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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Replica At Lowest Price An analysis of Citizen’s acquisition of La Joux-Perret and Arnold & Son

The Arnold & Son HM Dual Hemisphere Perpetual Moon’s crystal is anti-reflective sapphire and the case back allows for more precise adjustments to the moon stage by showing a third moon during eight different stages. Once set, the precision should hold for 122 years, after which a simple adjustment will ensure it to get another 122 years. The hand-wound movement is an Arnold & Son fabrication A&S1512 which defeats at 21,600 bph with a 90-hour power reserve. The motion itself is 5.35mm thick and features 27 jewels, while the instance is rated for 30 meters of water resistance. As if the situation back weren’t beautiful enough, the C?tes de Genève revealed during the movement is merely lovely.The Arnold & Son HM Dual Hemisphere Perpetual Moon comes with either a black or brownish hand-stitched alligator strap and is sure to grab the eye of many a watch buff. The Arnold & Son HM Dual Hemisphere Perpetual Moon watch is priced at $30,500. When attempting to fix a problem, the start is always a fantastic place to start. That is precisely the process followed by Arnold & Son in their endeavor to eliminate isochronal error from among their newest bits, the Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon. Arnold & Son’s heritage exists in the legacy of John Arnold and his son, a couple of the most important watchmakers to ever come out of England. Having packed his son off to learn in the back of the Swiss maestro, Arnold turned his attentions to the problem of these times: the pursuit for chronometric precision at sea.

The ebauche of the future?

Hirota Masayuki, the eminent Japanese watch journalist of Chronos Japan magazine, provided an insightful analysis of Citizen’s surprising recent acquisition of Prothor Holding SA, which owns La Joux-Perret (LJP), Arnold & Son and component maker Prototec SA.

Hirota-san has a unique perspective, being intimately familiar with both the Japanese and Swiss watchmaking industries. I thought it is worth reproducing in full here. Many thanks to Hirota-san.

– SJX “These years, Japanese watchmakers are seeking to provide raw movements (ebauche) to Europe. Seiko Instruments Inc (SII) previously supplied cal. 4L movement via Soprod. Officially Seiko denied it, but some in Seiko Corp unofficially admitted that Soprod A10 (“A” indicates “Altanus”, meaning alternative) is based on the Seiko cal. 4L. But acquisition of Soprod by a Chinese maker [the now defunct Peace Mark of Hong Kong] fractured Seiko’s attempt. Swatch and Seiko were not welcome to supply raw movements to Soprod cause of maintenance of confidentiality. That’s the why Richard Mille produced in-house movement this year, instead of Soprod automatic based on ETA automatic. On the contrary, Citizen has good experience in ebauche business. Citizen is one of the largest suppliers of quartz movements. And now, they exports Miyota automatic movements to China and Germany. Fairly speaking, what feeds Citizen now is not watch but ebauche business. Considering their position, it is natural that Citizen wants to expand ebauche business in the luxury field. A person in Citizen explained the acquisition of LJP: “[The] shareholders wanted to sell LJP and offered [the firm to] some companies including Richemont and Citizen, maybe LVMH also. But Citizen won.” We can figure out why Citizen acquired LJP. 1. Yen is very strong. 2. Citizen has Bulova for mid range watches. 3. Citizen has one of the largest hairspring factories in Tokyo. It is not difficult to suppose that Bulova soon will carry interesting movement by LJP. And in the near the future, Citizen will supply Tokyo-made hairsprings via LJP, I suppose. Some in Switzerland may get nervous on hearing the news, but I am personally very optimistic because watch industry of Switzerland has been the biggest customers of micromechanical machines made by Citizen. It is completely inadvisable for Citizen to get Swiss watch industry nervous. HIROTA, Masayuki of Chronos Japan”

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Grade 1 Replica Watches Baselworld 2013: Introducing the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid skeleton (with specs and pricing)

Instead of the power from the mainspring flowing directly into the escapement, it has to first pass through Arnold & Son’s continuous force mechanism. The already regulated power supply costs a little hairspring, which releases a constant amount of force to the tourbillon once a second. With this mechanism, there will nevertheless come a stage when the energy released by the twin barrels along with the continuous force mechanism falls below a point that is enough to maintain a regular output. When this occurs, the watch stops rather than letting an isochronal error to creep in the timekeeping.In accession to this intriguing solution, the Arnold & Son Continuous Force Tourbillon features a deadbeat seconds complication, which causes the seconds hand to “tick” instead of sweep as you may expect in a mechanical timepiece. Outstanding consistency is achieved thanks to the symmetry of the movement’s construction, as well as the fact that the constant pressure escapement remains stationary throughout performance, while the tourbillon cage moves once a minute. That is in an attempt to decrease the effect of gravity to the escapement’s functioning. Assuming, however, that this watch is not likely to be worn in the presence of powerful magnetic fields (it is barely acceptable for use on a construction site or while flying a helicopter, for instance), the complication perfectly matches the intended application.The Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon watch is a limited edition of that only 28 will be made. The A&S5119 movement has 39 jewels, a depth of 6mm, a 90-hour energy book, and operates in 21,600vph. The movement is almost perfectly symmetrical, and each of the specialized components are observable on the dial-side. The three-dimensional motion architecture is designed to replicate the English tradition of marine chronometer construction.

Arnold & Son, which was acquired by Citizen of Japan last year, has just announced the Time Pyramid at Baselworld 2013. A skeleton watch with the movement laid out in a triangular form, the Pyramid is inspired by the standing English skeleton clocks of the nineteenth century which had a similar movement shape.

