlogtoWatch here. This is still one of my favorite watches produced by Arnold & Son today because of its unique design, attractively symmetrical movement, and fantastic wrist presence. The case is 44.6mm wide (water resistant to just 30 meters) and produced with a crown at 6 o’clock thanks to the design of the movement. That also gives the case a more streamlined look thanks to the symmetry you get with the crown position.

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

This article is literally the 5th or 6th time that I’ve written about the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid, so for regular readers, my apologies for repeating myself. With these sexy images of the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Steel Translucent Back I couldn’t help but dive into the watch again. In addition to the benefit of the specially colored sapphire crystal caseback on this model, I think that the same approach can (and should) be used on other skeletonized dial and movement watches. It actually becomes a real issue to inhibit the beauty of a fully skeletonized design with the reality that when people wear these watches they don’t really want to stare at their own skin through the dial.

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Inside the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid is the brand’s in-house-made caliber A&S1615 manually wound mechanical movement that I continue to love. It isn’t just that the movement is designed to look cool – though it is – but rather that the movement has some interesting mechanical features to boot. For instance, the double power reserve indicators are part of a system that uses two mainspring barrels for a quasi-constant force mechanism. The idea is that a primary mainspring barrel is used until it mostly winds down. At that point, the power coming from it is too unreliable to power the gear train for accurate timekeeping. So, then the secondary mainspring barrel kicks in to ensure the most constant power in order that the A&S1615 movement is more accurate across its 90 hours of power reserve.

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

The movement is just 4.4mm thick and operates at 3Hz (21,600bph) and indicates the time in a subdial with the seconds in a lower, smaller subsidiary dial. For the steel version of the Time Pyramid, Arnold & Son coats much of the movement bridges in “NAC Gray” for the darker look which contrasts nicely with the blue tones of the hands and screws as well as the lighter silver-colored gears and wheels. Don’t miss all the hand-decoration such as the chamfered and polished bridges. The overall look is very nice, and with the new style of sapphire crystal caseback the entire presentation of the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid steel is better than ever.

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back Watch Hands-On Hands-On

With the hand-stitched black alligator strap, this Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back watch looks fantastic on the wrist, especially because of how much of your own wrist you can’t see. The added element of treating the sapphire crystal caseback is minor but really effective, and I can’t really see people wanting to go back to totally clear sapphire crystals on fully skeletonized dial watches (unless they are working on very interesting wrist tans). Price for this reference 1TPAS.S01A.C124S Arnold & Son Time Pyramid watch is $31,900. arnoldandson.com

Wholesale Famous Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Replica Wholesale


Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

In recent years, Arnold & Son have released several pieces that are just marvels of watchmaking. Pieces like the Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement (hands-on) and the Time Pyramid (hands-on) and this, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton watch, which offers a Double Balance and GMT complication (which is where the acronym DBG originates) along with an impressively symmetrical movement shown off in full with a skeletonized dial and exhibition caseback. This model was released for Baselworld 2017 and we shared our initial impressions here. Here, we’ll go hands-on with the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton and explore what makes this watch tick, aside from, you know… the dual balances.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

All images by Ariel Adams

When it comes to evaluating the significance of this watch, I consider it crucial to look at the brand’s history. Arnold & Son was founded in 1764 by John Arnold in London’s Strand. In the same year, he presented a half-quarter repeater watch mounted within a ring to King George III, which he followed up four years later with a gold and enamel minute repeater fitted with jeweled pivot holes, bimetallic temperature compensation, and a jeweled cylinder escapement. Arnold named this watch the “No. 1,” beginning a naming convention he would use for his most significant timepieces going forward.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

By 1772, an Arnold “No. 3” chronometer was aboard Captain Cook’s vessel when he set out for his second voyage across the Pacific, and Arnold chronometers would go on to accompany many other significant voyages over the following decades. His son, John Roger Arnold, began studying watchmaking under Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1792 and joined his father’s business four years later. Breguet became a great friend of John Arnold and the two collaborated on balance designs, the overcoil balance spring, and the tourbillon, although Arnold died in 1799 before this concept could be realized. To mourn his passing, Breguet presented his son with the first tourbillon escapement mounted in an Arnold pocket chronometer, which also bears a personal inscription and is today displayed in the British Museum in London.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Although the modern Arnold & Son is now owned by the Citizen Group and has been revived in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the heritage of precision timekeeping, advancements in escapement technology, and Breguet’s influence can still be felt with this timepiece. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton essentially combines two movements, each with their own barrel, gear train, escapement, and balance, united by a single winding system and one centralized second hand. The two dials for home time and GMT are thus powered by their own dedicated movements, allowing each to be set independently via a dual crown system at 3 and 9 o’clock. Coolness factor aside, this also has a practical benefit in being able to set GMT time to the minute, which is particularly beneficial when dealing with time zones offset by half an hour such as parts of India, Australia, and Canada.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

In comparison to the non-skeletonized version of the Arnold & Son DBG we reviewed previously, this incarnation sacrifices some legibility in order to better display that beautifully symmetrical movement. A ring of smoked sapphire crystal glass is employed for each dial to help bring the numerals more into focus against the busy background without completely obscuring it, which is a clever move. GMT time can also be differentiated via the dial’s use of skeletonized hands and Roman numerals, versus the Arabic numerals and solid hands featured on the home time dial. Unlike the previous version, the hands on the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton are gilded rather than blued, which is visually a nice complement to the exposed balance wheels but also makes them difficult to see at a glance.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

