Arnold & Son debuts its prettiest DSTB 42 dials yet – but you won’t get them

Arnold & Son is quickly becoming my favourite watch manufacturer, and its new DSTB 42 variations feature its prettiest dials yet – and that’s really saying something. But in true Arnold & Son style, these two new DSTB 42 watches are so limited edition that you probably won’t be able to get your hands on them.

Arnold & Son’s DSTB 42 collection stands for ‘Dial-Side True Beat’, meaning it shows its true-beat seconds mechanism on the dial rather than via the caseback. True-beat seconds are primarily found in marine chronometers which Arnold & Son’s own John Arnold supplied to the Royal Navy during the 18th century.

To pay tribute to this, the Arnold & Son DSTB 42 collection shows off the true-beat seconds mechanism with three-dimensional open worked gold bridges on the dial. The bridges are located between nine and 12 o’clock while a white opal mini-dial sits off-centre at the five o’clock position and displays the hours and minutes.

Aside from creating a dramatic look, the bridges further enhance the watch’s movement, the A&S6203 calibre. The movement operates at 4 Hz and allows the seconds hand to jump from one-hour marker to the next. It can be tweaked via the crown that sits at three o’clock.

The new variations of the Arnold & Son DSTB 42 line-up are in Red Gold Mint Green and Platinum Ascot Blue. The former shows off a pastel mint green dial which has a rough grained texture with a 18K red gold case that measures 42mm. The latter – which is my favourite – has an Ascot Blue dial and a 42mm platinum case.

I love the subtle colour and texturing of the limited edition Arnold & Son DSTB 42 watches, and the rich heritage of the true-beat seconds mechanism. But sadly, I don’t think I’ll get my hands – or wrist – on one of these watches anytime soon – or ever in fact.

Both Arnold & Son DSTB 42 watches are limited to just 18 pieces each, with the Red Gold Mint Green priced at £42,300 and the Platinum Ascot Blue costing £54,100.