Monday, August 23, 2021

RADO – TRUE Square x Yuan Youmin, True Heart Special Edition

 

RADOTRUE Square x Yuan Youmin, True Heart Special Edition 2021

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A truly balanceddesign collaboration

A millennia-old culture meets minimalist design, Chinese craftsmanship meets Swiss precision. Yuan Youmin – graphic designer, lecturer and curator – has drawn inspiration from traditional elements of his homeland China, and together with Rado, created an exceptional timepiece. 

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The new True Square x Yuan Youmin unites West and East, yesterday and today with elaborate details and the latest methods worthy of a Master of Materials.


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For the latest Rado True Square design collaboration, the renowned graphic designer Yuan Youmin drew inspiration from the fascinating cultural history of China, combined with modern minimalism. The traditional steelyard served as a motif. This important measuring instrument has been anchored into Chinese everyday life for almost two thousand years. It consists of a rod with markings, a weighing tray and a movable counterweight.

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The new watch picks up on some of these elements stylised in its design. The recessed, round dial in the centre, for example, represents the weighing tray, the lever arms of the steelyard become the slender hands, and the traditional hexadecimal dot graduation serves as the basis for the design of the hour markings. Their yellow gold colour has also been chosen carefully. 

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It traditionally stands for the pure heart and honesty of the tradesman working with the steelyard. The four segments that connect the round dial with the angular case feature polished black lacquer, a further classic Chinese technique. Yuan ultimately chose the image of a phoenix, the famous symbol of eternal rebirth, for the case back of the watch.

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The craftsmanship of the watch is just as refined and sophisticated as its design. The basis was the new ground-breaking True Square – the first watch made from solid high-tech ceramic with rounded edges, whose flowing shapes are created using injection moulding. It unmistakably bears the signature of the watchmaker from Lengnau and impresses with pioneering materials, innovative design, scratch-proof longevity and a pleasant, sensual feel.  

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The new Rado True Square x Yuan Youmin is driven by a Swiss-made automatic calibre with an 80- hour power reserve. Traditions passed down through the generations and the latest materials thus create a sophisticated timepiece combining cultures and epochs.

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About Yuan Youmin

Graphic designer Yuan Youmin was born in Anhui, China, in 1971. He is a professor at the China Academy of Art and Director of the China Design Museum. His agency is called STUDIO0909. He also works as a curator and art director and has previously supported Rado during Shanghai Design Week.

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TECHNICAL DATA

Model: True Square Automatic True Heart

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Ref  R27078152

 

Movement 
Rado calibre R763, automatic, 
25 jewels, 
80-hour power reserve
Case 
Dimensions 38.0 x 44.2 x 9.6
(W x L x H in mm) 
Polished black high-tech ceramic case, monobloc construction
Sandblasted black PVD coated titanium case back with lettering: SPECIAL EDITION
YUAN YOUMIN, Phoenix
Polished black high-tech ceramic crown
Flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides with Rado, Automatic and
Swiss Made logo metallised in yellow gold colour on the inner side.
Water-resistant to 5 bar (50m)
Dial 
Black, disc-shaped with grooves
Yellow gold coloured, diamond-cut dots
Four black lacquered areas between the dial and housing
Hands Black and yellow gold-coloured
Bracelet 
Polished black high-tech ceramic case
Titanium 3-fold clasp

 Suggested Retail Price     CHF 2'300 (VAT Incl.)

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Press release - 2021
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Friday, August 20, 2021

ARNOLD & SON – LUNA MAGNA Ultimate I 44 Edition


ARNOLD & SONLUNA MAGNA Ultimate I White Gold 44mm Limited Edition 2021

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Luna Magna Ultimate I
Celestial brilliance 

The volume of the moon

A watch face featuring ruthenium crystals and a dial made of white opal. A bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds. A three-dimensional moon paved with blue sapphires and diamonds. The first chapter of the Luna Magna Ultimate series illustrates light, astronomical precision and the truly exceptional.

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After presenting the Luna Magna, Arnold & Son set out to create a series of high-end jewellery interpretations of its three-dimensional moon model. In addition to the technical feat of placing a mechanical star measuring 12mm inside a watch, this piece displays superlative jewel-setting ability, both in the stones and techniques used. With paved and invisibly-set precious stones, Arnold & Son have applied their exceptional know-how to creating eight Luna Magna Ultimate I watches. Poetic and rare, they reveal an outstanding level of detail.

High altitude

Only the most precious materials are used in the Luna Magna Ultimate I limited series. The case, measuring 44mm in diameter, is made of white gold and set with 7.62 carats of the highest quality diamonds.