Sandwiched between two sapphire crystals is the open-worked A&S 1615 movement, developed by La Joux-Perret, the sister company of Arnold & Son (and also now owned by Citizen). The movement runs from 12 to 6 o’clock with the balance wheel at the top, followed by the linear gear train, and the twin barrels at six o’clock, each with its own power reserve indicator. Together both barrels give a power reserve of 80 hours.

The Pyramid is in rose gold with a large, 44.6 mm case, which should allow for a panoramic view of the usual movement. The retail price is CHF39,960 which is equivalent to about USD42,100. – SJX

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Perfect Clone Online Shopping Up Close with the Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor

Instead of the power from the mainspring flowing directly into the escapement, it must first pass through Arnold & Son’s constant force mechanism. The controlled power supply costs a little hairspring, which releases a constant quantity of power to the tourbillon once a second. With this mechanism, there’ll nevertheless come a point once the energy released by the double barrels and the constant force mechanism falls below a point that is enough to keep up a normal output. While this happens, the watch stops instead of letting an isochronal error to creep into the timekeeping.In addition to this interesting solution, the Arnold & Son Continuous Force Tourbillon features a deadbeat moments complication, which causes the seconds hand to “tick” instead of sweep as one may expect in a mechanical timepiece. Exceptional consistency is attained as a result of the symmetry of this motion’s structure, in addition to the fact that the constant force escapement remains stationary through operation, whereas the tourbillon cage moves once a minute. This is in an attempt to decrease the effect of gravity to the escapement’s functioning. Assuming, though, that this view is not likely to be worn in the presence of strong magnetic fields (it is barely suitable for use on a construction site or while flying a helicopter, for instance), the complication perfectly suits the planned application.The Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon watch is a limited edition of that only 28 will be produced. It’s a 46mm 18ct rose gold case fitted using an anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a sapphire display back. The A&S5119 movement has 39 stones, a depth of 6mm, a 90-hour power reserve, and operates at 21,600vph. The NAC grey mainplate and the palladium-coated bridges are made of nickel-silver and hand-finished with polished edges and brushed surfaces, gold screw-down chatons, and bevelled and polished screw heads. The motion is almost perfectly symmetrical, and each of the technical components are observable on the dial-side. The three-dimensional motion structure is designed to echo the English tradition of marine chronometer structure.

Bell & Ross typically makes affordable, military-inspired wristwatches, which it does well. When the French watchmaker made complicated watches in the past, they tended to look, well, complicated. Taking a different tack is the BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor.

Thin and conceived to have minimal case and maximum movement, it’s fitted with panoramic sapphire crystals front and back. The thick, bevelled sapphire crystals on both faces comprise more than half of the case height, offering a free and clear view of the movement.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 13

The sloping sides of both crystals are mirror-polished, enhancing their transparency and letting more light into the movement. Clear gaskets on both side sit invisibly under the crystals, giving the case a respectable 50m water-resistance without obstructing the view.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 1

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 2

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 12

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 17

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 11

Rather than enclose the movement, the steel case frames it, with the movement having been constructed to fit within like a painting in a frame.  In fact, the movement and case appear almost seamless, with the narrowest of space between them.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 32

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 33

Sleekly constructed

The BR-X2 is a large watch, measuring 42.5mm both ways, but thin at just 8.9mm high. Though it is made of steel, the case feels like titanium, since there is little of it. The short lugs allow it to sit well on the wrist, while also accentuating its size.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 3

The watch is one of the thinnest tourbillon watches on the market; there are only about a half dozen tourbillon wristwatches with cases below 10mm. Most of that height, however, is sapphire crystal.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 30

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 15

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 16

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 26

The only fancy detailing on the watch is the tourbillon cage six o’clock that takes the form of the ampersand from the Bell & Ross logo. While that’s found on all of the brand’s tourbillons, a simpler cage design would have been more congruent with the clean lines of the watch.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 4

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 10

Extra-thin mechanics

Like the other tourbillon movements used by Bell & Ross, the BR-CAL.380 was developed by MHC Manufacture Haute Complication, a Geneva-based complications specialist formed by watchmakers from BNB Concept, a movement maker that was acquired by Hublot after going bust. Amongst other things, MHC helped build the Girard-Perregaux Tri-Axial Tourbillon.

The base plate and bridges of the BR-CAL.380 inside give it a square footprint with rounded cut-outs at each corner to accommodate the screws on the case. This allows the movement to slide neatly into the frame of the case, secured in place by four small clips on the back.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 19

Measuring 36mm by 36mm, the movement is large but just 4.05mm in height. It’s self-winding with a micro-rotor made of a dense tungsten alloy on the back and a 50-hour power reserve.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 14

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 34

The movement layout is intuitive, with the base of the winding mechanism visible on the dial at nine o’clock, while part of the gear train is visible on the back.

Fuss-free finishing

Though the watch is almost monochromatic, being almost entirely in different tones of silver, the varied surface finishing gives the colour palette nuance. Most of the movement is rhodium-plated and finished with a vertical brushed finish, though a handful of parts are sandblasted to leave a coarse, grained surface.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 7

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 28

The contrast is obvious on the front, with the brushed base plate against the sandblasted bridge for the keyless works. And just above the base plate sits a sloping flange finished with circular brushing that holds the baton hour markers, which gently float above the dial. They are matched with frosted hour and minute hands, all of which are strongly legible.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 18

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 9

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 6

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 5

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 8

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 27

On the back the aesthetic is identical, with vertical brushing on all flat surfaces, while bevels and recessed areas are sandblasted.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 22

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 23

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 20

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 21

The look is crisp and functional, though smaller components are finished more decoratively. Gears, for instance, have their faces circular grained and spokes bevelled, while the tourbillon cage is brushed on top and polished on its edges. By no means artisanal, the finishing is eminently suited to the look (and price) of the watch.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 24

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 29

Price and availability 

The BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor (ref. BRX2-MRTB-ST) is a limited edition of 99 watches, priced at US$64,900 or S$95,000. While that’s many multiples the cost of the average Bell & Ross wristwatch, it places the BR-X2 in the mid-price tier for tourbillons, mostly alongside watches from smaller brands like Manufacture Royale and Arnold & Son.

