Arnold & Son have a clear fascination with our universe, revealing intricate designs like their earth-inspired Globetrotter and their moon tributes, the Perpetual Moon and Luna Magna. For Watches & Wonders Shanghai 2023, it’s the latter that has our attention as the Swiss watchmaker reveals a new rose gold Meteorite edition.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
The Arnold & Son Luna Magna watch was launched only two years ago, but as of today, there are now seven variations of this solar system-inspired design. With one of the largest spherical moon phase complications ever, it’s a design you can’t really ignore and when combined with opulent gold and platinum cases, diamond bezels and sparkling blue aventurine dials, its begins to teeter the line between a wristwatch and a piece of jewellery.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
For their latest instalment, Arnold & Son expands upon last year’s Luna Magna Meteorite watch which combined meteorite and opal to conjure up the muted tonalities of the moon as we perceive it from Earth. This time, we’re looking midway between Mars and Neptune and combining the warm and cool hues of these contrasting planets. The dial of the Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite watch is still meteorite, but embodies the freezing temperature of Neptune with a deep blue PVD coating while the 18ct rose gold case contrasts to it to evoke our fiery red planet.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
With a watch like this, we can’t start anywhere other than the dial. The Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite watch presents a full meteorite display with a blue PVD coating. It’s a spacious dial really, considering it has a reasonably sized off-centred hour and minutes dial at 12 o’clock and one of the largest spherical moon phase complications at 6 o’clock. The former has a milky, almost lunar sheen thanks to its opal surface to match with the two-toned opal and meteorite moonphase feature.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
This is one of those dials you’ll appreciate more when you see it in person. The meteorite has a unique criss-crossing, jagged geometric structure also known as a Widmanstätten pattern. It beautifully reflects the light across the surface and on the large three-dimensional moon. What’s more, the opal segments of the dial are coated in Superluminova which means half the moon and hour and minutes dial glow blue-green once night falls.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
The case of the Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite watch contrasts nicely to the lunar-inspired display in 18ct rose gold. It is brightly polished and measures to 44mm wide and 15.9mm tall. It includes two box sapphire crystals on the front and back and offers a 30 metre water resistance. The exterior is completed by a blue alligator leather strap and an 18ct rose gold cover and stirrup folding buckle.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
Through the back of the Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite watch, you can admire the manual-winding A&S1021 calibre which includes the opposing side of the spherical moon. Above it, Arnold & Son have rather ingeniously included another moon phase indicator, this time one that more accuracy reveals the eight phases of the moon. Decorations include Geneva striping, blued, chamfered screws and satin finished wheels.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
The manual winding movement does not need to be wound all that often, boasting a 90-hour power reserve. It also runs at a frequency of 21,600vph and attests to accounting for the complete 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds of a complete lunar cycle. As long as you keep the watch fully wound, you won’t need to make any adjustment for 122 years.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite - Credit Arnold and Son
This is another beautiful moon phase watch from Arnold & Son and like all Luna Magna watches before it, it will undoubtedly be a real head turner – but that’s only if you can afford its £58,600 price tag. It’s also unlikely you’ll spot it on another fellow watch enthusiast’s wrist to enjoy from a distance as its limited to only 38 pieces.
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Arnold & Son
- Model: Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite
- Price: £58,600
- Material: 18ct rose gold
- Movement: Calibre A&S1021, manual winding
- Complications: Hours, minutes and moonphase
- Dial: Meteorite with blue PVD, opal off-centred dial
- Size: 44mm wide, 15.9mm tall
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: This nicely balances the line between a watch and jewellery, so I’d wear it where an overly dressy timepiece was called for.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone with plenty of spare cash and a love of opulent watch designs.
- Best characteristics of the watch: The meteorite dial is lovely and the Superluminova-coated opal elements are wonderfully done.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: The price. Sadly, it’s going to be out of reach for most of us.
