This Arnold & Son watch is inspired by the Royal Navy and made from an unusual material

Arnold & Son has quietly announced a new Royal Navy-inspired watch and it’s made from a rather unusual material. The Arnold & Son HM Pietersite gets its name from Royal Navy ships but the ‘HM’ part of the name has a lot more meaning than you might think.

At first glance, the Arnold & Son HM Pietersite looks beautiful but you might not realise just how much it’s got going on under the ‘hood’. Firstly, we have the name which features ‘HM’ in the title. Not only does this stand for His Majesty as do most Royal Navy vessels, but it also refers to the watch only displaying hours and minutes.

Arnold & Son is known for its elaborate dial designs that typically feature chronographs and moonphases, so the new HM Pietersite is regarded as ‘simple’ compared to its other timepieces. But while the dial may only have hour and minute hands and subtle circular hour markers, it’s the pietersite material that makes it stand out.

If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I love gemstones. While I don’t think watches need to – or should – be covered in sparkling diamonds and emeralds, I can’t resist a stone dial which is a key theme we’ve been noticing from this year’s watch trends.

The dial of the Arnold & Son HM Pietersite is made from pietersite, a rare gemstone from the chalcedony family. Called the ‘stone of storms’, the gem is typically a mixture of jasper, tiger’s and hawk’s eye and gives the watch a dramatic blue and brown colour with swirls and patterns.

The swirls of the pietersite gemstone is inspired by the coast of Cornwall, a place that’s often linked to Arnold & Son as it’s the birthplace of John Arnold. Pair that with the Royal Navy inspiration and you have a very meaningful watch.

Measuring 39.5 mm, the Arnold & Son HM Pietersite has a case thickness of 7.82 mm and is available in red gold or steel. Powered by the A&S1001 manual winding calibre movement, the ultra-thin movement measures just 30 mm and can be seen via the caseback. It has a 90 hour power reserve and is water resistant to 30 metres.

The Arnold & Son HM Pietersite is finished with a matte blue alligator leather strap. The slight catch to this watch is it’s extremely limited so there are only 18 available in steel and eight in red gold. Prices start from 16,200 CHF.