Wednesday, March 9, 2016

ARNOLD & SON – NEBULA















ARNOLD & SON Royal Collection NEBULA NEW

Instrument Collection – NEBULA
Pre-BASELWORLD 2016


Arnold & Son blasts into outer space with radiating bridges
defining the harmoniously symmetrical Nebula

The three-dimensional, openwork movement and dial of the Nebula offer views into the very heart of the in-house manufacture calibre. Two mainspring barrels providing a healthy 90 hours power reserve at the top, find near-mirror symmetry with the small seconds display and dial-side balance below.

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It has long been a proven fact that when we consider a person’s face "beautiful" we are actually noticing facial symmetry because the human brain finds beauty in symmetry. And it's not just the visually balanced faces of people that we find attractive, but symmetrical faces in general – including those of timepieces. This goes a long way toward explaining the watch lover’s strong attraction to the refined Arnold & Son Nebula, which is symmetrical not only horizontally and vertically but also front and back.

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Besides the evident careful attention to balance, the powerful allure of the Nebula also derives from the meticulously calculated proportions and ratios of diameter versus height and the size and placement of every gear and wheel. Rather than being an assembly of disparate components – case, dial, and movement – Nebula was designed from the ground up to be completely holistic, with all components blending harmoniously into one. The "dial" actually acts as a bridge in supporting some of the intricate gearing.

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The movement bridges − there are no less than ten in this complex calibre, compared to four in a standard watch − form the dial.

The name "Nebula" (Latin for "cloud") was selected because with its bridges distinctively radiating from the perimeter of the dial toward the centre, the sculptural movement looks like an inverted, exploded star. Nebulae, an astronomical term describing a cloud of cosmic gas and dust, are formed from the debris of exploding stars and constitute the regions in our universe in which new stars are born . . . new stars like the Nebula.
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www.Nasa.gov

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The Crab Nebula
©  NASA, ESA, J. Hester, A. Loll (ASU)

Highly legible central hours and minutes rotate above the movement that was conceived and developed from the outset to be openwork rather than have superfluous material skeletonized as an afterthought. Dial side, symmetry at top to bottom is provided by the two mainspring barrels, which provide a very healthy 90 hours of power above, and small seconds plus the oscillating balance wheel below. Seven of the skeletonized and chamfered triangular bridges with polished edges fixed around the perimeter of the movement and radiating inward offer a contemporary take on traditional English movement architecture.

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Not only is all of the movement visible and highly decorated, all of the most technically interesting and animated mechanisms, including the barrels, gear train, balance and escapement, and winding mechanism, can be appreciated from the dial side without having to turn the timepiece over.

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A&S5101
Manufacture Arnold & Son calibre,
skeletonized NAC (base plate) & palladium (bridges)
treated movement

© Arnold & Son

But that’s not to say the underside of the movement is something to be overlooked. The view through the display back reveals even more of the superlatively hand-finished movement, with its skeletonized and chamfered main plate with polished edges, solid 18-karat gold chatons and gears featuring polished chamfers.

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A&S5101
Manufacture Arnold & Son calibre,
skeletonized  black ADLC (base plate) & NAC (bridges)
treated movement

© Arnold & Son

The Nebula is available in a 41.50 mm, 5N red gold or stainless steel case, with a sapphire crystal display back for viewing the superbly hand-finished movement.

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Technical characteristics:

Reference: 1NEAS.B01A.D134A  Stainless steel 
Reference: 1NEAR.S01A.D135A  18-karat Red Gold

Calibre: A&S5101
Exclusive
Manufacture Arnold & Son mechanical movement, 
Fully skeletonized and symmetrical, hand-wound,
24 jewels, diameter 31.50 mm, two mainspring barrels, screwed balance wheel,
thickness 4.04 mm, power reserve 90 h, 3 Hz / 21,600 vph, adjusted to 5 position

Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds
Movement decoration: 

NAC-treated bridges and black ADLC-treated main plate (stainless steel model) or palladium-treated bridges and NAC-treated main plate (red gold model) with haute horlogerie finishing, chamfered
bridges with polished edges and brushed surfaces, chamfered wheels with A&S three-spoke design and polished edges, gold chatons, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads
Dial: 
Anthracite-coloured (stainless steel model) or light grey (red gold model) chapter ring
Case: 

Stainless steel or 18-karat red gold (5N),
41.50 mm diameter, 8.73 mm height,
cambered sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides,
sapphire crystal display case back
Water-resistant: 30 m /100 ft
Strap: 

Hand-aged anthracite calf leather (stainless steel model), hand-
stitched brown or black alligator leather (red gold model)


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Press release
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 ARNOLD & SON SA
Marketing & Sales
Boulevard des Eplatures 38
CH – 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds
Switzerland
 

info@arnoldandson.com
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Backes & Strauss – The Princess Elizabeth
















Backes & Strauss Royal Collection The Princess Elizabeth - Unique Piece NEW


ROYAL COLLECTION ǀ UNIQUE PIECE

The Princess Elizabeth is the first of two very unique pieces that Backes & Strauss has crafted in 2016 to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

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The main feature of the Princess Elizabeth is its extraordinary dial, depicting Princess Elizabeth’s youthful profile. The gold dial has been hand-engraved by Backes & Strauss’ master engraver and enamelled using the Grand Feu technique with “XC” at twelve o’ clock.

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It is interesting to note that this process uses the English Blythe enamel, applied over various layers at 900 degrees Celsius. The temperature is rigorously controlled to achieve a royal purple hue, a skill for which the enameller requires decades of experience to perfect.

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The second piece, the Queen Elizabeth, will be unveiled at a special event in October to be held in Japan.

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Technical details

Case: 18k White Gold 28 diamonds – 3.95 cts
Size: 37 mm
Dial: Gold
XC at 12 o’ Clock, Portrait of Princess Elizabeth II: Grand Feu enamelling technique using English Blythe Enamel
Crown: One Ideal Cut diamond “The Jewel in the Crown” - 0.09 cts
Hands: Sword-shaped hands with superwhite luminova
Movement: Automatic movement
Display: Hours, minutes & seconds
Strap: Jewellery bracelet in 18k White Gold set with 136 diamonds – 18.57 cts
Total Carats: 165 diamonds – 22.61 cts

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CONTACT
For further press information, please contact  Florence Bull:
Florence Bull: T. +44 (0) 207 629 5714 
E fb@backesandstrauss.com
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Backes & Strauss
76 Brook Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 5EE
TEL: +44 (0) 207 518 2585
Email: info@backesandstrauss.com
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