Perpetual Moon 41.5 Steel: Arnold & Son’s Colours of the Moon

Key Highlights

• Three limited editions of 18 pieces each in stainless steel, 41.5 mm
• World first: PVD-treated mother-of-pearl applied to both dial and moon-phase sky
• In-house A&S1512 manual-winding calibre, 90-hour power reserve
• Dials in black, blue, or green with Super-LumiNova constellations hand-painted on the sky
• Secondary moon-phase display visible through the sapphire case back
• Swiss retail price: CHF 21,100 including VAT

A Closer Look

The Perpetual Moon 41.5 Steel “Colours of the Moon” arrives as three distinct references, each capped at 18 pieces. For GCC collectors accustomed to scarcity-driven allocation, that figure is notable. The stainless-steel case — 41.5 mm wide, 11.67 mm thick — wears with more versatility than precious-metal alternatives while placing the visual weight squarely on the dial.

Arnold & Son draws on one of its three founding principles, Astronomy, for this series, tracing a direct line back to founder John Arnold’s collaboration with Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne in 1769. The watch is as much a historical argument as it is an object of decoration.

Design & Mechanics

The dial material is where this series establishes its claim: Arnold & Son is the first watchmaker to subject mother-of-pearl to a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) process, applying a thin metallic layer in a controlled vacuum to produce black, blue, or green surfaces with shifting, depth-rich reflections. As light changes angle, the patterns that emerge recall the grain of Damascus steel.

The three colour narratives are precise. The Blue Moon references atmospheric particle scatter and the rare occurrence of a second full moon in a single season. The Golden Moon captures the warm, low-horizon glow familiar from harvest evenings. The Red Moon alludes to lunar eclipses, when only red solar wavelengths pass through Earth’s atmosphere to illuminate the satellite.

Movement & Materials

The calibre A&S1512 is a 34 mm manual-winding movement, 5.35 mm tall, running at 3 Hz with 27 jewels. Fully wound, it delivers 90 hours of autonomy — sufficient for a long weekend without winding. Through the sapphire case back, the bridges carry radiating Côtes de Genève with hand-bevelled edges; the wheels are snail-finished; the screws blued with polished, chamfered heads.

A secondary moon-phase display with graduated markings sits on the movement side, allowing precise calibration of the astronomical display visible from the dial. On the dial itself, the constellations Cassiopeia and Ursa Major are hand-painted in Super-LumiNova on either side of the moon disc — a tribute to the navigational stars mariners used to locate the Pole Star.

Heritage & Lineage

Within Arnold & Son’s catalogue, the Perpetual Moon collection has consistently prioritised astronomical fidelity over decorative compromise. The “Colours of the Moon” editions extend that logic with the PVD mother-of-pearl innovation — a manufacturing step that required developing a process with no prior precedent in watchmaking. The series connects to broader Arnold & Son creative output, including the Luna Magna PT Dragon Verdite, where material experimentation is equally central.

Each piece ships on a hand-stitched alligator leather strap — black, ink blue, or Cornwall green — with a stainless-steel pin buckle matched to the case. The Swiss retail price stands at CHF 21,100 including VAT. For collectors tracking independent Maison output presented at Watches and Wonders and beyond, the edition size of 18 per reference makes acquisition a matter of timing rather than preference.

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