Arnold & Son has reimagined its DSTB 42 collection. The DSTB—which stands for ‘Dial-Side True Beat—is easily identifiable by its true beat mechanism which appears—you guessed it—on the dial side. The true-beat seconds function can be found on the instruments that English watchmaker and Arnold & Son founder John Arnold supplied to the Royal Navy. Their escapement would beat at one oscillation per second, indicated by a sweeping seconds hand. This historic function inspired the Swiss manufacture to create the ‘True Beat’, also known as deadbeat seconds, which means that the seconds hand ticks like a quartz watch despite housing an automatic movement.
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Here, the mechanism is displayed on the dial, indicated by either a heat-blued or rose gold seconds hand, with the seconds track printed directly on the dial. Alongside it sits an anchor-shaped counterbalance that rhythmically undulates as it works; a nod to the watchmaker’s link to marine chronometers.
The DSTB 42 is housed in a 42mm case (sized down from the original 44mm) crafted from either platinum or rose gold; the former has a salmon dial while the warmth of the latter is complemented by a blue dial. Each dial featured a sun-brushed finish prior to PVD-treatment, with the rays seemingly emanating from the centre of the true-beat seconds. Atop the dial, the bridges of the openworked movement are crafted from either white or rose gold (selected to match the case tone), while the off-centre hours dial takes shape in white opal.
The DSTB 42 Red Gold and the DSTB 42 Platinum are powered by the in-house calibre A&S6203. Designed to work in harmony with the true-beat seconds mechanism, the self-winding calibre features an oscillating weight in 22k gold as well as a regulating organ that oscillates at 28,800 vibrations per hour. It’s equipped with a 55-hour power reserve.
The new Arnold & Son DSTB 42 variants are limited to 88 examples in red gold and 38 examples in platinum; priced at $42,600CHF and $54,400CHF, respectively. The timepieces are available upon enquiry via the watchmaker’s webstore.
Words by Theo Rosen