For more on the BR-X2 Tourbillon, visit bellross.com.

Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon 25


 

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Replica For Sale Hands-on with the thinnest tourbillon in the world, the Arnold & Son UTTE (with live photos and price)

In 12 o’clock is a day/night index for the GMT time and time, using matching skeletonized and stuffed palms to tell them apart. The bottom half of the indicator is striped, which aids the visual representation of this “nighttime” part of the disc. I do want the Arnold & Son emblem had been located elsewhere though, as its position interrupting the seconds monitor at 12 o’clock can make precise time-setting difficult. Another niggling difficulty I found was that the next hand counterweight closely emulates the look of the home time palms, which may sometimes cause a moment of confusion when you glance down and watch three palms pointing towards the dial. In an ideal world, I’d have loved to see that the moment hands on each dial stretched just a bit further to properly reach the minute trail, and the hour hands shortened a bit to not overlap the hour mark, but that is a little aesthetic qualm that doesn’t affect utility.On the reverse side of this Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton, the bottom plate of the manufacture bore A&S1309 is revealed. The movement is made of nickel silver (also called German silver or Maillechort, an alloy of aluminum, nickel and zinc) which was rhodium-plated and embellished using C?tes de Genève. The wheels are satin-finished and provide a contrasting three dimensional texture to the bottom plate, and involving the chamfered edges of the bridges, the golden gear train could be seen. The motion is hand wound obviously, which contributes to its thinness in a mere 3.9mm. It includes 42 jewels and offers a 40 hour power reserve while the double accounts oscillate at 21,600vph, or 3Hz. That is definitely a highly elegant movement, but in contrast to the thickness of detail given by this skeletonized dial, the opposite side of this movement almost feels like a letdown.

Despite looking like yet another pedestrian flying tourbillon, the Arnold & Son UTTE (short for “ultra-thin tourbillon escapement”) is noteworthy. Its case stands 8.34 mm high, and the movement inside, the cal. A&S8200 developed by its sister company La Joux-Perret, is only 2.97 mm. That is no mean feat, considering the movement manages an 80 hour power reserve with twin barrels, just over three days. And even more so given the large 14 mm tourbillon cage.

Arnold & Son UTTE tourbillon (1) Arnold & Son UTTE tourbillon (2)

The 2.97 mm high movement does not include the tourbillon cage, which is slightly convex. According to Arnold & Son, the decision to raise the cage was an aesthetic one, to give a better view of the tourbillon regulator. This adds depth and detail to an elegant, but plain, dial.

Turn the watch over and the movement is revealed. It is attractively decorated with a three-quarter plate in German silver, but because the plate is rhodium-plated, does not have the characteristic hue of maillechort.

The tourbillon bridge, on the other hand, is hand-engraved. This adds a welcome decorative touch. Though the movement is well finished and good looking, it is not striking.

Two versions are available, rose gold or palladium, with each limited to 50 pieces.  Price-wise the UTTE is reasonable: the rose gold retails for SFr68,420 (~US$75,300) while the palladium is SFr59,400 (~US$65,300). For an entry level tourbillon the UTTE delivers a more novel proposition than the vast majority of its competitors in the segment. – SJX

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Replica Clearance Introducing the Arnold & Son TB88 dead seconds chronometer

Skeletonizing a watch is no easy feat. And it is doubly hard for an ultra-thin motion, mainly because the motion is already so thin that removing any more material is likely to affect structural rigidity. As a result, the A&S8200 calibre from the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch had to be thoroughly redesigned and re-engineered. The outcome is that the A&S8220 calibre, which measures 3.3mm thick. The extra thickness, according to Arnold & Son, is necessary to ensure rigidity as they hunted to skeletonized the movement. However, let’s face it, 3.3mm for a tourbillon movement with two barrels and a power reserve of 90 hours is badly impressive.The brand new A&S8220 calibre boasts a few significant revisions. For instance, the principal plate has been heavily modified to reveal as much as you can of the internal workings. But maybe what’s most visible to owners is that the tourbillon cage has been completely reworked to show off more of this mechanism when retaining the three-dimensional design which has become a signature of the sooner Arnold & Son UTTE watch. In addition, the tourbillon cage is relatively large as compared to this movement. It measures 14mm across, while the movement itself is 32mm. This implies it’s the single most dominating component of the dial, and in addition to this is the fact that the crate is fully hand-polished and chamfered, which makes it a real visual treat for owners.And because you would expect, the A&S8220 calibre can also be treated to the best haute horlogerie finishing: The main plate and bridges have been constructed using nickel silver and completed with C?tes de Genève rayonnantes; The edges are also polished and chamfered; The steel components, gears, and ratchets are satin-finished with their borders polished and chamfered; The screws have bevelled and polished heads, and ultimately, the jewels are placed in polished countersinks; exploring of the period is performed off a sapphire disk with printed numerals at 12 o’clock; The hour and minute hands are golden and feature white lacquered tips.
One of the most important issues when it comes to accuracy is moderating the source of power to the regulating organ of the timepiece (in this case, the tourbillon featured in the lower right quadrant of the dial). The mainspring, for example every part of this size, is vulnerable to particular molecular inconsistencies acquired during the creation procedure. Any internal or external inconsistency could result in a fluctuation of power delivered to the equipment train. And that is before one even considers the extreme drop-off in torque when the mainspring sufficiently uncoils. Since the mainspring winds down, the amount of power delivered to the escapement dips. This can potentially play havoc with all the timekeeping, therefore Arnold & Son have attempted to remove this mistake by installing a “constant-force” mechanism. The modern incarnation of the business that lay dormant for more than a century is doing what it is to reconnect with the source of its inspiration.Practically speaking, this component takes the place of a fuseé, which is an old-fashioned constant force complication we’ve seen on aBlogtoWatch very recently in the new Zenith Academy Georges Favre-Jacot Anniversary piece (read the review), for example. To compensate for the inevitable drop-off in electricity generated with a single barrel in a standard setup, Arnold & Son have started out with two symmetrical barrels in series. The first barrel powers the gear train, while the next barrel tops up the torque of the first whenever it drops below an optimal level. But their innovation doesn’t end there.

