Arnold & Son Globetrotter Gold
Arnold & Son’s New Globetrotter Gold: The World Timer You Didn’t Know You Needed Until Now
Stately watchmaker Arnold & Son takes a decidedly minimalist turn at a classic 3-D global timekeeper.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
While located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, exacting watchmaker Arnold & Son draws on the heritage of legendary English watchmaker John Arnold and as his son John Roger. This father-son watchmaking duo flourished during the latter part of the 18th century, when Britain ruled the roost in terms of precision timepiece production.
The family specialized in producing highly accurate marine chronometers, which were essential to navigation and crew and cargo safety during the Golden Age of maritime trade and commerce. But they also brought the concept of “chronometry” itself, or uncanny time-telling accuracy and precision, to the non-seafaring general public via coveted, ornate time-telling pieces for royalty and the upper-classes.
This is the Modern World
As such, you might be tempted to expect a touch of over-ornamentation and Old World “fussiness” in the brand’s modern wristwatches. But, in the case of the new Globetrotter Gold world timer watch, while the exacting complications and fine craftsmanship of a 3-D time-telling presentation are fully honored, the piece wears handsome, sleek, and modern with a finely distilled minimalism.
“Globetrotter is an iconic Arnold & Son model, and we had the feeling that we could go further in terms of design and details,” said Bertrand Savary, President of Arnold & Son. “We decided to go to the limit of thinness with the top bridge to give Globetrotter a slender, sharper look. To allow better visibility of the northern hemisphere, we designed massive gold 3-D indices that echoed the gold of the upper bridge and added Super-LumiNova to the shores to add one more dimension to this great world timer. Finally, we opted for red gold in a limited edition, as requested by many clients, especially in the U.S.”
Au Courant
It is precisely the cited spanning bridge and addition of lume that provides the lion’s share of the new Globetrotter’s modernity. The twin arcs span the dial’s 45mm diameter, meeting in the watch’s center to anchor both the sapphire crystal and the rotating 3-D depiction of the Northern Hemisphere at the North Pole with a shimmering ruby pinion.
The half-globe view of the planet is a gorgeous, fluid, understated execution that slowly makes a single rotation each day against a fixed 24-hour inner bezel to aid world time zone calculations. Red translucent markers indicate local time on a set of standard 12-hour indices rendered in bold red gold that mimics the timepiece’s depth by slanting upwards towards the edge of the watch face.
Using Your Inner-Cartographer
To determine the time globally, all you need do is visually ride the hemisphere down its edge from the area in which you are interested to the point where it meets the fixed 24-hour indicator to get the corresponding hour correction. You can use the crown to reset the hour to the new time when you arrive at your destination.
While many world-timers also include a 24-city gauge to get you to the associated time zones, including this ring would only add to the fussiness I mentioned above. And, in real-world use, it is entirely unnecessary. Even a cursory knowledge of geography will get you to the time you want quickly, maybe minus a degree of extreme precision, but plus a whole lot of fun and visual elan.
Another out-of-the-box innovation is the use of Super-LumiNova. Not only is it used on the expected positions of the 12-hour index markers, but Super-LumiNova also outlines the Northern Hemisphere’s land masses, creating a visually spectacular night-time bit of practical theatrics, as well.
Pricing & Availability
Limited to 28 pieces, the Arnold & Son Globetrotter Gold retails for $46,300 and is available via the brand’s retailers worldwide. You can find out more about the piece at the Arnold & Son website.
(Images © Arnold & Son)
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