As part of their participation in the Geneva Watch Days, Arnold & Son presented two steel versions of their impressive Globetrotter world timer. Unlike Arnold & Son's technical models with open mechanics on the dial, the Globetrotter is a more artistic, three-dimensional interpretation of a world timer. Depicting continents surrounded by water on a large dome at the center of the dial, the Globetrotter offers a more intuitive approach to the traditional world timer, allowing you to determine the time in different parts of the Northern Hemisphere at a glance.
JOHN ARNOLD
This Swiss high-end brand, named after the 18th-century English watchmaker John Arnold, explores modern ways of interpreting traditional watchmaking with a noticeable inclination towards symmetry and complexity. John Arnold (1736-1799), one of the most innovative watchmakers of his time, patented the detent escapement and became famous for his high-precision marine chronometers made for the Royal Navy. In tribute to John Arnold's contribution to navigation, the Globetrotter model, released in 2018, is described as “a watch for the modern-day navigator”.
At their factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Arnold & Son develops their watches, including complex calibers. Known for their high-tech models like the impressive “Time Pyramid” or the “Nebula” with a fully skeletonized mechanism, over twenty calibers of the brand were conceived, designed, developed, processed, decorated, assembled, and adjusted at the sister manufacture La Joux-Perret. Unlike the more technical skeletonized models of Arnold & Son, the tangibility and artistry of the Globetrotter are more akin to the Luna Magna with one of the largest 3D moon phases ever presented on a wristwatch.
MAP OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
In the center of the dial rises a blue dome with realistic lands corresponding to the Northern Hemisphere. An elegant arched bridge, spanning the dome and suspended on an axis with a ruby marking the North Pole, resembles historical gimbals used to keep marine chronometers and other navigational instruments upright.
Before discussing the functionality of the world timer, it's important to understand how these watches were conceived. The designers at Arnold & Son decided that the main feature of the watch should be the large hemisphere representing the Northern Hemisphere. Naturally, the large dome-shaped hemisphere requires a lot of space and dial height, which meant the need for an even more pronounced sapphire dome to protect the dial.
The stainless steel case reflects these decisions and measures 45 mm in diameter and 17.23 mm in height. Brightly polished throughout, the case forms a continuous line from the strap to the massive dome-shaped sapphire suspended above the dial, smoothly transitioning into a thin sloping bezel. Despite the large case size and its impressive height, the beautifully cut lugs are short and curved to sit comfortably on the wrist. The large fluted crown at the 3 o'clock position features the brand's logo (an anchor framed by the crown).
The dome-shaped hemisphere is made from a circular piece of brass and rotates counterclockwise once every 24 hours. The rhodium-coated lands on the dome are delineated using chemical etching to achieve realistic detailing of the continents. A layer of transparent lacquer is then applied and polished by hand.
The graphic depiction of North America, Eurasia, and Africa, complemented by matte sandblasted areas to depict mountain ranges and various shades of blue for the oceans, means you can instantly tell the time anywhere north of the equator. The oceans are hand-coated with a layer of blue lacquer and sprinkled with mother-of-pearl powder for depth and brilliance. Another interesting feature of the Globetrotter is that the coastlines are outlined with a luminescent Super-LumiNova compound, which emits a cool blue light in low light conditions.
The impressive arched steel bridge spanning the map of the Northern Hemisphere is held by a large ruby. Unlike some of the earlier Globetrotter releases, the bridge has an open-worked design: two arches spanning the entire dial rest on two legs secured by screws at the “3” and “9 o'clock” positions. The finishing of the bridge reflects Arnold & Son's meticulous attention to detail and includes bevels, satin-finished flat surfaces, and polishing done entirely by hand.
TWO DIALS
Two dials are offered: one with a blue lacquered chapter ring, released in a limited series of 88 pieces, and a second variant with an opaline lacquered chapter ring, released without limitation. Roman numerals from I to XI are depicted on the matte chapter ring, black on the opaline dial and white on the blue.
