TrustedWatch - All about watches

Anzeige

Pressemitteilungen/Werbung

A special timepiece to celebrate a unique affinityLimited to 8 timepieces: UTTE Asprey Special Edition

Arnold & Son is proud to unveil a special limited edition of its Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement (UTTE) for Asprey of London. The two establishments share a common heritage, having been founded in London within 20 years of each other in the mid-18th century and progressing to secure a place for themselves among the most prestigious in their respective fields.

As a tribute to their shared values, Arnold & Son has now created a special edition of its magnificent UTTE timepiece for Aspery. Over the generations, Asprey has established itself as the finest British jeweller and luxury goods house and become a name synonymous with refinement and luxury. Every product in the Asprey range draws on the most exacting craftsmanship and is made using only the finest materials. It is a grand tradition, upheld at Asprey workshops around the globe, as timeless treasures are created for an exclusive clientele.

The UTTE is a masterful demonstration of elegant design and superb technical prowess. The ultra-thin A&S8200 movement – and the ultimate UTTE watch – is the result of several years of research and development, and boasts important features and functions. In fact, when the brand embarked on the creation of an additional tourbillon, Arnold & Son’s team of watchmakers and engineers determined that the end result should possess unique features that would set it apart in the watch world: It had to be at the same time thin, boast a big and three-dimensional tourbillon cage and have a long power reserve.

Utilizing the most cutting-edge technology, Arnold & Son pushed the creative envelope to achieve this goal - thus developing an exceptional timepiece. The UTTE has a movement that is just 2.97 mm thick and a case thickness of only 8.34 mm, making the UTTE one of the thinnest tourbillion watches on the market.

Additionally, while the movement diameter is 32 mm, the tourbillon cage is a massive 14 mm in diameter – thus occupying almost half of the movement space for impressive visual appeal. To add further dramatic beauty to this already impressive watch, Arnold & Son created a totally spherical tourbillon cage – one devoid of any flat surfaces – for a magnificent threedimensional aesthetic effect. In fact, the flying tourbillon cage is not inset into the calibre, but instead rises out of the movement, through the dial, and achieves the same height as the hour and minute hands. With an eye toward every detail, and the desire for harmonious appeal, the watchmakers removed all visible screws so the spherical tourbillon cage appears beautifully balanced. The only visible screws are on the regulator.

Finally, to ensure a long power reserve of at least 90 hours, the brand implemented two barrels to offer more constant force and unprecedented power reserve for an ultra-thin tourbillon.

The UTTE is part of Arnold & Son’s Instrument Collection, wherein timepieces are easily identified by their dial design, with off-center position of the hours and minutes to allow for the display of other complications without one overlapping the other. The new UTTE Asprey Special Edition follows this design aesthetic, with the spherical tourbillon occupying the lower portion of the breathtaking hand guilloché dial. The art of guilloché is an age-old handcraft that uses a rose engine to etch intricate patterns onto watch dials.

In typical Arnold & Son style, the exquisite movement is crafted in nickel-silver, and all components are hand chamfered, polished and decorated. The movement is NAC grey treated and decorated with a straight Côtes de Genève pattern for a bold, contemporary appeal. It ticks away inside a palladium case, designed with alluring timeless lines. The stepped case, which tapers from the top to the bottom, enhances this watch with an austere elegance. A black alligator leather strap secures the watch to the wearer’s wrist.

As a further indication of its exclusiveness, the UTTE Asprey Special Edition is limited to just eight timepieces.

Historical Context

The visionary UTTE is the perfect embodiment of a tourbillon escapement – a Haute Horlogerie complication that played a crucial role in Arnold & Son’s History. An exceptional watchmaker, John Arnold was an active participant in one of the most extraordinary partnerships in the world of innovative horology. Indeed, both he and Abraham-Louis Breguet worked closely together, sharing both their knowledge and passion. Evidence of their partnership is A.-L. Breguet’s first-ever tourbillon escapement mounted in John Arnold’s No.11 movement – a watch that can be found today in London’s British Museum.