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 39 mm Skeletonised Quartz
Reference 81782OR.41
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Arnold & Son
- Collection
- Nebula
- Model
- Arnold & Son Nebula 39 mm Skeletonised Quartz
- Reference number
- 81782OR.41
- Year / era
- 1967 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 86A — In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1967 – 1972
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
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 39 mm Skeletonised Quartz sits within Arnold & Son's Nebula line, introduced in 1967. It carries the house codes established since 1764 — quartz tpt case, skeletonised dial and in-house manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- 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.