The brand enters the contest in the luxury sport niche.
Can anyone predict when the fashion for luxury sports watches stemming from the 1970s will end? You'd think that everything in this field has already been invented, but newbies are still building ambitious plans.
Arnold & Son is entering the luxury sports segment with their Longitude Titanium model, joining veterans like Royal Oak, Nautilus, Overseas and Laureato, as well as Antarctique, Sport Auto, Streamliner and even PRX — all on the same playing field.
The designers at Arnold & Son have masterfully imbued the familiar sporty style with little details as nods to the brand's history. The connection to John Arnold's marine chronometers which is highlighted in the model's name is reinforced in the vertical alignment of the indications and the fluted bezel.
Arnold & Son Longitude
Apart from that, the three tone options for the dial with this season's fashionable satin finish should remind you of the historic watchmaker's birthplace. Arnold was born in the English town of Bodmin in Cornwall. The Cornish landscape is reflected in tones from nature's palette: heaving waves (Ocean Blue) that crash against rugged cliffs strewn with green vegetation (Fern Green) and the golden sand down below (Kingsand Gold).
The silhouette of the skeletonized rotor also reminds you of elements of a sailing boat's profile. The watch houses an automatic COSC-certified A&S6302 caliber. An indication at 12 o'clock allows you to monitor the 60-hour power reserve ensured by the large barrel.
Someone who isn't familiar with the history of Arnold & Son can overlook all of these details. They'll still be able to appreciate this prime example of a luxury sports watch.
It's worn on an integrated bracelet, which can be swapped for a rubber strap using an easy change system in keeping with the latest trends. The watch case is also made of light titanium and brilliantly finished with a combination of satin-finished and polished surfaces.
Will Arnold & Son have been able to reap the rewards of their venture into the luxury sports watch segment, having only sown the first few seeds in a field filled with the lush crops already cultivated by other brands?