When it comes to Arnold & Son, we’re used to thinking of them in terms of very precious designs. You can see what we mean here, but those are designs that, while lovely, might feel out of place for every day usage. If you’ve been holding out hope for a solid everyday sport watch option, you can take a breath. The Arnold & Son Longitude Titanium is here, and it’s ready to go.
The case and bracelet
If you want a watch that’s ready for daily wear, you have to start from a solid foundation. Here, that would be titanium. It’s a light and tough material, so day-to-day life will suit it. The finishes are also alternated, with a brushed grain being the primary look. I like this for the simple fact that a brushed finish hides fingerprints, as well as any dings or scratches you might get. Still, there are polished bevels and edges here, so it gets that hint of sparkle that lets it dress up.
The bracelet also hides another surprise – there are no straight edges to it. Well, ok, that’s some marketing speak. Obviously the edges of the bracelet are straight lines. However, the vast majority of the lines are rounded. The links themselves are domed, which softens the otherwise hard edges of the metal.
The dial of the Arnold & Son Longitude Titanium
If you’re making a daily wear sport watch, you need yourself a clean, legible dial. The Arnold & Son Longitude Titanium definitely has that. The main dial surface (done in one of three colors) has a vertical brushed finish. This dial blank then becomes a perfect platform for the broad handset to spin over, pointing at the applied indices.
To add a few complications, you’ve got the running seconds at 6 o’clock. I’m not a big proponent of subdials, but I do like have that indication that yes, the watch is indeed running. Another indicator of that would be a power reserve. Here, that takes the form of the fuel gage at the 12 o’clock position. All told, this is a good set of indications that will keep you going.
The movement
While the dial of the Arnold & Son Longitude Titanium can feel subdued – when compared to their other watches – the movement side brings the razzle-dazzle. There are a number of different finishing techniques, which all catch the light differently. Spinning over all of that, you’ve got red gold rotor keeping things wound, while doing it’s best not to obscure the movement.
Wrapping things up
If you can’t tell, I’m definitely a bit taken by the Arnold & Son Longitude Titanium. If there was going to be one luxury watch to rule them all in my watch box, it would be a watch like this. It gets the job done with sublime excellence that belies the toughness of the titanium. The golden dial is indeed a limited edition (of 88 pieces) and commands CHF 22,600. Meanwhile the blue (my favorite) and green dials can be had for CHF 21,500. We won’t say it’s a bargain – even with the extra straps it comes with – but wow, what a lovely piece. If you want to commemorate a milestone and not get the same “crown” that all the dudebros have, this is an excellent path to take. arnoldandson.com
Arnold & Son Longitude Titanium Tech Specs
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve
- Movement
- Calibre: A&S6302, self-winding mechanical, COSC-certified
- Jewels: 36
- Diameter: 33.00 mm
- Thickness: 6.65 mm
- Power reserve: 60 hours
- Frequency: 4 Hz/28,000 vph
- Finishes
- mainplate: palladium finish, circular-grained
- bridges: palladium finish, polished and chamfered, ‘Rayons de la Gloire’ motif
- wheels: golden finish, circular satin-finished
- screws: blued and chamfered, mirror-polished heads
- oscillating weight: 22-carat red gold (5N), skeletonised, chamfered, engraved
- Dial:
- Kingsand gold, ocean blue or fern green PVD treatment, vertical satin finish
- power reserve: blue PVD treatment, golden finish or rhodium-plating, mirror-polished
- small seconds: snailed
- hour-markers: rhodium-plated or golden finish, coated with Super-LumiNova
- hands: rhodium-plated or golden finish, skeletonised, coated with Super-LumiNova
- Case
- Material: titanium
- Diameter: 42.5 mm
- Thickness: 12.25 mm (with crystal)
- Crystal: sapphire, anti-reflective coating on both sides
- Case back: sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating
- Water-resistance: 10 bar (100 m/330 ft)
- Interchangeable bracelet: titanium, folding clasp
- Additional strap: blue or green rubber, titanium pin buckle
- References
- Kingsand gold: 1LTAT.J01A.N001U
- ocean blue: 1LTAT.U01A.N001U
- fern green: 1LTAT.F01A.N001U
- Limited edition
- Kingsand gold: 88 timepieces
- ocean blue: not limited
- fern green: not limited
- Swiss retail price
- Kingsand gold: CHF 22,600 incl. VAT (subject to change)
- ocean blue: CHF 21,500 incl. VAT (subject to change)
- fern green: CHF 21,500 incl. VAT (subject to change)
