Let Your Wrist Feel The Pulse Of Celestial Power – Introducing The New Arnold & Son Luna Magna From Watches & Wonders 2021
Editor’s note: Like you, we are also excited for the releases from the Watches & Wonders 2021. Before we get to dive deep into the releases and go hands-on with as many of these as the two of us here can, here’s our preview and the Gut Reaction Review (Grr…) of the new Arnold & Son Luna Magna. For our other detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here.
Measure of a Moon
Watch the sun go down, the sky burning bright, raging an amber war against the fading blue. Close you eyes. Feel the soothing spring breeze softly caressing your face. Wait a moment for the darkness of the night to envelop you. Gently open your eyes, and bask in the glory of the soft light of the moon, set against a glitter of a thousand stars, shooting its romantic beauty straight to your soul.
Now imagine having this poetic feeling everyday of your life, at every moment you choose, at your beck and call, only dictated by the boundaries of your own time.
Meet the new Arnold & Son Luna Magna, a wristwatch for the watch connoisseur who not only wants something unique but whose heart houses the light of celestial power.
Gut Reaction
Following hot on the heels of the handsome A&S Perpetual Moon Obsidian released just at the turn of last year, the British Swiss brand credited for making the term ‘chronometre’ mainstream is back with a bang with the exceptionally three-dimensional new Arnold & Son Luna Magna.
New Arnold & Son Luna Magna 
Perpetual Moon Obsidian
Impressively entirely developed, produced, assembled, adjusted and cased up in the brand’s manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the new offering features a couple of firsts: the first three-dimensional moon made of marble and aventurine, and the largest moon ever built into a wristwatch.
One of the most impressive features about the new Arnold & Son Luna Magna besides the above two novelties is the overall execution and the novel symmetry on the dial: I particularly love the slightly off-centered bright disc that houses the time-telling instruments on a white lacquered hours dial. The Roman numerals bring a sense of added character to the dial, and that peripheral blue PVD flange ring beautifully frames this astronomical extravaganza A&S has exposed us to.
Commending the brand’s attention to detail, I also admire the use of the same aventurine material for the dark side of the moon and the dial’s starry night backdrop; by not differentiating these materials, it brings a sense of harmony to the dial.
The 12.00mm in diameter moon is obviously the celebrity of the show here. The half-sphere white marble and half sphere aventurine glass ball is radiant with beauty and forms a nice geometric ‘8’ with the hour dial disc. The white of the hour dial complements the white of the marble, and the blue of the hour and minute hands complement the blue of the night sky.
One of the most appealing features of the watch as a whole is when viewed from the sides; the thick box-type domed sapphire crystal acts like a mini-planetarium on the wrist, enhancing the 3D effect of the complication.
The Watch
The ref. 1LMAR.A02A.C153A is presented in a limited edition of 28-pieces only and features the hand-wound mechanical A&S1021 manufacture caliber retailing for CHF 43’900 (excl. tax).
Superbly finished, besides the rhodium-plated and circular satin-finished moon-phase indicator on the reverse, the movement also features:
- circular-grained main plate
- chamfered bridges with Côtes de Genève stripes radiating from the centre
- circular satin-finished wheels
- blued and chamfered screws with polished heads
This 37.6 x 12mm movement — only 4.75 mm without the moon — beats at the low frequency of 3Hz, comprises of 35 jewels, and offers a very impressive 90-hour power reserve, along with allowing the moon phase display of this movement to remain accurate for 122 years before deviating from the actual lunar cycle by one day.
Calibre A&S1021 is encased inside a 44mm diameter and only 15.90mm thick polished 18-carat red gold (5N) case that features deeply tapered lugs that extend the curvature of the sapphire crystal to meet the natural curve of the wrist. The crystal used here is highly domed with an anti-reflective coating on both sides. The case is water resistant to 30m (3 ATM).
Completing the package is the hand-stitched blue alligator leather strap with an 18-carat red gold (5N) pin buckle that matches the blue colour of the aventurine dial.
Quotable
“Changing from dazzling white to a deep, starry blue, the Luna Magna’s quarters have been delicately depicted to replicate the appearance of the lunar disc”.
Arnold & Son Press Release
That’s All Folks!
From the house that makes one of the most elegant moonphase watches, comes the aventurine glass dialled beauty that is sure set to be one of the most fascinating releases from this year’s Watches & Wonders.
The skeletonised hands sweep on a pristine white disc, unravelling whatever mysteries that lie ahead. Underneath, the white marble slowly traverses, casting its spell on as time goes by. On some days the ‘dark side’ blends with the glittering aventurine sky, leaving the hour and minutes hands to rule the canvas. On other days, the ‘light side’ makes you feel that you have the celestial world in your hands.
The bulbous moon of the new Arnold & Son Luna Magna orbits around an axis, making your wrist the centre of its universe. And in the midst of all this perfect marriage of horology with astronomy, the wearer feels the full force of the ethereal beauty of this timepiece.
To find out more about the new Arnold & Son Luna Magna and other A&S watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise specified are © 2021 – Arnold & Son. Make sure to check out our reviews of other Watches & Wonders 2021 releases here.
