Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Arnold & Son - TB88 New Versions Royal Collection

















ARNOLD & SON - Royal Collection TB88 NEW

Arnold & Son - TB88 New Versions

Timeless elegance meets innovative technology


With timepieces that reference its English watchmaking heritage, Arnold & Son unveils two new versions of its famous TB88 featuring the hand-finished A&S5003 calibre. Conceived, designed and manufactured in-house, these superbly engineered wristwatches are part of the Royal Collection that combines classical styling with leading-edge technology.


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ARNOLD & SON - Royal Collection TB88 Grey open dial 18-carat Rose Gold case



John  Arnold  was  an  exceptional  watchmaker,  who  excelled  in  the  development  and  production  of marine chronometers. With his son, he built up a company that established itself as one of the most reputable  suppliers  of  timepieces  to  the  Royal  Navy  as  well  as  intrepid  explorers  like  James  Cook, Matthew Flinders and George Vancouver, to name but a few. By the early 19th century, he had several  major patents to his name and created a minor storm in precision timekeeping with the Arnold No. 36,  the first-ever watch  to  be called a  ‘chronometer’  –  a  term used to this  day for a  supremely accurate  timepiece. The Arnold No. 36 was considered so important that it was included in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in London, where it can still be seen today.

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ARNOLD & SON - Royal Collection TB88 Black open dial Stainless Steel case


The TB88 is proof that the company has lost none of its appetite for innovative technology or precision timekeeping. The A&S5003 calibre brings together all the technical and aesthetic characteristics of a classical John Arnold chronometer. The letters ‘TB’ stand for ‘true beat’ (or ‘dead beat’), a complication  that  alludes  to  the  precision  timekeeping  required  for  navigation  at  sea.  Unlike  conventional  mechanical  watches,  a  true  beat  movement  measures  out  time  in  complete  seconds  rather  than  fractions  dependent  on  the  balance  frequency.  This is useful for determining the exact time and, consequently, longitude, and makes it invaluable at sea.























Arnold & Dent, No.4229, London, 1833 © Arnold & Son


The TB88 is also a tribute to John Arnold’s earliest known pocket watch, of which the original case bears the number ‘88’.  The  number  is  replicated  by  the  design  of  the  movement,  with  its  perfectly  symmetrical layout featuring the twin barrels at the top, the balance wheel between 4 and 5 o’clock and  the true beat seconds indicator between 7 and 8.

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A&S5003
Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement, hand-wound, each of the pivoting elements in
the movement is mounted on its own bridge, 16 in total
© Arnold & Son



But the feature that unquestionably sets Arnold & Son’s new TB88 apart is its unique ‘English’ movement design, as expressed through features like the straight-cut bridges. Each of the pivoting elements in the movement is mounted on its own bridge, 16 in total! Compared to usual movements, the TB88’s movement is partly ‘inverted’, which means that the technically and aesthetically interesting features are on the dial side of the movement instead of being hidden away on the reverse. The front showcases the two barrels, which generate a minimum of 100 hours power reserve when fully wound, the gear train and the balance wheel with its Breguet overcoil spring. Bending and fitting such a spring by hand is a delicate and highly skilled operation mastered by a precious few watchmakers. The complex true beat seconds system as well as the winding and setting mechanisms are located on the reverse of the movement.

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Further  shining  examples  of  watchmaking  at  its  finest  is  the  A&S5003  movement’s  entire  haute horlogerie  finishing, with the hand-chamfered and polished edges  of the  bridges and of all the steel parts.

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The  three-dimensional  effect  of  the  movement  is  further  enhanced  by the  fascinating juxtaposition  of  grey  and  brushed  bridges  on  a  black  main  plate  (new  TB88  stainless  steel  case)  or palladium and brushed bridges on a NAC grey main plate (new TB88 18-carat rose gold case). These new galvanic platings further highlight the mechanical complexity of these magnificent timepieces.


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The  case  of  the  TB88  is  characterized  by  its  unique  English  style:  discreet  opulence  offset  by  the elegance of a double-step bezel and lugs, gently flowing contours and soft curves.
The TB88 is housed in either a 18-carat rose gold case or stainless steel case measuring 46 millimeters in diameter, which is  water-resistant  to  30  meters  and  secured  to  the  wearer’s  wrist  by  a  hand-stitched  black  alligator leather strap.

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                                                                                           A&S5003
Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement, hand-wound, 18-carat rose gold case model, movement decoration: nickel-silver movement, palladium treated bridges and NAC grey treated main plate with Haute Horlogerie finishing: manually chamfered bridges and steel parts with polished edge and brushed surfaces, circular satin-finished wheels, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads

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                                                                                            A&S5003
Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement, hand-wound, stainless steel case model, movement decoration: nickel-silver movement, NAC grey treated bridges and black ruthenium treated main plate with Haute Horlogerie finishing: manually chamfered bridges and steel parts with polished edge and brushed surfaces, circular satin-finished wheels, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads.

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Technical Characteristics

Calibre:    A&S5003
Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement,
hand-wound, 32 jewels, diameter
37.8 mm, thickness 5.9 mm,
power reserve 100 h, two barrels,
18’000 vibrations/h, Breguet spring
Functions:
Hours, minutes, true beat seconds at 8 o’clock
Movement decoration:
18-carat rose gold case model:  nickel-silver movement, palladium treated bridges and NAC grey treated main plate with Haute Horlogerie finishing: manually chamfered bridges and steel parts with  polished edge and  brushed surfaces, circular satin-finished wheels, screws with  bevelled and mirror-polished heads

Stainless steel case model:  nickel-silver movement, NAC grey treated brides and black ruthenium treated main plate with Haute Horlogerie finishing: manually chamfered bridges and steel parts with polished edges and brushed surfaces, circular satin-finished wheels, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads
Case:
18-carat rose gold or stainless steel,
diameter 46 mm,
cambered sapphire with anti reflective coating on both sides,
case back see-through sapphire,
water-resistant to 30 m
Strap:
Hand-stitched black or brown alligator leather

References: 

1TBAP.S01A.C113A, 18-carat Rose Gold case
1TBAS.B01A.C113S, Stainless Steel case

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