rnold & Son is revisiting its Globetrotter collection to present a version that is at once more compact, slimmer and easier to read. With its new 42 mm diameter, the Globetrotter 42 Steel features a steel case and is available in two versions, one named ‘Strand Blue’, the other ‘Greenwich Green’, each available in a limited edition of 88 timepieces.

It is worth remembering that the English watchmakers John Arnold and his son John Roger were pioneers in the field of timepieces designed for travel and exploration. In 1771, their creations were tested at sea by Admiral Harland, then used successfully on ships as navigational instruments for calculating longitude. These instruments enabled British soldiers, explorers and scientists of the time to gain the upper hand over all their competitors. One such beneficiary was the explorer James Cook, who took John Arnold’s first chronometers (No. 1 and No. 2) on his second voyage of discovery between 1772 and 1775.

Another example occurred in 1792 at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, when a John Arnold creation was entrusted by the Dutch to the French Rear-Admiral Antoine Bruny d’Entrecasteaux to help him with his search for the explorer Jean-François de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse. Many of these instruments were also used on board the East India Company’s trading ships, or on vessels such as that commanded by Sir John Franklin during his third expedition to explore the Northwest Passage, an ice-free sea lane to Canada, in 1847.

In memory of those heroic times when explorers set out to discover the world clutching maps and chronometers, Arnold & Son presents a new version of its famous Globetrotter, a contemporary timekeeping instrument dedicated to today’s travellers. Revisited in size and functionality, the resulting Globetrotter 42 Steel has been finely reworked to offer dimensions that are more in line with modern wearing practices. Its 42 mm diameter steel case appears all the more balanced with its new thickness of just 15 mm, while the exceptional construction of its dial has been retained.

This ultra-graphic dial has also undergone subtle changes that have made it visually more striking and technically even more effective for international travel. The structure retains its famous, delicately curved arched bridge – crafted from steel and worked by hand –which can be considered the signature feature of the collection. The bridge demarcates the hours of the day and night on the 24-hour bezel ring and, with the ruby set in its centre, holds in place the dome representing the northern hemisphere as seen from the North Pole. On the dome, the metallic continents, which have been sunray-brushed to accentuate their relief, stand out clearly and strikingly against the oceans depicted in blue or green depending on the model.

Another notable change made by the watch developers at Arnold & Son to this mobile dome – which rotates once every 24 hours and enables world time to be displayed – is the addition of a ring around its perimeter bearing the names of twelve reference cities. Each of these cities, from both the northern and southern hemispheres, is symbolised by its code placed opposite its location on the map. These indicators are intended to give texture to the planisphere and allow the user to instinctively visualise the time in the location of their choice, as it is read opposite the 24-hour transferred numerals on the fixed ring of the local time dial, which itself is read using the two arrows that peak out from under the world map.

The decision was also made to present the dials of both versions of the Globetrotter 42 Steel in classic English colours. This is a signature of the design and naming traditions that run through all Arnold & Son ranges. The ‘Strand Blue’ model is therefore a reference to the London street that runs parallel to the River Thames and on which John Arnold’s shop was located. The colours of the ‘Greenwich Green’ version were chosen to recall the wooded hills that surround the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

Both versions of the Globetrotter 42 are powered by the in-house self-winding mechanical calibre reference A&S6122, whose power reserve has been increased from 45 to 55 hours. This movement allows the home and remote time displays to be adjusted via the three positions of the crown.

Like all movements bearing the Arnold & Son signature, it was entirely developed, produced, decorated, assembled, adjusted and cased up at the Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Visible through the transparent sapphire crystal case back, the A&S6122 calibre features an engraved and finely openworked oscillating weight and is decorated with the traditional motifs of fine watchmaking. Its main plate is circular-grained, its bridges display radiating Côtes de Genève stripes, the wheels are satin-finished and the screws are chamfered and polished. It should be noted that its palladium coating offers a particularly interesting light-grey finish that perfectly complements the cases of the models it powers. These watches, with their sophisticated graphics and practical features for travellers, are worn on alligator leather straps in ‘ink’ blue or ‘Cornwall’ green depending on the model, and are fastened on the wrist with a classic stainless-steel pin buckle bearing the brand’s emblem.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Functions

• Hours, inutes
• World time (24-hour display, 12 cities)

Movement

• Calibre: A&S6122, self-winding mechanical
• Jewels: 29
• Diameter: 36.40 mm
• Thickness: 6.74 mm
• Power reserve: 55 hours
• Frequency: 4 Hz/28,800 vph
• Decoration: main plate: circular-grained and palladium-treated bridges: ‘Rayons de la Gloire’ finish, chamfered, palladium-treated /wheels: circular satin-finished; screws: blued and chamfered, polished heads; oscillating weight: tungsten, engraved and skeletonised, palladium-treated

Dial

• 12-hour display: sunray-brushed, rhodium or green, blue or gold-finish Roman numerals
• 24-hour display: bead-blasted, rhodium or green, blue or gold-finish Arabic numerals
• World map - dome cities: powdered, silver or gold-finish (4N); continents: sunray-brushed, rhodium or gold-finish (4N); oceans: polished, ‘Strand Blue’ or ‘Greenwich Green’; arch: steel, polished surfaces, chamfered, blue or gold-finish screws (4N)

Case

• Material: stainless steel
• Diameter: 42.00 mm
• Thickness: 15.10 mm under the arch
• Crystal: domed sapphire, double-sided anti-reflective coating
• Case back: sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating
• Water-resistance: 3 bar (30 metres/100 feet)

Strap

• Material: ink blue or Cornwall green alligator leather
• Buckle: pin buckle, stainless steel

References

• Blue: 1WTBS.K01A.C0263S
• Green: 1WTBS.F01A.C1242S
• Limited edition: 88 timepieces for each
• Swiss retail price: CHF 18,300 incl. VAT (subject to change)