Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Arnold & Son · Nebula
Arnold & Son Nebula 42 mm Blue Quartz
Reference 40306OR.14
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Arnold & Son
- Collection
- Nebula
- Model
- Arnold & Son Nebula 42 mm Blue Quartz
- Reference number
- 40306OR.14
- Year / era
- 1955 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 23D — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1955 – 1961
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Arnold & Son Nebula 42 mm Blue Quartz sits within Arnold & Son's Nebula line, introduced in 1955. It carries the house codes established since 1764 — quartz tpt case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house tourbillon, manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Arnold & Son
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1764
- Founder
- John Arnold
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Perpetual Moon, Luna Magna, DSTB, Nebula, Globetrotter, Constant Force
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Hand-applied guilloché dials · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Notable watches
- Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 44 mm Silvered Stainless (1988) · Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 39 mm Black Stainless (2001) · Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 44 mm Ice Quartz (1968) · Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 36 mm Skeletonised Carbon (1950)
Brand history
Arnold & Son has spent more than 262 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Perpetual Moon, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
John Arnold established Arnold & Son in 1764, working from United Kingdom at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Arnold & Son calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1764
John Arnold founds Arnold & Son in United Kingdom.
1804
Arnold & Son earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Arnold & Son to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Arnold & Son enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Arnold & Son continues to produce Perpetual Moon, Luna Magna, DSTB and other icons in limited numbers.