Arnold & Son Nebula
When I originally submitted this article, my opening words were: “Damn Arnold.” While we didn’t go with that lead, the point was, this over-the-top brand has done it again – wowed us with its superb design and craftsmanship, as the brand unveils the new Nebula.
A timepiece that was inspired by its namesake, and that celebrates the symmetry of the world, the Nebula is a watch that you just can’t put down. Its seven chamfered, triangular bridges are meant to resemble an inverted exploding star, and are designed to draw eyes to the center of the magnificent movement. In fact, with this watch, the brand has taken great steps to make sure it is out of this world when it comes to architectural precision and elegance.
The watch is a time-only piece with incredible architecture
One of the features the human eye looks for when determining beauty is facial symmetry, and the Nebula was designed with a focus on just that. A discerning eye will find symmetry not only on both the horizontal and vertical planes on the face of the watch, but also on the front and back of the piece. The watch was designed from the ground up to be completely holistic. All measurements from the ratio of the diameter to its height and to the proportions of each gear, wheel and component have been taken into consideration.
The edge of the skeletonized watch “dial” is marked by highly legible hour and minute markers. From the topside, one can view two mainspring barrels that provide the generous 90-hour power reserve to the watch. There is also a small seconds indicator at the 7:00 position. That is it – the watch is strictly a time-only indicator – but executed with incredible prowess.
The back of the watch is just as alluring as the front
The skeletonized work leaves all of the most interesting and technical aspects of the watch viewable from the front side of the watch, but like many television commercials, there’s the “wait, there’s more” aspect. Turning the watch over reveals another view of the superlatively hand-finished movement, with skeletonized and chamfered main plate with polished edges, solid 18-karat gold chatons and gears featuring polished chamfers. The Nebula comes in a contemporary 41.50mm case and is delivered in either a 5N rose gold model for $25,750, or in a stainless steel version for $14,500.
The in-house movement offers perfect symmetry.