Moving towards the center of the dial, you can see a sapphire disc suspended around the dome-shaped map. The transparent disc features a 24-hour scale with the numbers 24 and 12 highlighted in red, the same color as the hour and minute hands emerging from beneath the globe. The red area of the short arrow-shaped hour hand and the slightly longer arrow-shaped minute hand is also treated with Super-LumiNova luminous compound, allowing you to read the time in the dark.
HOW IT WORKS
All world timer settings are adjusted using the crown. Home time, or reference time, is set by pulling the crown to the third position. If you are in Madrid, for example, and it is 18:30, you will turn the crown to set the globe relative to the 24-hour scale, with the map section representing the Iberian Peninsula falling between 18:00 and 19:00. The hour is set by aligning the globe, and the minute hand is adjusted by turning the crown clockwise.
Local time is set using the crown in the second position. The hour hand can move in hourly jumps clockwise or counterclockwise along the 12 hours represented by Roman numerals without disturbing home time. Unlike previous Globetrotter models, there are no minute markers and dots, meaning that setting the minutes will be more approximate. Usually, the minute hand does not require adjustment, but if you are in a country with uneven UTC offset, you can set the minute hand yourself using the third position of the crown.
To find the time in other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, simply locate the country on the map and draw an imaginary line along the 24-hour scale.
MOVEMENT
The Globetrotter is equipped with the automatic caliber A&S6022, visible through the anti-reflective sapphire rear case. Like all Arnold & Son movements, it was designed, manufactured, decorated, assembled, adjusted, and fitted at the La Chaux-de-Fonds factory. The balance wheel with a Clous de Paris guilloché pattern is skeletonized and coated with NAC, giving it a tone closer to the gray shade of the NAC-treated movement. This type of coating uses precious metals close to platinum, resulting in a particularly high-quality anthracite coating matching the gray stainless steel Globetrotter case.
The A&S6022 caliber is adorned with traditional haute horlogerie finishing: perlage on the plate, NAC-coated bridges with “sunray” Côtes de Genève, satin-finished wheels, beveled and mirror-polished screws. The large balance wheel oscillates at a speed of 28,800 vibrations per hour, with a power reserve of 45 hours. At a diameter of 38 mm, the movement has a minimal height of 6.5 mm.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICE
Of course, Arnold & Son can custom-make a globe depicting the Southern Hemisphere and other custom options. Both models come on a hand-stitched blue alligator leather strap - closer to turquoise on the opaline dial model - with a stainless steel pin buckle. The Globetrotter Steel model with a blue dial is limited to 88 pieces and is priced at 18,900 Swiss francs (excluding taxes); the Globetrotter Steel model with an opaline dial is not limited and is priced at 17,900 Swiss francs (excluding taxes).
More information at www.arnoldandson.com.
SPECIFICATIONS – ARNOLD & SON GLOBETROTTER STEEL
Case: 45 mm diameter x 17.23 mm height – stainless steel, polished – domed sapphire crystal with AR treatment on the dial, sapphire crystal with AR treatment on the case back – water resistance 30 meters
Dial: blue or opaline lacquered dial with matte finish and sunray decoration – Roman numerals – red arrow hands for local time – realistic dome-shaped Northern Hemisphere display rotating every 24 hours, with a steel bridge spanning the dial from 3 to 9 o'clock – sapphire glass ring with 24-hour scale
Movement: in-house caliber A&S6022 – automatic – 39 mm x 6.55 mm – 28,000 vph/4 Hz – 45-hour power reserve – NAC-coated movement – hours, minutes, world time
Strap: blue hand-stitched alligator leather – stainless steel pin buckle
Reference: 1WTAS.U01C.C155S blue limited edition 88 pieces
1WTAS.S02C.C155S opaline
Price: 18,900 CHF blue dial
17,900 Swiss francs opaline dial