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The Heritage
In 1995, the legacy of legendary British watchmaker John Arnold and his son, John Roger Arnold, received a new chapter with the revival of one of the oldest watch brands in the world: Arnold & Son. The company can trace its roots to the latter half of the 18th century when John Arnold was taking the British horological world by storm, producing one great timepiece after the other. It was the golden age of British watchmaking, and John Arnold was one of the innovators leading the way.
By the time he was 19 years of age, John Arnold had left his native place in Cornwall to travel to the Netherlands to learn the art of watchmaking. Two years later, John Arnold showed up in England being affluent both in the German language and the art of watchmaking. As the legendary watchmaker took the first steps to establish himself in the horological world, he gained many admirers, like the erstwhile King George III. The King of England and the watchmaker enjoyed a cordial relationship due to John Arnold presenting His Majesty the world’s smallest half-quarter repeater, engraved in a ring!
As his name grew, so did John Arnold’s business. At that age, he was one of the pioneers, competing in many horological competitions, like the one used to determine the longitude while at sea. Noted explorers of that time, including Captain James Cook and Captain John Phipps, took watches made by Arnold on voyages across the Pacific and the North Pole. Such was his grasp over the horological art that John Arnold held patents like the Detent escapement, a helical balance spring, and a bimetallic balance. However, many are not aware that the term ‘chronometer’ was first made commonplace by John Arnold. The earliest marine chronometers were also devised by John Arnold, which was placed on English naval ships. Arnold & Sons became a chief supplier to the British Royal Navy during its heyday. Back then, it was an invention ahead of time.
The Revival
Arnold & Sons officially came into existence in 1787, founded by the Arnold father & son duo. After Arnold Sr. retired from the business, his son and apprentice, John Roger Arnold, took over. He successfully ran the business for about 30 years before entering a partnership with John Dent, changing the company’s name to Arnold & Dent. However, after Roger Arnold’s death, the ownership changed hands, and the reins were now in the hands of Charles Frodsham. Thus, even though it ran for a while after that, the name and the watches of the discontinued John Arnold and John Roger Arnold were relegated to the annals of British watchmaking history.
However, a group of British watch enthusiasts had other ideas. In 1995, this same group trademarked the names of three British horological masters from the past, including John Arnold. The relaunched company, Arnold & Son, started gaining inspiration from the watchmaker’s ideas and designs. After being bought by the Japanese Citizen Group in 2010, Arnold & Son now shares its assembly line with Swiss watchmaking giant La Joux-Perret, its sister company. All the beautiful and innovative designs and watches are assembled at the La Joux-Perret Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
The Collection
Today, Arnold & Son considers itself to be a Swiss watch company with British roots. Priding themselves on their watchmaking abilities, the company focuses on the four aspects of its philosophy: Creativity, Authenticity, Exclusivity, and Aesthetics. Arnold & Son focuses on innovation and research rather than mass production. As per the latest reports, the company does not produce more than 600 watches a year. And its collection is a perfect reflection of this.
Arnold & Son has around 11 watch models: Luna Magna, Nebula, Time Pyramid, Perpetual Moon, DSTB, Grand Complications, Globetrotter, Ultrathin Tourbillon, Tourbillon Chrono 36, Eight-Day, and Métiers D'arts. These watches are built on the three pillars that Arnold & Son pride themselves on world time, astronomy, and chronometry.
The Métiers D'arts collection focuses on the design and art of customizing the dial. With motifs like the buffalo, moon, or dragons, it uses hematite, gold, and various hardstones to light up the dial and make it look enticing. The equally intriguing Globetrotter collection has an arch bridge on the dial, showing the outline of the northern hemisphere. There are white and blue dial variants available for the Globetrotter collection!
Watches such as the Luna Magna are designs of ethereal beauty, containing a three-dimensional moon embedded in the dial against the backdrop of a blue starry night. The refined Perpetual Moon collection has a movement that supplies a precision moon phase that offers a one-day deviation every 122 years. On top of that, it has a magnificent engraved moon floating against a starry sky.
The Tourbillon Chrono 36 and the Grand Complications collections are some of the finest examples of chronometric watchmaking in the world. The Ultrathin Tourbillon uses a brave design to either present a skeletal tourbillon dial or an ornate dial with chronometric precision partly hidden behind it. Nebula features seven-classical style bridges known for holding a majority of the components by being radially mounted around the movement.
The Eight-Day collection is a tribute to John Arnold and along with an efficient twin barrel, it features marine chronometers, inspired by the 18th-century marine chronometers designed by John Arnold. Time Pyramid collection features open-worked movements crafted along the central vertical line to present a bare-bone version of the intricate details that go in the making of an Arnold & Son watch.
With its penchant for meticulous craftsmanship and pioneering designs, Arnold & Son has followed the footsteps of the man they were named after. This has helped them garner a faithful following worldwide, including British runner Sir Mo Farah, who serves as the Brand Ambassador.