BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
With just a few months left to go for the Only Watch 2019 event, more and more brands have started unraveling their offerings for the grand charitable watch auction. For today we are having a look at the Arnold and Son DSTB (Dial Side True Beat) model for Only watch 2019, a unique and sporty take on a watch that strives to make every second count.
One of the most striking aspects of this watch is its asymmetrical multilayered dial. It comprises primarily of two sections; a small aperture at 4 for hours/minutes and a larger circular sapphire display for the seconds at 11. While the segregation of time isn’t something revolutionary, what sets the heart racing here is the innovation involved. First and foremost, this watch features a dead-beat second’s complication which makes the seconds hand tick once every second like it does in a quartz watch, which unlike a quartz movement is quite a challenging feat to achieve in a mechanical watch. But as the name of the watch suggests, Arnold and Son have taken things to the next level by bringing the entire dead-beat seconds mechanism including the levers, wheels and three palladium treated bridges to the forefront generating a fair bit of visual interest for the wearer to enjoy.
To make this a unique offering Arnold and Son has given the case a black DLC treatment. The deep shade of black matches the dial quite well and gives the watch is a sporty and casual look. It still measures 43mm in diameter which in my opinion is a great size for a statement piece like this. Sitting on top of the case is curved sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on both sides and there is a sapphire window on the back as well. The screwed case back also presents some finely engraved information related to the watch which includes the text ‘Unique Piece’ and ‘Only Watch 2019’.
Powering this watch is Arnold and Son’s in-house automatic caliber A&S6003. This movement comprises of 32 jewels, operates at a frequency of 28,800 vph and offers an autonomy of around 45 hours. It has been exquisitely finished and like the case has been NAC treated to give it a blackish grey tone. It features hand-chamfered bridges with polished bevels, satin-finished wheels, perlage on the base plate and much more making it as stunning to look at as the face of this watch.
Accompanying the DSTB Only Watch 2019 would be a black calfskin strap with blue stitching to match the sky-blue indexes on the seconds disk. The watch would be put up for bidding at the Only Watch Auction to be held in Geneva on 9th November 2019. As has always been the case a major chunk of proceeds from selling the watch would go towards research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Also, to make things special the lucky owner of this watch would be invited to replace the anchor-shaped design of the counterweight with something of their liking.
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