Well, I guess this week has turned into a bit of a focus on the luxury side of the watch world. Don’t worry, we’re not losing our focus (or appreciation) for the affordable and independent watches out there. It’s just that there have been a number of interesting high-end releases lately, including the Arnold & Son Globetrotter Platinum.
Arnold & Son have released a number of eye-catching (if not quite everyday wear) sorts of designs over the years. We’ve written about the Globetrotter previously (seen here). Previous releases have been in steel and gold, and now we’re rounding things out with platinum. For my own personal color palette preferences, I do rather like the platinum here, as I feel it plays so well against the the blues and silvers of the dial.
The rather amazing thing about the Arnold & Son Globetrotter Platinum – aside from that high sapphire dome arcing over the center bridge – is how they do the lume on this model. The hands glow in the dark, as do the hour indices that are applied to the dial. You also get the coastal outlines in the center of the dial done up, almost like you’ve got bioluminescent algae ringing things. As before, this just makes me unreasonably happy with the design. As with the other non-steel version, pricing has leapt up quite a bit. For the 28 pieces they’re making of the watch, you’re looking at a touch over $70,000 (depending on exchange rates). Check out the details below, and over at arnoldandson.com
Tech Specs from Arnold & Son
- Functions: hours, minutes, world time (24-hour ring)
- Movement
- Calibre: A&S6022, self-winding mechanical
- Jewels: 29
- Diameter: 39.00 mm
- Thickness: 6.55 mm
- Power reserve: 45 hours
- Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
- Decoration
- main plate: circular-grained and NAC-treated
- bridges: Côtes de Genève stripes radiating from the centre, chamfered and polished, NAC-treated
- wheels: circular satin-finished and rhodium-plated
- screws: bevelled and mirror-polished
- oscillating weight: 22-carat rhodium-plated gold, ‘Clous de Paris’ guilloché motif
- Dial
- mother-of-pearl in graduated shades of blue
- three-dimensional appliques in 18-carat rhodium-plated gold with a touch of Super-LumiNova
- 24-hour ring: sapphire crystal with hour decals
- Terrestrial globe
- continents: rhodium-plated and polished with matt mountain range detailing
- oceans: hand-painted, blue lacquer and powdered mother-of-pearl
- shorelines: hand-painted, blue lacquer and powdered mother-of-pearl mixed with Super-LumiNova
- bridge: 18-carat rhodium-plated gold, polished and satin-finished on the sides
- Case
- Material: Pt 950 platinum
- Diameter: 45.00 mm
- Crystal: convex sapphire crystal dome with an anti-reflective treatment on both sides
- Back: sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective treatment
- Water-resistance: 30 metres / 100 feet
- Strap
- Material: Blue alligator skin, raspberry-pink alligator-skin lining, hand-stitched
- Clasp: Pt 950 platinum and titanium folding clasp
- Reference: 1WTAX.U02C.C183C
- Limited edition: 28 pieces
- Swiss retail price: CHF 64,900 incl. tax (subject to change)
