Arnold & Son Luna Magna Limited Edition Watch Review
Monday - 31 May 2021
Arnold & Son make history with their latest limited edition, the Arnold & Son Luna Magna. Set against a blue aventurine sea of stars, the limited edition of only 28 pieces brings to life the largest three-dimensional moonphase complication ever seen before in a timepiece.
Humans have always relied on the movement of the sun and moon to keep track of time. One of the first examples of timekeeping came from an Ancient Greek mechanism called the Antikythera which was likely the first ever moonphase complication ever engineered. And yet our fascinations for the moon stems much further than just correlating the days passing through the month; it has become a symbol of childhoods and storytelling and a figure of magic and wonder far from our reach. Luxury watches with moonphase movements embody all of this, seemingly poetic and symbolic of our past and our present place within the universe.
Arnold & Son are certainly no strangers to the moonphase complication and in the past have revealed some of the industry’s most extraordinary moonphase watches. The freshly released Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon collection is a fantastic example of this, boasting a generously sized 29mm moonphase aperture at 12 o’clock to show a precision moonphase with only one day deviation every 122 years. Again, the English-Swiss watch manufacturer proves they are a child of astronomy with the release of the Arnold & Son Luna Magna Limited Edition which stages the largest ever three-dimensional moonphase complication in the world.
On the face of things, the design of the Arnold & Son Luna Magna Limited Edition is really simple. At 12 o’clock, an off-centred dial displays hours and minutes while at 6 o’clock a large relief complication tells the current moon phase… but it is this three-dimensional structure that makes the limited edition so truly fascinating. Requiring heavily domed sapphire crystal to house it, the moon measures to a hefty 15.9mm in thickness and 12mm in diameter with only half of its form sitting below the dial. Arnold & Son wanted the moon to look as though it was lost within a sea of stars, so the cylindrical structure is made using a process that combines white marble for the light side with blue aventurine glass for the dark.
The off centre dial at 12 o’clock is finished in white lacquer and tells the hours and minutes through large Roman numerals and blued hands. The main part of the dial is made of aventurine glass to imitate the expansive night sky. The case of the Arnold & Son Luna Magna Limited Edition watch is crafted from 18 carat rose gold and measures to 44 millimetres in diameter and 15.9 millimetres in height. Alongside a water resistance of 30 metres, the case also delivers domed sapphire crystal glass treated with anti-reflective coating, a matching sapphire crystal case back and a blue, hand-stitched alligator leather strap with a rose gold pin buckle.
Through the case back, the Arnold & Son Luna Magna Limited Edition reveals one of the brand’s newest in-house movements, the A&S1021 manual-winding calibre. Beneath the sapphire crystal, you can see the other half of the three-dimensional moon and a second indicator which shows the age of the moon. The movement is finished to an extremely high level, as we’ve come to expect from all of Arnold & Son’s in-house movements, with circular graining on the main plate, bevelled bridges, satin-finished wheels and blued screws. The hand wound calibre beats at a frequency of 3Hz, promises a power reserve of 90 hours and delivers a moonphase feature accurate to 122 days.
If you’d like to learn more about the Arnold & Son Luna Magna watch and get your hands on one of the 28 limited edition pieces, head over to the Jura Watches website here or speak to our team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications: Arnold & Son Luna Magna Limited Edition (1LMAR.A02A.C153A)
- Case Size: 44mm
- Case Material: 18ct rose gold
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Non-screw locked
- Case Back: Sapphire crystal
- Movement: A&S1021, in-house calibre, manual winding
- Functions: hours, minutes, 3D moonphase indication, secondary moonphase indicator on the back
- Power Reserve: 90 hours
- Frequency: 21,600bph
- Dial: Blue aventurine with white lacquered off-centre dial
- Strap: Blue alligator leather
- Buckle: 18ct rose gold, pin
- RRP: £41,503
- Limited Edition: 28 pieces
