Arnold & Son
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DETAILS
This is a rare visitor from the past with an unusual history. The starting point for the introduction of the GMT II Tourbillonin 2001 into the collection of the Arnold & Son brand, which at the time was part of The British Masters (originally and until 2000 Les Monts, founded in 1995 by Eric Loth and Pierre-André Finazzi in La Chaux-de-Fonds; today Arnold & Son is part of the Citizen Group), was a historical anecdote. The inventor of the tourbillon, Abraham-Louis Breguet, was known as a friendly person who appreciated the talent of his fellow watchmakers. Breguet admired the work of the famous English watchmaker John Arnold, an eminent chronometer-maker, who had developed the idea of the terminal curve of the balance spring, which Breguet brilliantly developed further. John Arnold held Breguet in such high esteem that he sent his son to Breguet in Paris to train as an apprentice. After John Arnold's death in 1799, Breguet reworked John Arnold's pocket chronometer No. 11 by modifying the movement and adding a tourbillon. The result was a unique watch from 1808 that was actually created by two famous watchmakers. Breguet gave this watch to Arnold's son John Roger and provided the movement with a plaque engraved with a commemorative inscription. The watch has survived and is now part of the British Museum's collection of clocks and watches.
REASONS TO BUY
This extremely rare Arnold & Son GMT II Tourbillon in platinum, released in 2001 in a limited edition of only 10 pieces, was born from a historical anecdote about the friendship between two great watchmakers, John Arnold and Abraham-Louis Breguet, and the commitment of modern watchmaker Christophe Claret, a recognized master of complicated and super-complicated movements. This movement is one of Christophe Claret's early developments, crafted in a respectful, traditional style with a fine finishing, also in a classic style that undoubtedly makes this watch relevant and attractive to this day.
ABOUT THIS WATCH
The GMT II Tourbillon from the modern incarnation of Arnold & Son brand was launched in 2001 on the initiative of Eric Loth, then head of the brand, to commemorate the friendship between the two watchmakers and the 200th anniversary of the patent for the tourbillon received by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801. This watch brought Arnold and Breguet together again: Arnold’s name is on the dial, while Breguet’s invention, the tourbillon, is integrated into the movement. The tourbillon is complemented by two displays for the second and third time zones on small 24-hour scales. The hour hands for these displays are controlled by two pushers, each of which is located next to its own display. The hand-wound movement with a power reserve of 110 hours was specially developed for Arnold & Son by Christophe Claret and the Jaquet manufacture (now La Joux-Perret; also part of the Citizen Group). The caliber has a beautiful symmetrical layout typical of the movements of the early pocket tourbillons of the early 19th century made by Breguet, Jacques-Frédéric Houriet and several other watchmakers after them. The bridges have a curved contour and stand out from the main plate with perlage and the set of straight-grinded levers and flat springs thanks to the Côtes de Genève finishing. Polished chamfers and recesses for jewels and screws, gold-plated wheels and engraved and gold-plated inscriptions make the movement visually very attractive. Particularly noteworthy is the carefully crafted tourbillon cage, which retains the "fleur-de-lis" shape introduced in the 19th century by the famous tourbillon maker Auguste Grether and commonly used by Christophe Claret. Among Christophe Claret's technical innovations, the double barrel and the extravagant peripheral manual winding surrounding the movement are worth mentioning.
The GMT II Tourbillon is produced in a very small limited edition of 10 pieces in platinum (this watch), 10 pieces in white gold, 25 pieces in rose gold, 5 pieces in platinum with skeletonized movement and 5 pieces in rose gold with skeletonized movement, making them all collector's items.
Specifications
| Ref | 1T1AW |
| D= | 41.5mm |
| Glass | Sapfire glass |
| Functions | Tourbillon |
| Other | GMT – 3 Time zones |
| Dial | Silver> |
| Case material | Platinum |
| Movement | Manual Winding |
| Color of Bracelet | Black Alligator leather |
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
