Pre Baselworld 2014: Introducing the Arnold & Son Royal TEC1 – Technically Advanced Tourbillon Chronograph

With the new Arnold & Son Royal TEC1, the brand introduces their third tourbillon watch and the first to combine a tourbillon with a column wheel chronograph and power all that with an automatic winding system. And all that is to celebrate Arnold & Son’s 250th anniversary. Not bad, not bad at all! The Arnold & Son Royal TEC1 comes in three flavors: an 18K red gold version with anthracite dial, a palladium version with a silvery white dial, and a limited edition 18K red gold version with blue lacquered gluilloché dial (that will be released later).

Of course, we would have loved to show you the limited edition with blue lacquered guilloché dial, however the photos aren’t available yet. So we start with showing you the other two, non-limited versions. The combination of the red gold case with the anthracite dial is very striking. Warm, stylish, and with a tourbillon escapement that majestically occupies the entire top portion of the dial, from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock with an over-sized aperture that offers an incredible three-dimensional effect as the tourbillon cage rotates.

While the earlier this year introduced UTTE, was (and still is) the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch, the TEC1 covers quite a few “firsts” for Arnold & Son, like being the brand’s third tourbillon watch and their first tourbillon, column-wheel chronograph with automatic winding. It also is Arnold & Son’s first hi-beat tourbillon, meaning that the balance wheel in the escapement vibrates with 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz).

A sapphire crystal in the case back offers view on the exclusive Arnold & Son movement, caliber A&S8305. This movement offers 55 hours of power reserve, when fully wound. The relatively large movement – it measures 35.00 mm in diameter and 8.83 mm in height – comprises the integrated chronograph with column-wheel actuation and a full rotor for the automatic winding. The size is depth to the also large case, which measures 45 mm in diameter.

The Royal TEC1 does not have a running second hand. The sub dial that might easily be mistaken for the small second sub dial, is in fact the chronograph’s 60 minutes counter. The central second hand is the chronograph’s second hand, that can be operated via the two pushers.

The movement features the full-fledged Haute Horlogerie finish: hand-chamfered bridges with polished edges, fine circular graining and Côtes de Genève on bridges and main plate, chronograph levers are satin-finished with hand-chamfered and polished edges, circular satin-finished wheels, blued screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads. The 22K red gold rotor is hand-engraved and skeletonised, featuring brushed surfaces and chamfered polished edges. Yes, those are all the Haute Horlogerie treats that we want.

The Arnold & Son Royal TEC1 is available for just under $100k, with a starting price of $ 99,050 USD. The other versions will be introduced later, and of course we’ll be visit Arnold & Son at the upcoming Baselworld show, so stay tuned for more info and photos.

More info: www.arnoldandson.com