At 12 o’clock is a day/night indicator for both GMT time and home time, using matching skeletonized and filled hands to tell them apart. The bottom half of the indicator is striped, which aids the visual representation of the “night” portion of the disc. I do wish the Arnold & Son logo had been located elsewhere though, as its position interrupting the seconds track at 12 o’clock could make precise time-setting difficult. Another niggling issue I found was that the second hand counterweight closely emulates the look of the home time hands, which can occasionally cause a moment of confusion when you glance down and see three hands pointing at that dial. In an ideal world, I would have loved to see the minute hands on each dial extended just a tad further to properly reach the minute track, and the hour hands shortened a tad to not overlap the hour markers, but this is a minor aesthetic qualm which doesn’t impact utility.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

On the reverse side of the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton, the base plate of the manufacture caliber A&S1309 is revealed. The movement is made of nickel silver (also known as German silver or Maillechort, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) that has been rhodium-plated and decorated with Côtes de Genève. The wheels are satin-finished and provide a contrasting three dimensional texture to the base plate, and between the chamfered edges of the bridges, the golden gear train can be seen. The movement is hand wound obviously, which contributes to its thinness at a mere 3.9mm. It features 42 jewels and offers a 40 hour power reserve while the twin balances oscillate at 21,600vph, or 3Hz. This is undoubtedly a highly refined movement, but compared to the depth of detail offered by the skeletonized dial, the reverse side of this movement almost feels like a letdown.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Despite the large 44mm case, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton wears quite well, with its slim 9.89mm profile easily slipping under a shirt cuff and the tapered lugs nicely hugging the wrist. The case is made of 4N rose gold and the sapphire crystal has anti-reflective coating on both sides to help eliminate distracting reflections. The watch is water resistant to 30m, and comes with a hand-stitched brown or black alligator strap. My mind went to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre models, but where they offer twin barrels regulated by the same balance wheel, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton goes full monoblock mode for each dial, if the Hi-Fi analogy is in any way apt for describing a wristwatch.

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Minor legibility and aesthetic caveats aside, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton is a handsome watch that manages to walk the fine line between attention-seeking and refinement with its bold, yet slim case and gold-on-silver palette. A ton of functionality is on offer for travelers who can utilize the well-executed GMT complication, and lovers of mechanical watches are rewarded with views of those double balance wheels with every glance at the wrist. It’s great to see the historic name of Arnold & Son still producing timepieces which push the boundaries of movement design, and do so in a well executed, thoughtful way. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton watch is being offered in a limited run of 30 pieces, with an asking price of $38,850. arnoldandson.com

For Baselworld 2017, Arnold & Son unveiled yet another masterfully skeletonized watch that carries the brand’s conceptual DNA forward. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton is the most recent addition to the DBG (Double-Balance GMT) set which we reviewed the first, non-skeletonized version of in greater detail back in 2013. For all those unfamiliar with this particular piece, it’s basically two movements which share a winding system, housed in 1 watch. Skeletonized, this watch looks amazing and is the perfect example of Arnold & Son’s persistent progress.First, a tiny bit more about Arnold & Son’s DBG system. Every time screen is powered with its own barrel, using its equipment train, escapement, and balance, while sharing one winding system. Even though this isn’t necessarily unprecedented, due to the offsets of the shared components compared to the independent components, it isn’t always pretty, and rarely skeletonized. However, with the DBG Skeleton, we see almost perfect symmetry about the dial along with caseback.The unusual nature of the in-house A&S1309 movement permits for a few added mechanical and functional benefits. For instance, because of the separate barrel, gear train, and escapement/balance, the GMT purpose includes a “moments” hand rather than the standard 24-hour counter just. Each time zone screen in the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton can be put to incremental quarters of this hour. So for some Indian, Australian, and Canadian time zones that are off by half-hours, for instance, the watch can account for this. Moreover, the Equation of Time screen at 12 o’clock decides the gap between each display, as well as whether it is night or day in the second time zone. The A&S1309 beats at 21,600bph and comes with a 40-hour power book.

Who Makes The Best Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Replica Watches Essentials


Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

It was back in 2013 when Arnold & Son briefly held the title of producing the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch – the UTTE, “Ultra Thin Tourbillon Escapement.” It was maybe a year later that that title was passed to another brand which was able to produce a tourbillon-based wrist watch with a bit more size shaved off the top (as though it matters in timepieces this thin). As far as I know, the current title holder of the “world’s thinnest tourbillon watch” goes to Bulgari with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon (hands-on here).

Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

With that said, buying a tourbillon watch shouldn’t be about it setting records, but rather about beauty and wearing enjoyment. Being the thinnest or merely “very thin” is good enough for the Arnold & Son UTTE, which is a thoroughly handsome and enjoyable watch to wear (as I mentioned in my aBlogtoWatch watch review here). With a movement that is just 2.97mm thick and a case that is just 8.34mm thick, the UTTE wearing experience is very impressive.

For 2015, Arnold & Son has released two new limited edition versions of the UTTE known as the Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche I and the UTTE Guilloche II. Each of these timepieces has a guilloche engraved dial that compliments the models well. It is actually rather common for Arnold & Son to offer new versions of existing models at the higher-end of their product spectrum that add guilloche machine engraving for additional decorative value.

Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

The case measures in at 44mm, will probably be available in rose gold, also is water-resistant around 30m. The dial is totally skeletonized with dual accounts set against C?tes de Genève stripes, giving a nice contrast and extra symmetry. The time zone signs, as with previous models, differ with Arabic and Roman numerals from an increasingly popular smoked backdrop. I believe these include an eclectic touch to virtually equal halves of the watch. Since the movement does contain independent time zone components, every time zone is handled by its crown, or “ears” as some enthusiasts refer to them, at 3 and 9 o’clock. Every time zone is placed with its personal crown, while the watch is wrapped solely from the crown at 3 o’clock. It manages to exhibit the complex and impressive details of quite a complex timepiece without delving into the “too busy” category that many tend to fall into if tackling such a complex endeavor. While I could definitely find a white gold or platinum alternative later on, I think this is a welcome addition to the group, and one I would be eager to wear. 1DGAP. S10A.C120P is going to be limited to 30 bits and will carry a price of $38,850 which is actually a couple thousand dollars less than what the original DBG watch in gold price.

