Arnold & Son unveils the HM Steel Amber, a time-only watch that features a dial crafted from Baltic amber. It is a limited edition of 38 pieces. This is Arnold & Son’s second watch featuring a Baltic Amber dial. The first was the piece-unique Double Tourbillon White Gold, amber edition, unveiled last year. Arnold & Son has crafted dials from varied materials, including charoite, specular hematite, and meteorite.
“Baltic amber is a little-known material in watchmaking. Formed by thousands of years of fossilisation of conifer resin, it is light, almost laminated, fragile yet resilient. The colour changes on contact with air and light, bordering on a brownish red at the surface. The heart, meanwhile, is a pale yellow, and it is this distinctive shade that has been selected by Arnold & Son.”
Angelus, Arnold & Son, and Manufacture La-Joux Perret (LJP, the renowned movement manufacturer), are the same company, owned by Citizen Group of Japan. LJP is the integrated manufacture for Angelus and Arnold & Son and provides movements for other watch brands as well. Mr. Pascal Béchu is the Managing Director of Angelus and Arnold & Son and sits on the Executive Board of LJP.
Key Features
“The house settled on a block weighing 1.6 kilograms, fossilised more than 30 million years ago. Not only is this amber rare, but there is a risk associated with any nodule, as it is impossible to know the quality of the contents in advance. The material may not have been suitable for making the dial.”
“Cylinders were extracted from the block, cut and then inspected one at a time. The imperfect bases were rejected, as were the most fragile portions. Only high-quality specimens that met the criteria for solidity and appearance were kept. Amber’s visual characteristics are one of its unique assets: no two pieces have exactly the same pattern of streaks.”
Functions and Operation
Central hours and minutes.
Crown at 3 o’clock for winding and time setting.
Dial
Image: Only the essentials. The Baltic amber dial is a masterclass in craftsmanship and minimalism.
“The HM Steel Amber dial takes up all the space. As it has no complications, the timepiece is simply drilled in the centre to accommodate the hour and minute hands that give it its name. The HM collection has a special place in the Arnold & Son catalogue. Only used on an exceptional basis, this edition takes it in a new direction.
Dial is crafted from Baltic amber.
Blued hour and minute hands.
Outer dial features an hour and minute scale denoted by black dots. Hours are denoted by a slightly larger black dot. Smaller dots denote minutes.
Movement
Image: Calibre A&S1001 is nice to look at and fills up the case, the latter an aesthetically pleasing and rare sight.
Powered by calibre A&S1001, a mechanical hand-wound movement that drives the hours and minutes.
“The A&S1001 calibre, like all the house’s movements, is entirely developed, produced, decorated, assembled, adjusted and cased up by the manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds.”
Diameter: 30 mm. Thickness: 2.70 mm.
Jewels: 21. Frequency: 21,600 vph or 3 Hz. Power reserve: 90 hours.
Movement finishing includes:
- Mainplate is rhodium-plated and features a circular-grained finish.
- Bridges are chamfered and feature radiating Côtes de Genève stripes.
- Wheels are snailed.
- Screws are blued, chamfered, and feature polished heads.
Case and Strap
Image: The pale yellow hue of the Baltic amber dial contrasts well with the blued hands, stainless steel case and imperial green alligator leather strap.
Case is made from stainless steel.
Diameter: 39.50 mm. Thickness: 7.82 mm.
Dial side features a domed sapphire crystal with dual side anti-reflective coating.
Caseback features a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Water resistant up to 3 Bar / 30 metres / 100 feet.
Watch comes with an imperial green alligator leather strap featuring papaya yellow alligator leather lining. It is attached to a pin buckle, made from stainless steel.
Our Thoughts
I am a huge fan of simple two and three hand watches done right. Based on images and supporting information, I really like the HM Steel Amber. Having lived in Poland during the early 2000’s, I experienced Baltic amber firsthand, both jewellery and artifacts. I am familiar with the importance of amber in their local culture, and its healing properties. I even bought a model yacht crafted from Amber from Ulica Mariacka (or Mariacka street, a world renowned destination for Amber) in Gdańsk, northern Poland. I can relate to the dial.
Image: A versatile time-only watch. Equally at ease with a suit and jeans.
Combined with perfect case proportions, a manufacture hand-wound movement with a power reserve just under 4 days, and a relatively accessible price, the HM Steel Amber makes for an appealing time-only watch, and a compelling addition for collectors who appreciate craftsmanship, haute-horology, simplicity, and rarity.
Additional Details
Name: HM Steel Amber
Reference: 1LCDS.Z01A.C287S
Price: Swiss Franc (CHF): 19,500 (including VAT)
Limited edition of 38 individually numbered pieces.
Please visit the Arnold & Son website and Instagram page for more information.