Arnold & Son will present an interesting watch at Baselworld 2012, the TB88. “TB” stands for “true beat”, referring to the dead beat seconds at eight o’clock. Additionally the calibre has twin barrels providing 100 hours of power reserve.

This is simple yet interesting. It’s a welcome departure from the Arnold & Son watches of recent vintage which were bizarrely complicated astronomical and longitude watches. I remember one year the brand unveiled a watch that I found nearly impossible to comprehend. The A&S 5003 movement has been inverted and has no dial, so everything of interest – barrels, escapement, gear train – is revealed. This is reminiscent of the ultra high-beat 43,200 bph Audemars Piguet ChronAP. Furthemore the movement design is quite interesting. It has hints of vintage English pocket watches evident in the bridge shapes and regulator index, but that is combined the very modern ruthenium coated bridges and base plate. The watch case is 46 mm in diameter, in rose gold or steel. Retail is CHF49,000 in gold and CHF33,500 in steel, exclusive of tax.

I believe the movement is created by La Joux-Perret, which is the owner of Arnold & Son. Arnold & Son used to be sister companies with Graham in The British Masters, but since last year the two brands parted company. – SJX

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Replica Watches Essentials Hands-on with the Arnold & Son HM Perpetual Moon, the wristwatch “Supermoon” (with live photos and price)

The situation itself is large at 46mm, which is appropriate considering just how much there is to love on the dial side. Everything is on screen and demonstrates some of the most lavishly decorated elements the brand is capable of producing. The main pivoting elements such as the wheels, barrels, the tourbillon, and many others are each mounted on their bridge. The triangular, multilevel bridges (no less than thirteen) are largely skeletonized, providing a more modern sense of three-dimensional thickness to the full timepiece. The interior dial bezel is also Rhodium treated with black indexes and water resistance is ample at 30m. Indoors, the COSC-certified calibre A&S8600 works at 4Hz with the help of a double barrel system which ensure 90 hours of power reserve when fully wrapped. It is manually wound, using a main plate and bridges handled using a golden coat, echoing the aesthetics of the historic pocket watches made by John Arnold. The core of the watch, the tourbillon, features a traditional construction with a high bridge, while the mirror-polished cage has the signature Arnold & Son three-spoke layout, making a complete turn in 60 seconds.The primary plate can also be set with mirror-polished 18k gold chatons and the wheels at the gear train are adorned with curved satin finishing with chamfered and polished edges. Even the screws are beveled and feature mirror-polished heads. Though complex in its implementation, the motion allows for a tasteful and easy time-only display with running moments. Pieces like the Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement (hands on) along with the Time Pyramid (hands-on) and this, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton view, that offers a Double Balance and GMT complication (which is where the acronym DBG originates) along with an impressively symmetrical motion shown off in complete using a skeletonized dial and display caseback.

Launched at Baselworld 2013, the HM Perpetual Moon from Arnold & Son is one of the largest moon phase displays available today, with a moon phase disc of 29 mm.

Today is the date of the “Supermoon”, when the moon appears larger than normal, thanks to it being closest to the Earth during its elliptical orbit. In horology the HM Perpetual Moon from Arnold & Son is a contender for the wristwatch equivalent. A simple, but somewhat romantic, timepiece, the HM Perpetual Moon has the hours and minutes, and also a moon phase in grand detail and scale.  The watch case is 42 mm in diameter, but the moon phase disc is 29 mm and the moon itself is 11.2 mm, taking up half the dial. It depicts the moon in realistic detail, craters and all. The moon itself is cast from a hand-engraved die and then inserted onto the moon phase disc.

Set via a pusher in the case, the moon phase is mirrored by another moon phase display on the movement. This has an easy to read graduated dial for more accurate setting of the moon phase. Like most moon phase watches, this is accurate to a day in 122.5 years.

Inside is the A&S1512 manual wind calibre, with double barrels and an 80 hour power reserve. It was developed and manufactured by movement specialist La Joux-Perret, the sister company of Arnold & Son, both of which are now owned by Citizen.

