When Hours Go Wandering...

Introducing the world’s first wandering hours and true beat seconds watch from Arnold & Son, the Golden Wheel.

Courtesy of Arnold & Son

This is based on a idea from a previous generation - a wandering hours complication was conceived and executed in the mid 17th century found in clocks of the time, and a century later found itself encased in a pocket watches which would most likely have been found in pocket watches in the 18th century.


Here's a much better breakdown then I would be able to offer, courtesy of Arnold & Son -

The Golden Wheel combines the first-ever wandering hours function with the true beat seconds complication.  It is part of the Instrument Collection, which pays tribute to the timepieces focused on chronometry that were developed during the second half of John Arnold’s life and with his son Roger. In the case of the Golden Wheel, the manufacture movement was three years in the making from concept to development, and challenged the brand’s watchmakers at multiple stages of design and development.

The wandering hours function, also known as a jumping digital hours indication, occupies the top arc of the watch dial (from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock). Beneath it, Arnold & Son fills the time-carrousel of the Golden Wheel with a true beat seconds hand from the central axis – adding visual complexity and elegant motion. The true beat seconds (sometimes referred to as dead beat seconds) is a specialty of Arnold & Son. The precision function enables the seconds to beat incrementally as opposed to sweeping along the dial – allowing for more accurate reading. 

Courtesy of Arnold & Son

Main technical characteristics:
Calibre: 
A&S6018
Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement, self-winding,
29 jewels, diameter 37.20 mm, thickness 8.00 mm, 
power reserve 50 h, 28,800 vibrations/h

Functions: 
jumping digital hours, minutes and true beat seconds

Movement decoration: 
palladium treated with Haute Horlogerie finishing: hand- chamfered bridges with polished edges, fine circular graining and Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, dial plate NAC grey treated with Côtes de Genève, circular satin-finished wheels, blued screws with

bevelled and mirror-polished heads.
Central time-carrousel: solid 18-carat red gold, satin-finished with hand-chamfered and polished edges.

Oscillating weight: palladium treated, skeletonised with brushed surfaces 

Dial: 
silvery and white mother-of-pearl

Case: 
18-carat red gold, diameter 44 mm, cambered sapphire with anti- reflective coating on both sides, see-through sapphire case back, water-resistant to 30 m

Strap:

hand-stitched brown or black alligator leather 

Limited edition:
125 timepieces