One of the reasons that I continue to appreciate the UTTE watch collection is because of how well it captures some of the elements discerning watch lovers are interested in apart from the brand name on the dial. It is simply too easy to get a high-end watch by a “big name” brand and call it a day. Arnold & Son is a smaller watch maker but one with a lot of heart. I like the idea that when people get their watches it is for the design and the craftsmanship versus just the name on the dial. In other words, anyone can go out and get a Patek Philippe (for example), but it takes a real degree of connoisseurship to get involved with something like an Arnold & Son.

Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

Proportionally and symmetrically, the UTTE is a very handsome timepiece. The two new Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche models come in 18k red gold cases which are 42mm wide. That means a broad, flatter fit on the wrist. The dial consists of an upper subdial for the hours and minutes and a lower window for the large 14mm-wide diameter tourbillon (which doubles as a seconds hand). The two subsidiary dials together sort of form a figure eight which is interesting and also offers a symmetrical look to the face. On all versions thus far, the extra space on the face is used for decorative purposes, a concept which has been enhanced a bit for the Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche I and Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche II watches.

Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

Even the watch faces are in solid 18k gold, but are first machine guilloche engraved and then toned “silvery-white.” Unlike the arguably “subtle” decoration on the face of the original UTTE, the face decoration on the Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche watches is much more apparent and part of the overall presentation. More so, the guilloche decoration does not take away from the ability for the wearer to read the dial for the time or view the spinning tourbillon.

Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

Inside the Arnold & Son UTTE watches are in-house made (by La Joux-Perret, where Arnold & Son watches are produced) caliber A&S8200 manually-wound mechanical movements. The A&S8200 operates at 3Hz with about 90 hours of power reserve. A power reserve indicator on the rear of the movement seen through the sapphire crystal exhibition caseback window would have been a nice touch. I tend to be very hard on high-end manually wound movements that do not include power reserve indicators these days. I am starting to believe that these are must-haves for many luxury mechanical manually wound movements. However, even if the power runs out in the Arnold & Son UTTE, the watch only indicates the time, so resetting it shouldn’t be a big deal at all.

Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

The flying tourbillon is attractive to look at, and the movement does exhibit a lot of nice textures and finishes. There is hand-finishing, but one area that I think Arnold & Son could improve on in the future is to increase the amount and quality of hand finishing in the movements it creates. A close eye sees some of the finishing as a bit more “industrial” than picky connoisseurs might expect. Nothing about the A&S8200 movement is a disappointment, but I like the brand enough to want a maximum “wow” effect when skilled enthusiasts take a close look at their products and movements.

As each Arnold & Son UTTE watch is a limited edition, the new versions of the watches aren’t so much about appealing to the same consumer as they are about giving new collectors a reason to get an Arnold & Son UTTE if they haven’t already done so. There is nothing revolutionary about the design, but the Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche might be “the” UTTE you’ve been waiting for.

Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche Tourbillon Watches Hands-On Hands-On

The brand is producing the Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche in two version as the reference 1UTAR.S08A.C120A Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche I and the reference 1UTAR.S09A.C120A Arnold & Son UTTE Guilloche II. Each version is limited to 28 pieces with a price of $76,250 (a slight premium over the existing models). arnoldandson.com

Cheap Wholesale Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon Watch Replica Suppliers


Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son produces some beautiful moon phase watches, and there’s a new piece in the collection with a new twist. Building on the HM Hemisphere Perpetual Moon model, the Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon watch joins the brand’s Royal Collection. With a second three-dimensional moon, the Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon watch maintains the visual appeal of previous models but affords the wearer a view of the moon from both the northern and southern hemispheres. The elegant golden constellations along with the gorgeous blue guilloché dial make sure this piece fits in just perfectly with the rest of the line and the brand as a whole.

Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon Watch Watch Releases

Measuring in at 42mm, the Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon case is offered in 18 karat red gold, though perhaps in the future a stainless steel variant will be offered. In any case, the gold with the deep blue guilloché dial is just simply beautiful. The three-dimensional moons themselves are 11.2mm, and are joined by the gold stars resulting in an absolutely mesmerizing look. Regal is the word to describe this dial, and Arnold & Son have produced a piece that will make fans absolutely salivate.

Skeletonizing a watch is not an easy feat. And it’s doubly difficult for an ultra-thin movement, mainly because the movement is already so sparse that eliminating any more substance is likely to influence structural rigidity. Because of this, the A&S8200 calibre from the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch had to be thoroughly redesigned and re-engineered. The result is the A&S8220 calibre, which steps 3.3mm thick. The additional thickness, based on Arnold & Son, is necessary to ensure rigidity as they hunted to skeletonized the motion. However, let’s face it, 3.3mm for a tourbillon motion with two barrels and a power reserve of 90 hours is badly impressive.The brand new A&S8220 calibre boasts a few significant revisions. For instance, the main plate has been greatly modified to reveal as much as you can of their inner workings. But perhaps what is visible to owners is that the tourbillon cage was completely reworked to show off more of the mechanism while retaining the three-dimensional design that has become a signature of the earlier Arnold & Son UTTE watch. Additionally, the tourbillon cage is relatively large as compared to the motion. This implies it’s the single most dominating component of the dial, and in addition to that is the fact that the cage is fully hand-polished and chamfered, which makes it a true visual treat for owners.And as you’d expect, the A&S8220 calibre is also treated to the best haute horlogerie completing: The principal plate and bridges have been constructed using nickel silver and finished with C?tes de Genève rayonnantes; The borders are also polished and chamfered; The steel parts, components, and ratchets are satin-finished with their edges polished and chamfered; The screws have bevelled and polished heads, and ultimately, the jewels are placed in polished countersinks; Reading of the time is performed off a sapphire disc with printed numerals at 12 o’clock; The hour and minute hands are golden and characteristic white lacquered hints.

Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon Watch Watch Releases

The Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon’s crystal is anti-reflective sapphire and the case back allows for more accurate adjustments to the moon phase by showing a third moon during eight different stages. Once set, the accuracy should hold for 122 years, after which a simple adjustment will guarantee it for another 122 years. The hand-wound movement is an Arnold & Son manufacture A&S1512 which beats at 21,600 bph with a 90-hour power reserve. The movement itself is 5.35mm thick and features 27 jewels, while the case is rated for 30 meters of water resistance. As if the case back weren’t beautiful enough, the Côtes de Genève shown throughout the movement is just lovely.

Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon Watch Watch Releases

The Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon comes with either a brown or black hand-stitched alligator strap and is sure to grab the eye of many a watch lover. The Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon watch is priced at $30,500arnoldandson.com

How Much Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Replica Watches Free Shipping


Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Sales & Auctions

Auctions are best suited to the sale of unique items that aren’t otherwise available on the market. For that reason, I always look forward to the interesting watches that are donated to the Only Watch auction series which is currently being run by the auction house Christie’s. Only Watch is an event that we’ve covered a lot over the years on aBlogtoWatch, and the next installment of this biennial auction sale will happen in Geneva on November 11th, 2017.

The Only Watch auction series isn’t as strong an event as it used to be, but its main theme continues to be respected. The idea is that watch brands submit unique watches made especially to be donated and sold at the auction. These are unique prototypes or are the first in a limited-edition series. The proceeds (minus all sorts of fees, I am sure) are to be given to Association Monegasque Contre le Myopathies (AMM) whose goal is to fund medical research to help treat a form of muscular dystrophy.

Only Watch is only as strong as the watches which are donated by watch brands. These are tax write-offs as well as a way to get publicity and an ego boost. Brands love to see their products go under the gavel and get bought up by collectors. With that said, there is nothing to stop brands from bidding on their own watches either directly or via a proxy. So, in my opinion, the actual numerical value of what the watches end up going for at the auction should be taken with a grain of salt. That same philosophy should be applied to the results of any auction, as they merely represent what one buyer, who happened to be present, was willing to do on that day.

This year, Only Watch decided to debut all of the watch auction lots on the same day, which is a departure from their more traditional tactic of slowly releasing watches over a several-week or several-month period. Nevertheless, certain brands didn’t quite get their acts together and get stuff done on time. I will go into that a bit more below. Another semi-new element to the auction is that many of the auction lots include an experience such as a trip or special meeting – along with the watch, of course. These experiences (which are not attached to all the lots, should help liven up the bidding quite a bit when the experiences prove as interesting as the timepieces.

Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Sales & Auctions

A total of 49 lots will be auctioned off during the event in November that, unfortunately, won’t be able to benefit from the glitz of having an event in Monaco itself. With that said, the watches (well, the complete ones) will be traveling around the world “on tour” so that potential buyers can check them out. Click the link above to see if you are in one of the nine cities that will have the watches there for a few days at a time starting at the end of September 2017.

In the video that is embedded in this article, you can hear myself and David Bredan talk about all 49 of the watches/clocks. We spend just a few moments on each in order to bring you our take. This year’s lots aren’t bad as wearable items, but leave much to be desired when it comes to actually being interesting or unique. Allow me to go over some of the most interesting and important lots from Only Watch 2017. For a full list of the watches along with technical specifications and auction price estimates check out the watches at the Only Watch website.

Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Sales & Auctions

Patek Philippe always uses this occasion to release a one-of-a-kind version with a titanium or steel case of an existing watch they produce or have produced. This year’s model is a bit more on the conservative side, but is very high-end and will easily be the auction’s top lot with a price that is almost guaranteed to be over a million dollars. The watch is the Patek Philippe 5208T-010, which is a version in titanium on a blue cordura strap of their perpetual calendar chronograph minute repeater. At 42mm wide, this is among the larger timepieces that Patek Philippe makes – and of course, it is considered to be a “grand complication,” which means it is far more exclusive than more standard Patek Philippe products. The 5208 is a really nifty Patek Philippe, and this version – like all the titanium or steel models for Only Watch – will be coveted by collectors.

Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Sales & Auctions

Audemars Piguet offers a blue-dialed version of its all black ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar as the reference 26599CE.OO.1225CE.01. Audemars Piguet also points out that the caseback and the oscillating weight (rotor) on the movement are also ceramic – which I believe is a first for the ceramic Royal Oak models. It will go for a fair amount of money, but nothing mind-blowing, in my opinion. This is just another uncommon (in this instance, unique) watch for one of the world’s many Audemars Piguet fans.

For Baselworld 2017, Arnold & Son unveiled yet another masterfully skeletonized watch which carries the brand’s conceptual DNA forward. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton is the newest addition to the DBG (Double-Balance GMT) collection that we reviewed the first, non-skeletonized version of in greater detail here back in 2013. For those unfamiliar with this particular piece, it has essentially two motions which share a winding system, housed in 1 watch. Skeletonized, this view looks incredible and is the perfect illustration of Arnold & Son’s relentless progress.First, a little bit more about Arnold & Son’s DBG system. Every time display is powered by its own barrel, with its own gear train, escapement, and equilibrium, while sharing one winding system. Even though this isn’t always unprecedented, due to the offsets of the shared elements when compared with the independent parts, it isn’t always pretty, and rarely skeletonized. But with all the DBG Skeleton, we see almost perfect symmetry on the dial and caseback.The unusual nature of the in-house A&S1309 movement allows for a few added mechanical and practical advantages. For example, because of the distinct barrel, gear train, and escapement/balance, the GMT function comprises a “moments” hand instead of the standard 24-hour counter only. Each time zone screen from the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton can be put to incremental quarters of the hour. So for some Indian, Australian, and Canadian time zones which are off by half-hours, for instance, the watch may account for that. Moreover, the Equation of Time display at 12 o’clock decides the gap between each screen, in addition to whether it’s night or day in the next time zone. The A&S1309 beats at 21,600bph and comes with a 40-hour power reserve.
Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Sales & Auctions

