Arnold & Son will release this interesting limited edition DSTB watch at Baselworld 2014. “DSTB” stands for “Dial Side True Beat” and is a revision on the brand non well-known TB88 watch collection. In Arnold & Son speak “true beat” means dead seconds. What is that? Well, it is what you call a mechanical watch’s second hand when it ticks versus sweeps.
Recently, we also debuted Arnold & Son’s new for 2014 DTE double tourbillon watch. I think that I like it a bit more aesthetically due to its symmetrical dial, but the DSTB is surely going to be more accessibly priced without the multiple tourbillons. My main issue with the DSTB is the name. I am getting more and more confused with Arnold & Son’s alphabet soup naming policy. Eventually, they need to choose actual names or use these acronyms for internal use only.
Although the contemporary Arnold & Son is now owned by the Citizen Group and continues to be revived in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the heritage of precision timekeeping, progress in escapement engineering, and Breguet’s influence can nevertheless be felt with this timepiece. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton essentially combines two movements, each using their own barrel, equipment train, escapement, and balance, united by a single winding system and a single centralized second hand. The two dials for house time and GMT are thus powered by their own dedicated movements, allowing each to be set independently via a dual crown in 3 and 9 o’clock. Coolness factor apart, this also includes a practical benefit in being able to place GMT time to the minute, which can be particularly beneficial when dealing with time zones offset by 30 minutes as parts of India, Australia, and Canada.In comparison to the non-skeletonized variant of this Arnold & Son DBG we analyzed previously, this incarnation sacrifices some legibility in order to better show that beautifully symmetrical movement. A ring of smoked sapphire crystal glass is employed for every dial to help bring the numerals more into focus against the busy background without completely obscuring it, and it is a clever move. GMT time can also be differentiated through the dial’s use of skeletonized hands and Roman numerals, compared to the Arabic numerals and solid palms featured on the house time dial. Unlike the previous version, the palms on the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton are gilded instead of blued, which can be visually a wonderful complement to the exposed balance wheels but also makes them hard to view at a glance.
The DSTB is true to its name, but is a bit misleading because the TB88 also had the true beat seconds hands on the dial. The only new thing that is on the dial is the small anchor element that moves with each second; that element was on the rear of the watch in the TB88. What is new, however, is the addition of automatic winding. What is interesting is the combination of elements that combine various Arnold & Son designs with a few new things taken from traditional watch movement design, such as the bridges on the dial.
Inside the DSTB watch is the in-house made Arnold & Son A&S6003 automatic movement that operates at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 50 hours. Again, the gearing is designed to give the seconds hands a dead seconds style of ticking, in an off-centered display separate from the hour and minute dial. The seconds hand actually moves across a lovely ring made from a piece of sapphire crystal.
The DSTB case is 43.5mm wide in 18k red gold only. No steel version this time around, but perhaps that is coming later. Arnold & Son is releasing this as part of their 250th anniversary collection, and that fact is rather clear on the dial– something that I am not sure needs to be there. Still, the Arnold & Son style dial for the time is easy to read and the overall piece is attractive, even if it doesn’t feel quite as compelling as some of the brands’ other models. Arnold & Son will release the DSTB watch as a limited edition of 50 pieces. Price is 44,928 Swiss Francs. arnoldandson.com
Arnold & Son DSTB technical specs:
Calibre: A&S6003
Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement, self-winding, 32 jewels, diameter 38 mm, thickness 7.39 mm, power reserve 50 h, 28,800 vibrations/h
Functions: hours, minutes, true beat seconds
Movement decoration: palladium treated with Haute Horlogerie finishing: hand-chamfered bridges and polished edges, fine circular graining and Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, dial plate NAC grey treated with large circular finishing, circular satin-finished wheels, blued screws with beveled and mirror- polished heads
True beat seconds bridges: rose gold treated, satin-finished with hand-chamfered and polished edges
Oscillating weight: rhodium treated, skeletonised with brushed surfaces
Dial: domed and white lacquered, sapphire
Case: 18-carat red gold, diameter 43.5 mm, cambered sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both sides, see-through sapphire case back, water-resistant to 30 m
Strap: hand-stitched brown or black alligator leather
Limited edition: 250th Anniversary, 50 timepieces
Reference: 1ATAR.L01A.C120A