Arnold & Son Golden Wheel is the world’s first wandering hours and true beat second watch.

With the Golden Wheel, Arnold & Son drew inspiration from the origins of the company, a period considered as the golden age of British watchmaking. The wondering hours function, also known as the jumping digital hours indication, can be traced back to the mid-17^th century table clocks and later to pocket watches, yet the Golden Wheel is the first watch to combine this function with another specialty of Arnold & Son, the true beat second complication.

The jumping digital hours indication occupies the top arc of the watch dial (from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock). Beneath it, Arnold & Son fills the time-carrousel of the Golden Wheel with a true beat seconds hand from the central axis.

The true beat seconds (sometimes referred to as dead beat seconds) is a precision function enabling the seconds to beat incrementally as opposed to sweeping along the dial.

These historic complications are brought together under a contemporary design with the use of three separate transparent sapphire disks — almost float above the dial — for the time indication, as well as unveiling many other movement parts to enhance the sculptural allure of this piece.

The Golden Wheel, got its name from the central time-carrousel, crafted in solid 18-carat red gold. The mother-of-pearl arc displays the current hour, as the sapphire disks with the hour numerals on them float over the arc. Gold arrows on the hour disks point to the minutes dial-frame located above the hours arc. Finally, the true beat seconds indication is displayed via a large graduated outer ring on the dial and read via the central golden hand. The dial plate is treated NAC grey with Côtes de Genève finishing.

An exploded view of the Arnold & Son Golden Wheel.

The A&S6018 is a mechanical self-winding movement with 29 jewels and 232 components. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers 50 hours of power reserve. In typical Arnold & Son style, the movement is treated in palladium and is meticulously decorated with Haute Horlogerie finishing, including hand-chamfered bridges with polished edges, fine circular graining, Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, circular satin-finished wheels and blued screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads. The oscillating weight is skeletonised with brushed surfaces and palladium treated.

The movement is housed in a 44 mm 18K red gold case.

The Golden Wheel is limited to 125 pieces and it will retail for $49,950.

More about Arnold & Son at www.arnoldandson.com