Pictured above is the HM Perpetual Moon Elegant in rose gold with a brilliant blue lacquered dial that is extremely striking, and a retail price of SFr26,200. More restrained is the Classic model (shown below), also in rose gold but with an eggshell dial; this retails for SFr25,520. Additionally, a steel version with a black dial, the HM Perpetual Moon Modern, is also available with a retail price of SFr14,000. All prices exclude taxes. – SJX

HM Perpetual Moon Classic

HM Perpetual Moon Elegant

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Replica Wholesale Suppliers Citizen of Japan acquires La Joux-Perret and Arnold & Son

For Baselworld 2017, Arnold & Son unveiled another masterfully skeletonized watch that carries the brand’s conceptual DNA forward. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton is the most recent addition to the DBG (Double-Balance GMT) set that we analyzed the original, non-skeletonized version of in greater detail back in 2013. For all those unfamiliar with this piece, it has basically two motions which share a winding platform, housed in 1 watch. Skeletonized, this watch looks incredible and is the best illustration of Arnold & Son’s persistent progress.First, a little bit more about Arnold & Son’s DBG system. Each time screen is powered by its barrel, with its own gear train, escapement, and balance, while sharing one winding system. While this isn’t necessarily unprecedented, because of the offsets of these shared components compared to the individual parts, it’s not always pretty, and seldom skeletonized. But with all the DBG Skeleton, we see almost perfect symmetry about the dial and caseback.The unusual nature of the in-house A&S1309 movement permits for a few added mechanical and practical advantages. For example, due to the separate barrel, gear train, and escapement/balance, the GMT function includes a “moments” hand rather than the standard 24-hour counter only. Each time zone screen from the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton could be put to incremental quarters of this hour. So for some Indian, Australian, and Canadian time zones that are off by half-hours, for example, the watch may account for this. Moreover, the Equation of Time screen at 12 o’clock decides the difference between each screen, as well as whether it’s night or day in the second time zone. The A&S1309 beats at 21,600bph and features a 40-hour power book.

Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave

Several Swiss papers including L’Agefi just published the news that Citizen Watch of Japan has acquired La Chaux-de-Fonds based Prothor Holding SA, owner of movement specialist La Joux-Perret (formerly Jaquet SA), component maker Prototec as well as the brand Arnold & Son. The deal value was CHF64 million and expected to complete in April, according to The Deal Pipeline. Citizen is buying the company from 20 current owners who are private investors, including management. The article goes on to say surrent management led by CEO Frederic Wenger will remain. Intuitively the CHF64 million price tag seems like a good deal; but I do not know the details of La Joux-Perret’s finances. La Joux-Perret’s clients include many of the Swiss industry’s big names like Hublot, Panerai, Graham, Baume & Mercier, Corum and TAG Heuer. One of the movements La Joux-Perret is known for is the modified Valjoux 7750, to include flyback, rattrapante or tourbillon. Citizen excels at high-end electronic watches like the $4000 Satellite Wave Eco-Drive but is lacking in high-end mechanical (though it is a big maker of low-end mechanical movements under the Miyota label). Citizen’s last major purchase was Bulova in 2008, but that is a decidedly low to mid market brand.

The brand has already made progress in making higher end mechanical watches with its The Citizen automatics, but this will certainly take it to another level. Interesting to see what the future holds.

Update: An insightful analysis of Citizen’s LJP takeover by eminent Japanese watch journalist Masayuki Hirota. – SJX

Updated 10:54 am GMT +8 on March 6, 2012

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Perfect Clone Online Shopping A Detailed Look at the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds

The case measures in at 44mm, will be available in rose gold, and is water-resistant up to 30m. The dial is totally skeletonized with double balances set against C?tes de Genève stripes, providing a wonderful contrast and extra girth. The time zone indicators, as with previous models, differ with Roman and Arabic numerals against an increasingly popular smoked background. I believe that these add an eclectic touch to almost identical parts of the watch. Since the movement does feature independent time zone components, every time zone is handled by its own crown, or “ears” as many enthusiasts refer to them, at 3 and 9 o’clock. Each time zone is set with its personal crown, while the watch is wrapped solely from the crown at 3 o’clock. All in all, the aesthetic refinements to the dial along with the symmetry of the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton watch will refresh and breathe new life to the Arnold & Son DBG. It manages to display the intricate and impressive details of quite a complicated timepiece without delving into the “too busy” class that many tend to fall into if tackling such a intricate endeavor. While I could definitely find a white gold or platinum option later on, I think that this is a welcome addition to the collection, and one I would be excited to wear. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Ref. 1DGAP. S10A.C120P will probably be limited to 30 pieces and will carry a cost of $38,850 which is actually a couple million dollars less than what the initial DBG watch in gold cost.
Rather than the power from the mainspring flowing right into the escapement, it must first pass through Arnold & Son’s constant force mechanism. The already regulated power supply charges a small hairspring, which releases a constant amount of power to the tourbillon once a second. With this mechanism, there’ll nevertheless come a point once the power released by the twin barrels and the continuous force mechanism falls below a point that is sufficient to maintain a regular output. While this happens, the watch stops instead of letting an isochronal error to creep in the timekeeping.In accession to this intriguing solution, the Arnold & Son Continuous Force Tourbillon comes with a deadbeat seconds complication, which leads to the seconds hand to “tick” instead of sweep as you might expect in a mechanical timepiece. Exceptional consistency is attained as a result of the symmetry of the movement’s construction, in addition to the fact that the continuous pressure escapement remains stationary throughout operation, whereas the tourbillon cage rotates once a minute. This is in an effort to decrease the influence of gravity on the escapement’s functioning. Assuming, however, that this watch is not likely to be worn out in the presence of strong magnetic fields (it’s barely acceptable for use on a construction site or while flying a helicopter, by way of instance), the negative perfectly matches the intended application.The Arnold & Son Continuous Force Tourbillon watch is a limited variant of that only 28 will be made. The A&S5119 motion has 39 stones, a depth of 6mm, a 90-hour power book, and works at 21,600vph. The motion is almost perfectly symmetrical, and all the specialized elements are visible on the dial-side. The three-dimensional motion structure is intended to echo the English tradition of marine chronometer construction. The watch is water resistant to 30 metres and includes a hand-stitched brown leather alligator strap. Cost is available on request.
At 12 o’clock is a day/night index for both GMT time and home time, using fitting skeletonized and stuffed palms to tell them apart. The bottom half of this indicator is darkened, which assists the visual representation of the “night” part of this disc. I do wish the Arnold & Son emblem was found elsewhere though, as its place interrupting the seconds monitor at 12 o’clock could make exact time-setting difficult. Another niggling difficulty I found was that the next hand counterweight closely emulates the look of the home time palms, which may sometimes cause a moment of confusion once you glance down and watch three hands pointing at the dial. In an ideal world, I’d have loved to see that the minute hands on each dial extended only a bit further to correctly reach the minute trail, and the hour hands shortened a bit to not overlap the hour markers, but this is a little aesthetic qualm which doesn’t affect utility.On the opposite side of this Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton, the base plate of the manufacture caliber A&S1309 is revealed. The movement is made from nickel silver (also known as German silver or Maillechort, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) that was rhodium-plated and decorated with C?tes de Genève. The wheels are satin-finished and provide a contrasting three dimensional texture into the bottom plate, and involving the chamfered edges of these bridges, the gold gear train can be seen. The motion is hand wound obviously, which leads to its thinness at a mere 3.9mm. It features 42 jewels and offers a 40 hour power reserve whereas the twin accounts oscillate at 21,600vph, or 3Hz. This is definitely a highly refined movement, but in contrast to the thickness of detail given by the skeletonized dial, the reverse side of the movement almost feels like a letdown.
Skeletonizing a watch is no simple feat. And it’s doubly hard for an ultra-thin movement, mainly because the motion is already so thin that eliminating any more material is likely to affect structural rigidity. As a result, the A&S8200 calibre in the Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton watch needed to be thoroughly redesigned and re-engineered. The result is that the A&S8220 calibre, which steps 3.3mm thick. The extra thickness, based on Arnold & Son, is necessary to ensure rigidity as they sought to skeletonized the movement. Still, let us face it, 3.3mm for a tourbillon movement with two barrels and a power reserve of 90 hours is seriously impressive.The new A&S8220 calibre boasts a few significant revisions. As an example, the main plate was greatly modified to show as much as you can of the inner workings. But maybe what is most visible to owners is that the tourbillon cage was totally reworked to show off more of this mechanism when retaining the three-dimensional layout which has become a signature of the earlier Arnold & Son UTTE watch. Additionally, the tourbillon cage is relatively large when compared with this movement. It measures 14mm across, while the motion itself is 32mm. This means it is the single most dominating element of the dialup, and in addition to that is the fact that the cage is fully hand-polished and chamfered, which makes it a true visual treat for owners.And because you’d expect, the A&S8220 calibre can also be treated to the best haute horlogerie finishing: The main plate and bridges are built using nickel silver and completed with C?tes de Genève rayonnantes; The edges are also polished and chamfered; The steel parts, gears, and ratchets are satin-finished with their edges polished and chamfered; The screws have bevelled and polished heads, and ultimately, the stones are put in polished countersinks; exploring of the period is performed off a sapphire disk with printed numerals at 12 o’clock; The hour and minute hands are golden and feature white lacquered hints.
Regardless of the big 44mm instance, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton wears quite well, with its slender 9.89millimeter profile easily slipping below a shirt cuff and the tapered lugs nicely hugging the wrist. The case is made from 4N increased gold along with the sapphire crystal has anti-reflective coating on both sides to help remove distracting reflections. The watch is water resistant to 30m, and comes with a hand-stitched brownish or black alligator strap. My mind went to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre versions, but in which they provide twin barrels controlled by precisely the exact same balance wheel, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton goes full monoblock mode for every dial, in the event the Hi-Fi analogy is at all apt for describing a wristwatch.Minor legibility and aesthetic caveats aside, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton is a handsome watch that manages to walk the fine line between attention-seeking and refinement with its daring, yet slender case and gold-on-silver palette. A ton of performance is on offer for travelers that can utilize the well-executed GMT complication, and fans of mechanical watches are rewarded with views of those double balance wheels with each glance at the wrist. It’s good to see the historical title of Arnold & Son still producing timepieces that push the boundaries of movement design, and do so in a well implemented, thoughtful way. The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton watch is being offered in a limited run of 30 bits, with an asking price of $38,850.
The Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon’s crystal is anti-reflective sapphire and the case back allows for more accurate adjustments to the moon phase by showing a third moon during eight distinct phases. Once installed, the precision should hold for 122 years, after which an easy adjustment will ensure it to get another 122 years. The hand-wound motion is an Arnold & Son fabrication A&S1512 that defeats at 21,600 bph with a 90-hour power reserve. As if the case back weren’t beautiful enough, the C?tes de Genève shown throughout the movement is merely lovely.The Arnold & Son HM Double Hemisphere Perpetual Moon comes with either a black or brownish hand-stitched alligator strap and is guaranteed to grab the eye of many an eye buff. When trying to solve a issue, the beginning is always a good place to get started. That is precisely the procedure followed by Arnold & Son in their endeavor to get rid of isochronal mistake from one of their newest bits, the Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon. Arnold & Son’s heritage exists in the legacy of John Arnold and his son, two of the greatest watchmakers to come from England. Having packed off his son to learn in the back of the maestro, Arnold turned his attentions to the issue of these times: the pursuit for chronometric precision at sea.
Do you prefer for me to remind you what the greatest problem is really on watches with fully skeletonized dials and moves? It’s that you can often go through to your skin and arm hair. Yes, these sexy-looking timepieces using skeletonized movements and dials can seem amazing in theory (and pictured independently), but put them on your wrist at a real-world situation and only those people with the most beautiful of wrists will not have a reason to complain in any way. This is really a common “item” which watch fans can and do complain about.So, to cure this situation and respond to the issue, Arnold & Son has done a little experimentation with this new version of the Time Pyramid watch in steel in the model reference 1TPAS. S01A.C124S “Translucent Back” variant. This version will also outright replace the first version of the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid in steel using the traditionally translucent front and rear crystal.Arnold & Son did an amazing job for this watch but gave it no special name – that has been rather lazy. “Time Pyramid Translucent Back” is the title that I’m giving it whereas the nearest thing Arnold & Son gets to a exceptional name (besides the mention amount) is “Time Pyramid Translucent-Grey Coated Sapphire Case Back.” Ugh… Anyways, even with no proper name, the watch remains precisely what you want because the caseback is actually just one-way mirror material.

