Arnold & Son Unveils Red-Gold Perpetual Moon 38 Models at Geneva Watch Days

Arnold & Son takes its name and horological inspiration from 18th-Century English clockmaker and inventor John Arnold, whose pioneering spirit can be seen in many timepieces in the brand’s collection today. Among the most intriguing of these is the Perpetual Moon models, first introduced in 2013, whose dial boasts perhaps the most dominant and dazzling moon-phase display on the market today. The original Perpetual Moons housed the lunar complication inside 42mm cases, adding the downsized 38mm versions in 2022.

The first 38mm Perpetual Moon models were clearly aimed at a female audience, with ornate gem-set iterations like ‘22’s Eclipse 1 and last year’s “Mintnight” model. The new Perpetual Moon 38 pieces, unveiled this week at Geneva Watch Days, go for a still-elegant but somewhat more unisex appeal, matching 38mm cases in 5N red gold with two new dials — one in blue aventurine with a constellation of metallic particles evoking the moonlit night sky, the other in a sunbrushed “cliff grey” — and not a precious stone in sight. 

On both watches, the large moon-phase aperture, with its photorealistic 3D moon disks, takes majestic pride of place on the dial, surrounded by starry depictions of the constellations Cassiopeia and Ursa Major. The moon disks, cut from mother-of-pearl, and the constellations are also treated with Super-LumiNova for a spectacular, miniature astronomical vista in the dark. Moreover, the moon-phase claims an elite-level accuracy, matching the real-life lunar cycle for 122 years before it needs adjustment. 

Arnold & Son developed an all-new manually wound movement to accommodate the smaller (and thinner, at under 11mm) case dimensions of the Perpetual Moon 38. The in-house Caliber A&S1612, visible behind a sapphire caseback window, has the high-end horological finishes that this brand’s enthusiasts have come to expect — including cötes de Genève on the mainplate, circular satin-finishing on the wheels, blued screws with polished heads, and polished and chamfered bridges — and also maintains a 70-hour power reserve when fully wound.

Both versions of the new Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 are mounted on hand-stitched alligator leather straps ("ink blue" for the aventurine dial and warm gray for the Cliff Grey) with 18k gold pin buckles. The aventurine-dial model is limited to 88 pieces and priced at $37,900; the watch with a Cliff Grey dial is even more limited, with just 28 pieces available, priced at $33,400.