Really, that headline just writes itself, doesn’t it? While I can’t pretend that I’m any great naval historian, even I’ve heard of the HMS Victory (if you’ve not, this site will give you all the details). And, given that John Arnold (and his son, John Roger Arnold) designed chronometers that were very instrument-like “back in the day”, it’s pretty fitting that they’ve come out with a watch honoring the vessel.
Of course, the most prominent feature of the TB Victory is a 24-karat gold applique of that famous warship. What’s cool about that design is that the original form was done up by hand by their master engraver, and then duplicated for this limited-edition series (only 28 pieces will be made). Given the large ship taking up the dial, it’s not too surprising that the main time (hours and minutes) are off in, well, it’s a sub-dial, showing up at the 9 o’clock position.
Taking up the center of the dial is the large seconds hand. This is actually a true beat seconds hand (aka dead beat seconds), which means you know exactly when the seconds are hitting. While this isn’t as necessary for most of us today, back when boats like the Victory were plying the seas, this sort of accuracy was invaluable.
This is of course all made possible by Arnold & Son’s handiwork with creating movements; this one features their A&S6103 calibre, which has parts requiring machining tolerances down to a micron (1/1000th of a millimeter). This automatic movement is just as beautiful as the last one we showed you (here), though here it’s tucked under the dial.
Given their luxury artistry, and the extremely limited edition nature of the watch, it’s not surprising that this watch carries a fairly high price tag ($33,500). This is the sort of watch that 99.9% of us will never attain, but that doesn’t detract from the absolute artistry that goes into creating things like the movement and the replica of the Victory. In other words, this article isn’t just about the watch, it’s about appreciating the watch as a literal piece of art. arnoldandson.com
