It what has seemed like an age, at last, we once again have the opportunity to showcase some real horological art, and it goes by the name of the Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi.

Earlier this week, some news of a new Swiss timepiece ‘flopped’ its way onto one the editorial desks. The subject of the release was a unique 18k red gold watch called the Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi.

Unlike many timepieces with bland styling that appears to be almost indistinguishable from the next, this very special timepiece provides an avalanche of ‘wows’ from the first time you set eyes on it. We will discuss this in more detail later in the article.

Although many watch fans and collectors will instantly recognise the name Arnold & Son and know of their excellence, others reading this might not be as familiar.

The company is located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, and clearly does not have a very Swiss name. There is a very straightforward reason behind this. The brand takes its name from the Cornish-born, English 18th-century watchmaker John Arnold.

In the 1700s, Arnold was renowned for his technical excellence and made his name creating extraordinary timepieces and marine chronometers. After a couple of centuries of excellence, the company petered out.

A decade ago, the brand was reborn and from its Swiss headquarters now produces extremely high-quality timepieces using unique movements supplied by its sister company, La Joux-Perret.

Now you’ve been armed with some background information, let me get back to the subject at hand, the Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi.

Arnold & Son has a history of creating bespoke timepieces and currently provides the opportunity for customers to personalise watches within their collection.

Although the Swiss watchmaker has an extensive range of models, one particularly well-suited to customisation is their Ultrathin Tourbillon. This timepiece has an off-centred dial at 12 o’clock, which provides an empty canvas that can be filled with whatever the customer desires.

The bespoke Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi has a mother-of-pearl dial and two carp gliding between lotus blossoms. The carp have been delicately handpainted onto the dial. Above these sit three pronounced lotus blossoms which have been cut and shaped in silver. They were then engraved, polished and painted in white lacquer.

The carps themselves have a wealth of exquisite detail painted onto them including striped fins, scales and barbels all sat upon a beautiful dial made from mother-of-pearl.

The beating heart of the Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi is the 2.97mm thick calibre A&S8200 movement. This movement is so thin; it gives the current ‘thinness’ record holder a proper run for its money.

The manually wound movement also features an exceptional 90-hour power reserve. More detailed information on this exceptional mechanism can be found on the Arnold & Son website; the link can be found at the end of this article.

The movement is housed within an 18k red gold case which measures an impressive 8.34 mm thick, and the watch also has a hand-stitched leather alligator strap with an 18k gold red pin buckle.

Obviously, all of these exquisite additions added to what is already an impressive fine timepiece come at a cost. If you want a watch like this, it will set you back a cool CHF 89,000 excluding tax.

Do I think the Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi is worth the price?
Well, what you’re buying here is not only technical excellence made with precious metals, it is also a unique work of art. When compared to other watch manufacturers producing timepieces minus a personality and precious metals at a similar price, the Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi, in my opinion, is far from overpriced.

If you would like a watch similar to the Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Koi or have ideas of your own, visit the brand’s official website at www.arnoldandson.com.

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