The last Only Watch auction was the first that Tudor participated in, and even though their watch was among the lowest when it came to the auction estimate, it went for a really high price. Once again, Tudor comes to Only Watch with a small change on an existing model which is a lefty version with an olive green bezel and dial of the Tudor Heritage Black Bay Bronze. They call it the Black Bay Bronze One, and it is the reference 7925/001. It isn’t the most amazing thing in the world, but it is pretty and it should attract a price likely several times what the stock Black Bay Bronze goes for. With the Tudor watch comes the experience of being invited to the Tudor headquarters in Geneva – a place that is normally not open to guests.

Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Sales & Auctions

Ulysse Nardin’s Only Watch 2017 entrant isn’t all that original either, but pleasant enough, with a steel-cased version of the Marine Tourbillon known as the Ulysse Nardin Marine Tourbillon Only Watch. It has the same type of engraved and then blue enamel painted dial as this Ulysse Nardin Classic watch – so it should be truly striking in person. I would love one of these if I had the money.

Our Take On The Timepieces To Be Sold At The Only Watch 2017 Charity Auction Sales & Auctions

I have a feeling that the second most valuable watch at Only Watch 2017 will be the piece submitted by F.P. Journe. Interestingly enough, there are two watches in the auction with movements produced by F.P. Journe’s Geneva factory. The F.P. Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante (chronograph monopusher split second) is likely going to be very nice looking in person. It begins with a unique tantalum case that is 44mm wide (bigger than pretty much anything F.P. Journe makes) and has a dial that is “blue chrome” with orange and yellow accents. The watch’s movement is further extremely beautiful being the caliber 1517 and was apparently developed just for the Only Watch 2017 auction. That makes it one of the few unique movements for the event. This watch has “half a million bucks” written all over it.

Top Quality Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Replica Clearance


Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

In a bold effort that pays homage to one of the most historically significant chronometers – the John Arnold pocket chronometer No. 1/36 – Arnold & Son has just announced the new Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal. A followup to the Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 announced during Baselworld 2017, this new version introduces dark grey and rose gold tones that serve to enhance the visual beauty and complexity of a watch that showcases the brand’s technical prowess. More importantly, the watch features a new stainless steel case with anthracite DLC coating to achieve the pronounced gunmetal look. While the inspiration for the watch is arguably one of the most important classical timepieces in the brand’s history, this model is far more contemporary in its execution and design.

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

The original “Arnold 36” chronometer was not only the first pocket watch by John Arnold to use a larger movement with the “T” balance, but also the first to be called a “chronometer” for its superior timekeeping capabilities. This was, of course, before the COSC affiliation that term is known for today. Rather than fully replicate the piece visually, however, Arnold & Son has created something striking and modern with a movement that essentially takes place of the dial completely. Aside from the Arnold 36 chronometer, Arnold & Son is also paying tribute to the old English gunsmith tradition, which is closely related to traditional watchmaking and shares many common techniques.

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

The case itself is large at 46mm, which is appropriate considering how much there is to appreciate on the dial side. Everything is on display and demonstrates some of the most lavishly decorated components the brand is capable of producing. The main pivoting elements such as the wheels, barrels, the tourbillon, and others are each mounted on their own bridge. The triangular, multilevel bridges (no less than thirteen) are mostly skeletonized, providing a more contemporary sense of three-dimensional depth to the entire timepiece. The inner dial bezel is also Rhodium treated with black indexes and water resistance is generous at 30m.

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

Inside, the COSC-certified calibre A&S8600 operates at 4Hz with the help of a double barrel system that ensure 90 hours of power reserve when fully wound. It’s manually wound, with a main plate and bridges treated with a golden coating, echoing the aesthetics of the historical pocket watches made by John Arnold. The heart of the watch, the tourbillon, features a traditional construction with a top bridge, while the mirror-polished cage has the signature Arnold & Son three-spoke design, making a complete turn in 60 seconds.

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

The main plate is also set with mirror-polished 18k gold chatons and the wheels in the gear train are embellished with circular satin finishing with chamfered and polished edges. Even the screws are beveled and feature mirror-polished heads. While complex in its execution, the movement allows for an elegant and simple time-only display with running seconds. Other features include a dual AR-coated sapphire crystal and a sapphire display caseback.

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

Tourbillon Chronometer No.36 Specifications

  • Calibre: A&S8600. Manufacture Arnold & Son calibre, hand-wound, 33 jewels, diameter 37.8 mm, thickness 5.9 mm, power reserve 90 h, double barrel, 4 Hz / 28’800, COSC-certified
  • Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, tourbillon
  • Movement decoration: Nickel-silver and steel movement, 5N red gold treated bridges and main plate with Haute Horlogerie finishing: sand blasted bridges with chamfered and polished edges, 18k gold chatons, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads Tourbillon cage: mirror-polished with hand-chamfered polished edges and circular satin-finished surfaces
  • Dial: Inner bezel Rhodium treated with black indexes
  • Case: Stainless steel with anthracite DLC coating, diameter 46 mm, cambered sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both sides, see-through sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 30m

Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal Watch Watch Releases

The motion is merely 4.4mm thick and also operates at 3Hz (21,600bph) and indicates that the time at a subdial using the seconds in a lesser, smaller subsidiary dial. For the steel version of this Time Pyramid, Arnold & Son coats much of the motion bridges at “NAC Gray” for its darker appearance which contrasts nicely with the blue tones of the hands and screws in addition to the lighter silver-colored wheels and gears. Don’t miss all of the hand-decoration such as the chamfered and polished bridges. The overall look is quite fine, and with the newest style of sapphire crystal caseback the whole demonstration of the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid steel is much better than ever.With the hand-stitched black alligator strap, this Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Translucent Back watch looks fantastic on the wrist, especially due to how much of your wrist you can’t see. The added element of fixing the sapphire crystal caseback is minor but very effective, and I can not really see people needing to go back to completely clear sapphire crystals on fully skeletonized dial watches (unless they’re working on very interesting wrist tans). Price for this reference 1TPAS. In 2013, Arnold & Son raised eyebrows with their Ultra-thin Tourbillon Escapement “UTTE” watch which, back then, was the planet’s thinnest tourbillon watch. The opinion was only 8.34mm thick and placed the calibre A&S8200 which steps just 2.97mm thick. Even though it has since lost the name of thinnest tourbillon see to the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon (hands-on here), the UTTE still remains an impressive masterpiece.

The Arnold & Son Tourbillon Chronometer No. 36 Gunmetal is a limited edition of 28 pieces with a retail price of 36,400 CHF (excluding VAT). You can learn more by visiting the official Arnold & Son website. arnoldandson.com

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High End Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Replica At Best Price


Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

In 2013, Arnold & Son managed the incredible feat of creating a super thin tourbillon watch called the Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement, or simply, the UTTE watch. The watch was just 8.34mm thick, while the movement itself was a scant 2.97mm thick. Though it has lost the title of the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch to the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, that hasn’t stopped Arnold & Son from improving its UTTE watch. Earlier this year, they debuted the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch, which claims the title of world’s thinnest skeleton tourbillon watch.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Creating an ultra-thin watch is no easy feat. First of all (and obviously), there’s the difficulty of manufacturing components to be as thin as they can possibly be. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, there’s the need to ensure that while the watch is as thin as it can be, reliability and practicality are not adversely affected. As the watch and its components become thinner, they can also become less sturdy and resistant to outside forces. In other words, they might be more susceptible to being flexed and damaged.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

The case itself is big at 46mm, which is appropriate considering how much there is to love on the dial side. Everything is on screen and demonstrates some of the most densely populated components the manufacturer is capable of producing. The primary pivoting elements like the wheels, barrels, the tourbillon, and others are mounted on their bridge. The triangular, multilevel bridges (no less than thirteen) are mostly skeletonized, providing a more contemporary sense of three-dimensional depth to the full timepiece. The inner dial bezel can also be Rhodium treated with black indexes and water resistance is generous at 30m. It is manually wound, using a main plate and bridges treated using a golden coating, echoing the aesthetics of the historic pocket watches created by John Arnold. The heart of the watch, the tourbillon, features a traditional construction with a high bridge, while the mirror-polished cage gets the signature Arnold & Son three-spoke layout, which makes a complete turn in 60 seconds.The primary plate can also be set with mirror-polished 18k gold chatons and the brakes in the gear train are embellished with circular satin finishing with chamfered and polished edges. Even the screws have been beveled and contain mirror-polished heads. Though complex in its implementation, the movement allows for a tasteful and easy time-only screen with running moments. Other features include a dual AR-coated sapphire crystal and a sapphire display caseback.In recent years, Arnold & Son have launched several bits that are only marvels of watchmaking. Pieces such as the Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement (hands-on) along with the Time Pyramid (hands-on) and this, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton view, which offers a Dual Balance and GMT disadvantage (that is where the acronym DBG originates) along with an impressively symmetrical movement shown off in full with a skeletonized dial and exhibition caseback.

Skeletonizing an already super-thin movement is therefore doubly hard – mainly because removing any more material is bound to affect structural rigidity. As a result, the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch’s A&S8220 calibre is actually slightly thicker than the A&S8200 calibre in the original UTTE watch. The new A&S8220 calibre measures 3.3mm thick, which is roughly 0.3mm thicker. Arnold & Son says the extra thickness is necessary to ensure that the movement doesn’t flex while on the wrist.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Nevertheless, let’s not kid ourselves, a thickness of 3.3mm is still seriously impressive for a skeletonized tourbillon movement with two barrels and a power reserve of 90 hours, or nearly 4 days. While the movement is thicker, Arnold & Son has managed to keep the overall thickness of the watch case the same. That means the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch is just 8.34mm thick, the same as the first UTTE watch.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

On the wrist, the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch is as you would expect, that is to say it wears extremely thin and is very light. It sits comfortably on the wrist too, partly because of the well-made hand-stitched brown alligator strap, and partly because the case tapers toward the case back. The taper also accentuates the thinness of the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch. Despite these little features, with its 42mm-wide 5N red gold case, the UTTE Skeleon watch still has an impressive wrist presence. Partly, this is also because of its rather large tourbillon cage.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

One of the revisions made to the new A&S8220 calibre is that the tourbillon cage has been reworked as well to show off more of the mechanism while retaining the three-dimensional design that has become a signature of the earlier Arnold & Son UTTE watch. Furthermore, the tourbillon cage measures 14mm across, while the movement is just 32mm. This makes the tourbillon the single most visually commanding component of the skeletonized dial. And as if it needed any help to stand out even more, the entire tourbillon cage is hand-polished and chamfered, which means it shines like a star when shown off in the right light.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

