January 26, 2021: In honor of the Chinese year of the Metal Buffalo, watchmaker Arnold & Son has produced a scintillating new 8-piece production of the Perpetual Moon "Year of the Ox." Their glittering hematite dials feature a majestic golden buffalo stationed beneath an oversized mother-of-pearl moon.
Golden and glittering by day, the luminous, hand-painted scene comes alive at night. The large moon in the night-sky forms the dial of this exceptional timepiece. In a large aperture, a disc turns to show us the various phases of the heavenly body, the appearance of its crescent and its light.
The shadows of this mother-of-pearl moon have been hand-painted and coated with Super-LumiNova. By day, it appears almost pure white, but in the dark, it appears lit from within and new details appear to emerge. The constellations on the disc have also received the hand-painted, luminous treatment.
Following the obsidian and aventurine Perpetual Moon editions, spectacular hematite has been chosen for this dial, laminated in successive layers to produce a surface that is naturally smooth and shiny.
As with all hematites, due to their iron composition, silvery flakes bring variety to its otherwise totally black appearance. These glittering specks have also been incorporated into the double-faced alligator-skin strap. Its black outer face has been flake-speckled and embellished with genuine platinum thread stitching.
The majestic ox stands posed at 6 o’clock beneath the celestial light of the moon. In the background, Pagodas, each hand-painted with gold powder, stand in the distance, appearing in the dark as if lit from within. Here too, hand painted Super-LumiNova brings life to the windows.
Like all the movements used by Arnold & Son, the hand-wound mechanical caliber A&S1512 was entirely developed, produced, assembled, decorated, adjusted, and fully assembled in the brand’s Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. This caliber, housed within a 42mm 18 carat red gold case, is based on a large barrel with an oscillation frequency of 3 Hz, offering a 90-hour power reserve. The moon-phase display of this movement will remain accurate for 122 years before deviating by one day from the actual appearance of the moon in the night-sky.
