Astronomy Luna Magna Steel “Turquoise”

A poetic turquoise moon globe timekeeper

The moon and the turquoise intertwine, challenging and magnifying one another in a play of contrasts and harmonies. In a limited edition of just 18, the Luna Magna Steel Turquoise weaves a poetic link between the heavens and the Earth. Its dial and moon globe capture the light, revealing in turn the shifting reflections of turquoise and the diaphanous sheen of opal. This encounter sparks a visual alchemy, where clear blue converses with immaculate white, giving rise to a mechanical ballet of rare precision – it is both a timekeeper and a celestial masterpiece.

The Luna Magna Steel Turquoise, created exclusively for the Americas (the United States, Canada and Mexico), takes its inspiration from the symbolic richness of the region’s turquoise. This ancestral stone was venerated by many indigenous civilisations for its protective qualities, its ability to act as a bridge between the heavens and the Earth, and its healing powers. By choosing turquoise as the essence of this edition, Arnold & Son pays tribute to the cultural heritage and natural beauty of the America.

Long before it decorated timekeepers, the moon was an essential companion for navigators. In the 18th century, when John Arnold offered his extraordinarily precise marine chronometers to the Royal Navy, sailors looked to the sky, the constellations and the moon to find their way. Through its lunations, the moon – the Earth’s natural satellite – was a celestial timekeeper, and John Arnold’s chronometers its mechanical equivalent. Today, the Luna Magna pays homage to this early alliance of astronomy and horology.

At the heart of the piece beats the A&S1021 calibre, a manual winding movement fully designed, machined, assembled and adjusted at the Arnold & Son manufacture. Built as a mechanical setting around the lunar globe, it uses architecture devised to showcase the celestial body while offering a 90-hour power reserve. On the case back, a secondary moon-phase display, with remarkable legibility, allows adjustment with astronomical precision.

Its sophistication lies not only in its aesthetics, but also in its accuracy. The calibre faithfully respects the duration of a lunation – 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. Thanks to this meticulous calculation, it would take 122 years for a single day’s discrepancy to appear between the display and the actual lunar cycle, if the watch were kept fully wound. This feat exemplifies the expertise and absolute mastery of Arnold & Son, heir to the visionary spirit of John Arnold.

Limited to 18 pieces.