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These include 💎20 baguette-cut diamonds on the case’s lugs, cut one by one to fit the unique shape of each mount.

White orbit

A fine ring resembling the ring around Saturn constitutes the bezel, orbiting the Luna Magna Ultimate I case. It contains 💎112 baguette-cut diamonds totalling 5.90 carats. Light can enter freely, just as it would an open prism, thanks to the dual-row invisible setting which allows for radiance beyond compare.

Blanket of blue

The material used to make the watch face itself is just as exceptional, owing to its rarity. Hundreds of pure ruthenium crystals make up that sparkling blue façade. This extremely hard metal belongs to the platinum group, which means they are found together in the same ore.

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Separating them is a complex process that makes ruthenium ten times rarer. Here, it has been reshaped into crystals which are placed on the face plate before being blued.

Iridescent display

Within the circle of blue radiance lies a dial in the conventional sense, featuring twelve Roman numeral markings, the Arnold & Son signature and the hands. This off-centre subdial owes its delicate colour to white opal, and its finesse befits a piece of the finest jewellery such as the Luna Magna Ultimate I.

Double hemisphere
 
Beneath the timepiece, the three-dimensional moon is the standout feature of the Luna Magna watches. Gem-setting of the utmost intricacy coats the entire white gold sphere.

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It is divided into 💎161 brilliant-cut diamonds for daytime and as many blue sapphires for night-time. The line between the two colours is a ripple of blue and white along the outline of the stones.

Craftsmanship
 
The Luna Magna Ultimate I is made with the A&S1021 calibre, which is entirely developed, manufactured, assembled and adjusted in-house at Arnold & Son.

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This hand-wound calibre, designed around the lunar globe, has a power reserve of 90 hours and a regulating organ at a frequency of 3 Hz. As for the case back, the movement provides a second display for the lunar phase, featuring easy-to-read graduations for utmost precision when correcting the lunar globe.

Precision
 
The sophistication of this celestial mechanism also lies in its astronomical accuracy. The length of a full moon cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. Arnold & Son has produced a likeness such that it would take 122 years for the movement to accrue a one-day interval between the watch display and the true celestial cycle.

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Nevertheless, this error is easy to correct given that the lunar function on the Luna Magna Ultimate I is directly accessible from the crown. Arnold & Son’s complete mastery of the watchmaking process allows for this practical touch.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection:  LUNA MAGNA

Model:   LUNA MAGNA Ultimate I Gold 44 Limited Edition

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Reference 1LMMW.Z01A.C177A

Movement
Calibre A&S1021, hand-wound mechanical
Jewels 35
Diameter 37.60 mm
Thickness 12.00 mm with three-dimensional moon (4.75 mm without moon)
Power reserve 90 hours
Frequency 3 Hz / 21,600 vph
Finishes main plate: circular-grained
bridges: chamfered, with Côtes de Genève stripes radiating from the centre
wheels: circular satin-finished
screws: blued and chamfered, polished heads
moon-phase indicator: circular satin-finished
Dial  
Aventurine glass
Watch face    dial: blue-treated ruthenium crystals
    subdial: white opal
Moon    diameter: 12.00 mm 18 carat white gold
    set with 💎161 diamonds (~0.75 ct) and 💎161 sapphires (~0.85 ct)
Functions  
Hours, minutes, astronomical lunar phases (one-day correction every 122 years),
moon phase indicator on case back
Case
Material 18 carat white gold, bezel with dual-row invisible setting and studded lugs, with a total of 💎112 baguette-cut diamonds (~5.90 ct)
Diameter 44.00 mm
Thickness 15.90 mm (with crystal)
Crystal domed sapphire with an anti-reflective coating on both sides
Case back sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on the inside
Water-resistance 30 metres / 100 feet
Strap
Material Cutside: blue or black alligator leather
    inside: blue or black alligator leather hand sewn
Buckle pin, 18 carat white gold, set with 💎26 baguette-cut diamonds (~0.97 ct)

Jewels   
🧿 Diamonds    total weight: ~7.62 ct
    colour: D-E-F
    clarity: IF-VVS


💎 Sapphires    total weight: ~0.85 ct
    colour: blue
    clarity: loupe clean

 

Limited editions 8 timepieces

Global retail price excluding tax CHF 169,900 (may be subject to modifications)

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Press releases - 2021
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Marketing & Sales
Boulevard des Eplatures 38
CH – 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds

Switzerland
info@arnoldandson.com
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