The DTSB in Red Gold - English Frosted Dial Plate

From Arnold & Son -

Courtesy of Arnold & Son

This is the latest offering from Arnold & Son - a new interpretation of the DTSB in Red Gold, with what is described as an "English Frosted Dial Plate".

Courtesy of Arnold & Son

It is a beautiful watch, full of the details and flourishes we have come to expect from Arnold & Son.

Courtesy of Arnold & Son

And in their own words -

The DSTB is part of the Instrument Collection and, like every other model from Arnold & Son, features an in-house mechanical movement. The true beat seconds is a traditional complication of Arnold & Son, and this watch pays tribute to the watches produced by John Arnold during the second half of his career, when he and his son were the first to develop marine chronometers that could be produced in quantity at reasonable prices. Those technically superior, widely distributed chronometers reflected Arnold & Son’s commitment to exceptional precision and solved the problem of determining longitude at sea. 

Upholding that legacy, Arnold & Son’s master watchmakers thrive on creating complicated movements for exquisite timepieces. Such is the case with the DSTB watch, a truly innovative technical and architectural achievement. The specifically developed automatic movement showcases the true beat seconds' mechanism entirely on the dial side. Not just the hands, but also the lever, wheels and three red gold treated true beat seconds bridges are located in all their beauty on the dial side. Making the watch even more alluring is the fact that the true beat seconds lever is shaped like an anchor – paying homage to Arnold’s maritime achievements.

The true beat seconds are superbly indicated via a large sapphire dial that occupies the top left portion of the dial at 11 o’clock. At the 4 o’clock position, a silvery opaline subdial indicates the hours and the minutes via blued hands. These generously proportioned, overlapping indications translate into a stunning three-dimensional dial.

This restructuring of the intricate mechanism yields a concept not achieved in the watch industry heretofore. The self-winding calibre A&S6003 has 229 components. In true Arnold & Son style, the palladium treated movement features Haute Horlogerie finishing with hand-chamfered and satin-finished lever and bridges, polished edges and fine circular graining and Côtes de Genève rayonnantes. The visible dial plate is NAC grey treated with traditional English frosted finish, and screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads. The application of frosted finish creates a distinctive sparkling surface which is typical for traditional English watchmaking. Usually the frosted finish is used in combination with yellow gold plating. Arnold & Son has taken a different approach and combined it with a NAC grey coating, achieving a more contemporary and unique look. The frosted finish is obtained by carefully brushing the surface with a wire brush. This type of finish is also unique and very painstaking because it has to be applied before the part is machined. Therefore the frosted finish is first applied to the raw German silver plate and only then all the functional drillings and millings are done. This procedure requests the upmost care in handling as the frosted finish has to be protected during the entire process.

The magnificent timepiece is housed inside a 43.5 mm 18-carat red gold case with anti- reflective sapphire crystal and caseback for viewing the superbly finished movement and, complete with solid 22-carat red gold guilloché oscillating weight. This edition of the DSTB will be limited to 125 timepieces – underscoring the brand’s commitment to exclusivity and excellence. 

Here are the details -

Calibre: 

A&S6003 

Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement, self-winding, 32 jewels, diameter 38 mm, thickness 7.39 mm, power reserve 45 h, 28,800 vibrations/h 

Functions:

hours, minutes, true beat seconds 

Movement decoration: 

palladium treated with Haute Horlogerie finishing: hand-chamfered bridges and polished edges, fine circular graining and Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, dial plate NAC grey treated with traditional English frosted finish, circular satin-finished wheels, blued screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads True beat seconds bridges: red gold treated, satin-finished with hand- chamfered and polished edges
Oscillating weight: solid 22-carat red gold guilloché 

Dial: 

silvery opaline, sapphire

Case: 

18-carat red gold, diameter 43.5 mm, cambered sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both sides, see-through sapphire case back, water-resistant to 30 m 

Strap:

hand-stitched black or brown alligator leather 

Limited edition: 
125 timepieces

Reference: 

1ATAR.S01A.C120A