And you would expect, the rest of the movement has been finished to an extremely high standard as well. The main plate and bridges are made of German Silver and decorated with finely executed Côtes de Genève. The edges of the main plates and bridges have also been finely chamfered and polished by hand. The screw are polished and the screws and jewels all sit snugly in polished countersinks. It’s a real visual treat for any mechanical watch enthusiast, and the fact that the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch is skeletonized means its lucky owners won’t have to turn it around to be able to admire all the excellent handiwork that has gone into the watch.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Hands-On Hands-On

On the flip side, legibility has been slightly affected since now there is no real dial to speak of. The hands on the first UTTE watch were already small, but now that there is no dial to provide contrast, the hands of the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch, which are gold and have white lacquered tips, are harder to see over the sapphire disc with printed hour numerals. Still, that’s a small price to pay to be able to see the Arnold & Son’s A&S8220 calibre in all of its mechanical glory. The Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton is limited to just 50 pieces, and the price is $76,750arnoldandson.com

Best Place To Buy TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Replica Guide Trusted Dealers


TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

Today, investment-backed TrueFacet.com introduces the TrueFacet Boutique as an authorized online store for a growing list of high-end luxury watch brands (more brands will be added in the coming months according to the company). This is big news because most luxury watch brands, especially the more exclusive independent ones, have traditionally shunned internet sales for their timepiece goods, preferring instead more “traditional” distribution and sales models through brick and mortar boutiques. Old ways of doing business are changing rapidly as old-school watchmakers are increasingly trusting new, competent companies like TrueFacet and their colleagues to help them do business in modern times.

Many of the internet’s best watch sales firms continue to operate outside of “authorized dealer” channels. TrueFacet for example began as (and continues to be) a curated digital dealer of pre-owned watches and jewelry from big brand names. Other high-performance online watch sales firms are gray market dealers who sell new watches that initial (authorized) dealers can’t manage to sell first. While there are many good examples of online sales for watchmakers, the big news here is that TrueFacet has just taken a major step forward into being a major online authorized dealer. For the most part, other authorized watch sales online happen directly from the brand themselves.

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

Many individuals on the watchmaker side of the industry felt that the utility of third-party retailers might be made redundant by the internet’s ability to match customer and brand directly. In reality however, it has been the odd brand out who has proven itself as being able to run a profitable direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. Most watchmakers who sell direct to consumers online, bypassing traditional retailers, do not achieve the success they are hoping for, for two reasons. The first reason is that most of these brands do not understand digital marketing, and thus do not advertise and communicate very well.

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

The second reason that most brand-direct e-commerce stores do not perform is because of the availability of discounted merchandise available online. This is where the gray market plays a powerful role. If a brand sells their $8,000 full-retail watch on their website, but the same watch is available for $6,500 from a gray market website, data strongly suggests that the consumer will go with the $6,500 option assuming the latter retailer appears to have a modicum of positive reputation. More practically, TrueFacet offers 24/7 customer service, logistics, as well as user behavior data that they intended to share with their retail brand partners. Such data is intended to help these brands better understand how their watches perform, as well as what watch collectors appear to be in search of.

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

The TrueFacet Boutique online authorized watch store will launch selling the following diverse assortment of watch brands:

  • Bovet
  • Manufacture Royal
  • Arnold & Son
  • Fendi Timepieces
  • Les Artisans De Geneve
  • HYT
  • Frederique Constant
  • Faberge Watches
  • Tutima

The TrueFacet Boutique will have varying agreements with its partner brands, but in some instances will have territorial exclusivity. Meaning that TrueFacet will be the exclusive United States retailer of many of the brands that it is an authorized dealer of. That means each watch comes complete with a valid manufacturer’s warranty, and buying from TrueFacet will be the same as buying from a traditional brick and mortar store (without the going into the store part).

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

TrueFacet also seems to suggest that their model will not be a threat to brick and mortar retailers who may also carry the same brands. Part of this plan is to reduce gray market inventory, which allows for rampant discounting to happen. If TrueFacet is the only dealer in such a large territory, and agrees to keep retail prices consistent, the availability of gray market stock should be extremely limited. With that said, according to TrueFacet, more than 65% of watch and jewelry sales will happen online within a period of five years from now.

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

In addition to announcing that the TrueFacet Boutique is now an authorized dealer of nine brands, it will also now start to sell certified pre-owned watches. Pre-owned has been a hot area in watch sales, and certified pre-owned watches are used watches that are certified (in some instances with the original manufacturer’s seal of approval) to work, and be in particularly good order. More so, the best part about certified pre-owned watches is that like new watches, certified pre-owned watches will come with a warranty – fulfilled by TrueFacet.

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

This type of news is of particular interest to me as I’ve been eager to see the traditional luxury watch industry find better formulas for working online. The reality is that most watch lovers conduct the majority of their research online, discover new watches online, connect with other collectors online, and also purchase watches online. The real-life experience of being a watch collector can never be entirely replaced on the internet – but it is where people seem to prefer doing the majority of their transactions and connections.

One of the greatest issues when it comes to precision is moderating the source of power to the regulating organ of this timepiece (in this scenario, the tourbillon featured in the lower right quadrant of the dial). The mainspring, like any part of this size, is susceptible to particular molecular inconsistencies obtained during the creation procedure. Any internal or external inconsistency could lead to a fluctuation of power delivered to the gear train. And that’s before one even believes the extreme drop-off in torque once the mainspring satisfactorily uncoils. As the mainspring winds down, the total amount of power delivered into the escapement dips. This can possibly play havoc with the timekeeping, so Arnold & Son have tried to eliminate this error by installing a “constant-force” mechanism. The modern incarnation of the company that lay dormant for over a century is doing what it is to reconnect with the source of its inspiration.Practically talking, this element takes the location of a fuseé, which is an old-fashioned constant force complication we’ve seen on aBlogtoWatch very recently in the new Zenith Academy Georges Favre-Jacot Anniversary piece (read the review here), for instance. The first barrel forces the gear train, while the second barrel tops up the torque of the first if it drops below the best level. But their invention doesn’t stop there.
TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

More so, for a while now I’ve held a “leave it to the professionals” approach when it comes to retail and sales. Watch brands are for the most part only really good at designing and making watches – not always selling them. The wisdom of the traditional relationship was that watchmakers produced covetable items, and retailers knew how to attract customer attention and sell them items they learn to covet. No one company was responsible for manufacturing something and convincing each and every consumer to get it.

