First Look: Arnold & Son Reveals the New Longitude Titanium References for Watches and Wonders 2024

Integrated bands have been a popular trend in the world of luxury timepieces, ensuring coherence between the case and the bracelet of a watch in terms of aesthetics. This integration not only improves a watch's visual appeal, but it also provides functional benefits. In other words, such a unified design makes a watch appear as a single piece of art rather than a collection of individual pieces while the integrated band helps equally distribute the weight of the watch across the wrist. Arnold & Son’s three new references, which are part of its Longitude Titanium collection, boast such a coherent layout with integrated bands.

 Ref. 1LTAT.J01A.N001U (Kingsand Gold), Ref. 1LTAT.U01A.N001U (Ocean Blue), and Ref. 1LTAT.F01A.N001U (Fern Green) will be introduced at the forthcoming Watches and Wonders 2024. These present a modern take on watchmaker and inventor John Arnold’s maritime chronometers; the new automatic movement is a COSC-certified chronometer though. Only the Kingsand Gold variant among the new references has a restricted production run of 88 pieces.

 Chronometers are precision timekeeping tools used to correctly measure time in a variety of applications, most notably in navigation and watchmaking. In other words, the term "chronometer" has been historically connected with maritime navigation, where precise timing is critical for establishing a ship's longitude at sea. The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) in Switzerland provides the most widely recognised accreditation. Watches that acquire this certification can be labelled as "chronometers". 

 Arnold & Son has of course played the nautical card with its new Longitude Titanium references. The brand says the idea for the case design and curves has come from current sailing boats; each case centre "is taut like a ship's waterline" and the caseback is basin-shaped like a keel. Each casing is made of titanium, and is 42.5 mm wide and 12.25 mm thick (with crystal). The screw-down crown is surrounded by crown protectors. The bezel base is graduated with 60 notches, similar to John Arnold's naval chronometers. 

 The Longitude references also feature polished bevels and satin-finished flat surfaces. The sloping bezel provides you with a full view of the dial, which comes in three colours, inspired by John Arnold's hometown in Cornwall. The PVD hues ― Kingsand Gold, Ocean Blue, and Fern Green ― have a vertical brushed finish that matches the bezels and the case surfaces. The indications are vertically oriented, following the layout of a classic John Arnold maritime chronometer, with a power reserve indicator revealed via perforations in the dial at 12 o’clock, the central hour and minute hands, and the little seconds at 6 o'clock. The power reserve cutouts are graduated in size and marked by a little hand. In contrast, the little seconds dial is slightly sunken and snailed to match the texture of the peripheral minutes track.

 Super-LumiNova has been used to treat the applied hour markers, and the hour and minute hands, which have the same shape as the circular bracelet links. The Kingsand Gold sandy-coloured dial is distinguished from the Fern Green and Ocean Blue dials by its gold hour markers and hands; the other two have rhodium-plated hands and hour markers. 

 The Longitude Titanium references are powered by the new A&S6302 calibre, an automatic movement that is COSC chronometer-certified. The huge barrel and the 4Hz oscillation frequency provide 60 hours of power reserve. Sticking to its maritime background, the 22 ct red gold openworked rotor resembles the prow of an 18th century English frigate and is etched with graduations similar to those found on a sextant – another maritime element. The movement, visible through the sapphire caseback, is elaborately adorned. The chamfered bridges feature the brand's characteristic Rayons de la Gloire striped finish. 

 The Longitude variants’ polished bevels and satin-finished flat surfaces extend to the integrated titanium bracelets, which have rounded edges and slightly domed H-shaped circular links. In keeping with the expectations for luxury sports watches today, the Longitude Titanium variants feature an interchangeable strap system and come with an extra textured rubber strap matching the colour of the respective dials.