The moon waxes, wanes, disappears, and once again returns to light up the sky. Luna Magna, the largest and most spectacular of all moons in watchmaking, begins a new cycle within its fully polished 950 platinum case with a white mother-of-pearl hour and minute sub-dial in a satin-brushed ring and ever-changing reflections. Against the grandeur of an aventurine crystal sky, the Luna Magna Platinum is revealed through its select materials. The sizeable three-dimensional moon is composed of blue aventurine and grey marble, while the time is read on a mother-of-pearl dial.
Set in aventurine crystal, the metallic crystals bring the dial to life with their brilliance. Half of the 12 mm three-dimensional moon is made of grey marble, and the other half of aventurine crystal, reflecting the moon’s dual nature. Guided by an exclusive moon-phase complication, this chiaroscuro, this movement of the light, make the Luna Magna Platinum a living, ever-changing, fleeting yet everlasting timepiece.
The hours and minutes are displayed on the graduated dial with twelve Roman numerals bearing the Arnold & Son signature. This eccentric disc owes its luminosity to the slightly iridescent white mother-of-pearl, imparting a delicate quality that matches the grand complication of the Luna Magna Platinum. The Luna Magna Platinum is based on the A&S1021 caliber, fully developed and then assembled and adjusted in Switzerland. Designed around the lunar globe, the movement is hand-wound and features a 90-hour power reserve and regulating mechanism set at 3 Hz. On the back is a secondary display, with clearly legible lunations for fine adjustments.
The celestial mechanism also owes its sophisticated design to the fidelity in its astronomical accuracy. A complete lunar cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. Arnold & Son have succeeded in approximating this cycle such that, if the watch were never stopped, it would take 122 years for the moon-phase display to accumulate a day’s discrepancy from the correct phase. And the correction is easy since Luna Magna Platinum’s lunar function is accessible directly from the crown. A practical solution was made possible by Arnold & Son’s total mastery of the watchmaking process.
Centered on the moon theme so dear to Arnold & Son, Luna Magna Platinum is a limited series of only twenty-eight pieces. The smooth, understated shine and weight of the platinum certainly give the timepiece a certain majesty.
