That means that from the front of the watch taking a look at the caseback you find a dim manifestation and no opinion of your ailing arm hair. So compare this metal “Translucent Back” variant of this Arnold & Son Time Pyramid with the first version that has the totally clear sapphire crystal caseback that I went hands-on with here. And this “updated” version costs a little more, of course. Approximately $2,000. It does look a bit steep after the original version in steel has been released less than a year before.The Arnold & Son Time Pyramid watch originally came out in 2013, and in 2014 I analyzed the 18k rose gold edition of the Time Pyramid on aBlogtoWatch here. This remains one of my favorite watches produced by Arnold & Son nowadays due to its unique design, superbly symmetrical motion, and excellent wrist presence. The case is 44.6mm broad (water resistant to just 30 meters) and made with a crown at 6 o’clock as a result of the design of the movement. Additionally, it gives the case a more compact look thanks to the symmetry you receive with the crown posture.
With design elements inspired by vintage pocket watches, the red gold Arnold & Son TES Tourbillon has an open-worked movement featuring a sapphire barrel bridge and guilloche base plate, along with a three day power reserve.
A resurrected name from 18th century English watchmaking, Arnold & Son looks to English pocket watches of the past for the new TES Tourbillon. The triangular cocks for the tourbillon and third wheel are shaped like those on old pocket watches while the base plate is decorated with guilloche reminiscent of pocket watch cases. And the barrel bridge is in sapphire with an open-worked barrel, showing the mainspring below. Unusually the winding wheel of the barrel features wolf’s teeth, an anachronistic but attractive feature rarely found on modern movements.
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| Note the wolf’s teeth on the wheel at the very top |
The movement layout reveals most of the winding mechanism, gear train and tourbillon regulator. Featuring a dark grey NAC coating on the base plate and contrasting rose gold plating on the bridges, the movement is in-house, made exclusively for Arnold & Son by La Joux-Perret, its sister company, both of which are owned by Citizen Corp. It is hand-wound with a longish power reserve of 80 hours, or about three days.
The TES Tourbillon is limited to 28 pieces a 44 mm red gold case, and will retail for 139,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to about US$156,000.