The dead (or sometimes deadbeat) seconds first appeared on clocks sometime in the 18th century, dividing the motion of the seconds hand into discrete jumps, making it easier to measure elapsed times. In clocks the gear for the seconds hand could often be linked directly to the escapement, thanks to a pendulum that swung with a one-second period. The invention of chronographs in the early 19th century provided a better solution for measuring elapsed time, but the independent seconds was still found in some pocket watches made for scientific measurements.

A translation of the French term seconds morte, the dead seconds was revived (no pun intended) for a brief spell in the 1950s when such wristwatches were fashionable. They were marketed as ideal for doctors and engineers to measure short periods of time; Omega introduced the Synchrobeat in 1954, with Rolex debuting the Tru-Beat the same year. Movement maker also produced a family of movements (the calibres 115, 116 and 7400) with a dead seconds feature, that it supplied to several brands, most notably Doxa. None of these sold well, and the dead seconds fad, well, died before the decade was up.

These early deadbeat seconds wristwatches required additional gearing for the ticking seconds, so as to convert the oscillations of the balance wheel (eight ticks per second in a 28,800bph watch) into one-second steps. This is the same set-up found in most contemporary dead seconds wristwatches, including the Jaeger-LeCoultre True Second, as well as the offerings from Arnold & Son, Habring2 and Jaquet Droz.

Because these movements need extra mechanics for the jumping seconds, they are not “natural” dead seconds as known in watchmaking parlance. Movements with dead seconds that are a consequence of an intrinsic function of the movement are natural dead seconds. Examples of such watches include the F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain and Chronometre Optimum, both of which have escapements that operate such that the seconds hand naturally moves in one second intervals thanks to a constant force mechanism.

Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 4

One of the highlights of the 2016 line-up from A. Lange & Söhne, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, has a constant force mechanism, but is not a natural dead seconds. Visible through an aperture on the main bridge, the constant force mechanism has a small blued steel spring that releases power from the mainspring in one-second intervals, ensuring the power driving the movement is constant even as the mainspring winds down.

Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 3

Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 7

The L094.1 movement has two gear trains: the constant force mechanism is part of one gear train that delivers power to the balance wheel, while the other gear train is for the dead seconds. The second gear train, which includes a five-pointed star visible underneath a small sapphire lens, translates the motion of the balance wheel into the one second steps of the seconds hand. Both gear trains are linked by a slim lever touching the five-pointed star that controls the release of energy to the deadbeat seconds.

One advantage of the constant force mechanism, besides ensuring consistent torque even when the barrel winds down, is to do the same each time the seconds hand requires an impulse to tick.

Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 6

To a dead stop

Besides the constant force and jumping seconds, another unusual feature is the zero-reset hack seconds. Pulling the crown stops the seconds hand and sends it back to 12 o’clock, in order to aid time-setting.

Though a simple feature, the reset seconds requires a significant amount of mechanics, resulting into the somewhat untidy looking cluster of levers and springs beside the balance wheel. For this reason, the movement, while gorgeously decorated and impressive looking, is not beautiful. The seconds reset mechanism looks unkempt, partially sheltered under an irregularly shaped bridge.

Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 11

The bridge for the seconds reset mechanism is beautifully finished, despite its odd shape.

The long curved lever that stops the balance when the crown is pulled.

Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 12 Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 10    Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 5

The last feature of the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is the power reserve display, or more specifically, the low power reserve indicator. A triangular window at six o’clock on the dial turns red once the mainspring is down to its final 10 hours of power reserve (fully wound it’ll run for 42 hours). This is meant to remind the wearer that the watch needs rewinding, but it does not imply deterioration timekeeping as in an ordinary movement, thanks to the constant force mechanism.

All the functions of the Jumping Seconds make a lot of sense when combined together, since each is conceived to make timekeeping and setting more precise; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Unlike most other contemporary dead seconds watches this is more than just extra gearing for the aesthetics of a jumping seconds hand.

But at the same time, the Jumping Seconds is not as intellectually pure as a natural dead seconds, since it has extra mechanics solely to achieve a ticking seconds hand. Its validity is premised on the fact that a dead seconds is useful or desirable, requiring a constant force mechanism to keep torque level even with the ticking seconds. There is some circularity in the logic.

The subtle look

The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is styled after a pocket watch made by Dresden watchmaker Johann Heinrich Seyffert, which had an unusual regulator dial with three-overlapping sub-dials. Lange used the same dial layout for earlier watches like the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite, but on the jumping seconds the seconds sub-dial is enlarged and positioned at 12 o’clock, highlighting the key feature of the movement.

Lange Richard Lange Jumping Seconds platinum 2

Though the dial appears monochromatic from a distance, it actually has a more nuanced colour scheme. The tracks for each sub-dial are a pale blue, a shade lighter than the blued steel seconds hand, while the lettering and markers are black. And there’s a splash of red on the minutes sub-dial.