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

It is my belief that success in online watch sales requires the competition of a few multi-brand watch stores online, as opposed to a bunch of watch brands going direct. It is likely a good idea that wrist watch retail profit margins go down a bunch, but consumers are probably best served when buying from retailers who also work as distribution partners with the brands.

TrueFacet Boutique Introduces Authorized Online Sales For Luxury Watch Brands Watch Industry News

With great interest we will carefully observe and track how the wrist watch retail environment continues to evolve online. You can see how TrueFacet does it at the TrueFacet Boutique.

Can I Buy Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Is Thinnest Skeleton Tourbillon Replica Expensive


Rather than the energy from the mainspring flowing right into the escapement, it must first pass through Arnold & Son’s constant force mechanism. The controlled power supply charges a small hairspring, which releases a consistent quantity of power to the tourbillon once per second. With this mechanism, there will nevertheless come a point when the energy released by the twin barrels along with the constant force mechanism falls below a stage that is enough to keep up a normal output. When this happens, the watch stops instead of allowing an isochronal error to creep in the timekeeping.In addition to this intriguing solution, the Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon features a deadbeat moments complication, which leads to the seconds hand to “tick” instead of sweep as one may expect in a mechanical timepiece. Exceptional consistency is attained thanks to the symmetry of this motion’s construction, in addition to the fact that the continuous force escapement remains stationary through performance, whereas the tourbillon cage moves once per minute. This is in an effort to decrease the influence of gravity on the escapement’s functioning. Assuming, though, that this watch is unlikely to be worn out in the presence of strong magnetic fields (it is barely suitable for use on a building site or while flying a helicopter, for instance), the complication perfectly matches the intended application.The Arnold & Son Continuous Force Tourbillon watch is a limited variant of which only 28 will be produced. It’s a 46mm 18ct rose gold case fitted with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a sapphire display back. The A&S5119 motion has 39 stones, a depth of 6mm, a 90-hour energy reserve, and works at 21,600vph. The NAC grey mainplate and the palladium-coated bridges are made of nickel-silver and hand-finished with polished edges and brushed surfaces, gold screw-down chatons, and bevelled and polished screw heads. The movement is almost perfectly symmetrical, and all the specialized elements are visible on the dial-side. The three-dimensional movement architecture is designed to echo the English tradition of marine chronometer structure.
Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Is Thinnest Skeleton Tourbillon Watch Releases

In 2013, Arnold & Son raised eyebrows with their Ultra-thin Tourbillon Escapement “UTTE” watch which, back then, was the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch. The watch was just 8.34mm thick and housed the calibre A&S8200 which measures just 2.97mm thick. Though it has since lost the title of thinnest tourbillon watch to the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon (hands-on here), the UTTE still remains an impressive masterpiece.

Skeletonizing a watch is no easy feat. And it’s doubly hard for an ultra-thin movement, mainly because the movement is already so thin that removing any more material is bound to affect structural rigidity. As a result, the A&S8200 calibre in the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch had to be thoroughly redesigned and re-engineered. The result is the A&S8220 calibre, which measures 3.3mm thick. The extra thickness, according to Arnold & Son, is necessary to guarantee rigidity as they sought to skeletonized the movement. Still, let’s face it, 3.3mm for a tourbillon movement with two barrels and a power reserve of at least 90 hours is seriously impressive.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Is Thinnest Skeleton Tourbillon Watch Releases

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Is Thinnest Skeleton Tourbillon Watch Releases

The new A&S8220 calibre boasts some major revisions. For instance, the main plate has been heavily modified to reveal as much as possible of the inner workings. But perhaps what’s most visible to owners is that the tourbillon cage has been totally reworked to show off more of the mechanism while retaining the three-dimensional design that has become a signature of the earlier Arnold & Son UTTE watch. In addition, the tourbillon cage is relatively large as compared to the movement. It measures 14mm across, while the movement itself is 32mm. This means it’s the single most dominating component of the dial, and on top of that is the fact that the cage is fully hand-polished and chamfered, making it a real visual treat for owners.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Is Thinnest Skeleton Tourbillon Watch Releases

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Is Thinnest Skeleton Tourbillon Watch Releases

And as you would expect, the A&S8220 calibre is also treated to the finest haute horlogerie finishing: The main plate and bridges are constructed using nickel silver and finished with Côtes de Genève rayonnantes; The edges are also polished and chamfered; The steel components, gears, and ratchets are all satin-finished with their edges polished and chamfered; The screws have bevelled and polished heads, and finally, the jewels are placed in polished countersinks; Reading of the time is done off a sapphire disc with printed numerals at 12 o’clock; The hour and minute hands are golden and feature white lacquered tips.

Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton Watch Is Thinnest Skeleton Tourbillon Watch Releases

The Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton comes in a 42mm 5N red gold case, which is as exquisitely crafted as the movement. It is stepped, tapering from top to bottom. The dial part, which is the widest section, also features an extra-large sapphire glass to showcase the caliber A&S8220 in all its glory. The bottom of the case is made narrower to fit snugly on the wrist.

The Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch will be limited to just 50 pieces, and each watch will come with a hand-stitched brown or black alligator leather strap with a matching 5N red gold buckle with the Arnold & Son logo. Price is $76,750arnoldandson.com