Arnold & Son has added two new colourways to its DSTB 42 collection.
The Mint Green and Ascot Blue dials are limited to just 18 pieces each, and feature grained textures and asymmetrical displays.
Arnold & Son is quickly becoming my favourite watch manufacturer, and its new DSTB 42 variations feature its prettiest dials yet – and that’s really saying something. But in true Arnold & Son style, these two new DSTB 42 watches are so limited edition that you probably won’t be able to get your hands on them.
Arnold & Son’s DSTB 42 collection stands for ‘Dial-Side True Beat’, meaning it shows its true-beat seconds mechanism on the dial rather than via the caseback. True-beat seconds are primarily found in marine chronometers which Arnold & Son’s own John Arnold supplied to the Royal Navy during the 18th century.
To pay tribute to this, the Arnold & Son DSTB 42 collection shows off the true-beat seconds mechanism with three-dimensional open worked gold bridges on the dial. The bridges are located between nine and 12 o’clock while a white opal mini-dial sits off-centre at the five o’clock position and displays the hours and minutes.
Aside from creating a dramatic look, the bridges further enhance the watch’s movement, the A&S6203 calibre. The movement operates at 4 Hz and allows the seconds hand to jump from one-hour marker to the next. It can be tweaked via the crown that sits at three o’clock.
The new variations of the Arnold & Son DSTB 42 line-up are in Red Gold Mint Green and Platinum Ascot Blue. The former shows off a pastel mint green dial which has a rough grained texture with a 18K red gold case that measures 42mm. The latter – which is my favourite – has an Ascot Blue dial and a 42mm platinum case.
I love the subtle colour and texturing of the limited edition Arnold & Son DSTB 42 watches, and the rich heritage of the true-beat seconds mechanism. But sadly, I don’t think I’ll get my hands – or wrist – on one of these watches anytime soon – or ever in fact.
Both Arnold & Son DSTB 42 watches are limited to just 18 pieces each, with the Red Gold Mint Green priced at £42,300 and the Platinum Ascot Blue costing £54,100.