It’s a pleasing look enhanced by the size of the case – 39.9mm in diameter and 10.6mm high – large enough to be sizeable but not being clumsy. The platinum case also gives it added heft. Though it feels solid, the Jumping Seconds is unlike most other current Lange complications, which tend to the enormous side of large.

Pricing and availability 

The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is a limited edition of 100 pieces in platinum, though it is exceedingly likely other variations (rose gold or Handwerkskunst editions) will be introduced later on. It’s priced at €78,700 including 19 percent European tax, and expected to reach stores in October 2016.

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Arnold & Son Replica Brand

Hands-On – Arnold Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time – With (Almost) Two Movements in One Replica Watch

Symmetry in the design and construction of its displays and movements has always been a huge part of Arnold & Son’s DNA. In its case however, the design doesn’t drive the development of the movement, but the opposite. See, for instance, the Constant Force Tourbillon, the Nebula or the Time Pyramid and you’ll quickly notice the importance of symmetry to the brand. Playing with this same concept, Arnold & Son has pushed the idea even further, creating a replica watch with two entirely separate time displays, driven by an incredible twin-movement. And in order to enjoy this mechanical feast, a new version, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton, exposes all its entrails in a demonstrative but elegant way.

Arnold And Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time

Usually, Dual-Time replica watches (timepieces that display two different time-zones at once, thanks to a GMT hand or a sub-dial with a second indication of the time) are regulated by one single movement – meaning one gear train, one escapement and one balance. To obtain a differentiated indication for the second time-zone, these replica watches traditionally feature an adjustable hour hand, which can be disconnected from the main hour hand, with one-hour increments. Yet, the minutes, and of course the seconds, are still equal for both time-zones. This might be problematic, considering that not all time-zones are based on full hours (13 time-zones are based on quarter- or half-hours, out of an overall 37 time-zones around the world). A few replica watches however have an independent minute display too, but once again, there’s only one regulating organ – meaning an extra train of wheels interfering with the chronometry. With the DBG (for Dual Balance GMT), Arnold & Son pushes the concept to another level, which for us, mechanical lovers, is very interesting.

Arnold And Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time

The Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time not only displays two independent time-zones, but actually, does so by the means of two independent movements, united in one calibre. Each dial, displaying the hours and minutes – one with full hands and Arabic numerals, the other with open hands and Roman numerals, in order to differentiate them – is actually driven by its own barrel and gear train with its own escapement and balance – and because the DBG is now offered in a skeleton version, the whole mechanism is visible thanks to its open-worked execution. This means several things: first of all, on the practical side, you can independently adjust each time-zone to the desired hour AND minute.

Arnold And Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time

It also means that each time-zone is self-regulated, thanks to independent regulating organs (no differential or no resonance effect between the two balances, so each will have its own chronometry). This type of replica watch is referred to as a “captain’s replica watch” because a separate barrel/gear train and balance/escapement enables the replica watch to house different complications without having one influencing the accuracy of the other by draining its energy. It is therefore perfectly adapted to be used for a second time zone, as in the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton. On the back side of the movement, we can appreciate the almost symmetrical architecture. The only features in common to the two time-zones in this movement are the central second, the 24h / night&day indication (although it has two hands, one for each display) and the winding of the barrels, done by one single crown (the right one). However, each time-zone is adjusted by independent crowns.

Arnold And Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time

The movement, in-house produced of course in the tradition of Arnold & Son’s production, is beautifully finished, with thin Geneva stripes, chamfered bridges with polished edges and satin finish surfaces, fine circular graining, satin finished wheels with three-spoke design and thermally blued screws. Thanks to the now opened dial, this fine execution is also visible when the DBG Skeleton is worn, with a dial full of depth, reflections (those polished angles…) and contrast. Technically, with the exception of its twin-architecture (which requires a large diameter movement – 35mm – and therefore a large case – 44mm), the movement remains classical, with a 3Hz frequency and a 40h power reserve. Still, it shows an impressive thinness for the level of complication, measuring only 3.90mm, for a replica watch that overall remains below 10mm.

Arnold And Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time

The look of the replica watch is impressive. There’s a lot going on this dial – something that many skeleton replica watches have in common – still the perfect symmetry allows for a very decent legibility. The differentiation between Arabic and Roman numerals, full or opened hands, makes time reading rather intuitive. Furthermore, indications are applied on “smoked” metal-treated sapphire crystals, allowing both transparency as well as legibility. In addition to that, you’ll enjoy the double ballet of the balances and escape wheels (visible through a small aperture). Clearly, a replica watch that aficionados will enjoy and will probably spend a few hours just to contemplate.

Arnold And Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time

On the wrist, the combination of rose gold for the case and the hands, the fully opened and complex dial and the large diameter makes this Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time a sort of statement piece. It remains comfortable though, for such a large replica watch and delicate – or at least, demonstrative in an elegant way. It is a limited edition of 30 pieces, worn on an alligator leather strap. Price: CHF 35,300 (before taxes) – not cheap, but considering the technical content and the level of decoration, it doesn’t feel unjustified. www.arnoldandson.com.


Technical Specifications – Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton

  • Case: 44mm diameter x 9.89mm thickness – 18k rose gold, polished – sapphire crystal on both sides – 30m water resistant
  • Movement: Calibre A&S1309, in-house – hand-wound – 21,600vph – 40h power reserve – two independent barrel / gear train / balance / escapement – twin-display of the time, with fully independent time-zones, seconds, day & night indicator
  • Strap: Hand-stitched brown or black alligator leather, gold pin buckle
  • Reference: 1DGAP.S10A.C120P
  • Limitation: 30 pieces
  • Price: CHF 35,300 (before taxes)