It's a name steeped in history, and watchmaker John Arnold played an important role in the expansion of the British Empire.
John Arnold, from whom Arnold & Son takes its name, was born in Cornwall in 1736 into a family that included watchmakers and gunsmiths. He went on to become a respected and well-travelled watchmaker, with inventions that quickly gained a clientele among those looking for exclusivity, artistry and precision.
He and his son produced timepieces for the Royal Navy, explorers and adventurers. Many of his timepieces found their way to the hallowed halls of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the British Museum, so important were they to the expansion of the British Empire.
The firm's timepieces at BaselWorld in March included nods to maritime history and inventiveness and daring.
From the new Instrument line comes the clean and simple TBR. TB stands for True Beat (what some would call a dead-beat second),
a complication that measures time in complete seconds rather than fractions based on the watch's balance frequency. This makes it easier for a sailor visually keeping track of time while at sea, which is key to determining longitude.
The importance of this function is clear on the dial face of the TBR, as only the seconds hand is centrally located. Time-telling hour and minute hands are located in a small subdial at 9 o'clock, and a retrograde date function (the R in TBR) is within a larger subdial at 3 o'clock. The watch uses an Arnold & Son calibre A&S6008 mechanical self-winding movement, and it is available in a 44mm case of either stainless steel or 18ct rose gold.
