When you think about Sport Watches, there are many brands that immediately come to mind. There are plenty of regulars like Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer, etc… But one brand that threw it’s hat in the ring a few years ago seldom pops up in conversation – That brand is Jacob & Co.
Jacob & Co. offers a solid amount of ultra-complicated, and ultra-blinged watches – it’s arguably what they’re most known for. The Astronomia comes to mind as a prime example of the brand’s penchant for combining exclusivity, high complication, and tons and tons and tons of precious stones. But today, I wanted to take a look at one of the brand’s often overlooked offerings, specifically into the Sport Watch Segment – The Epic X Titanium – A fairly priced, feature-packed, and unique inclusion of a Sports Watch.
Let’s start with where the Jacob & Co Epic X Titanium fits in the overall catalogue for Jacob & Co. And quite simply, it’s the “modest” sport watch category. For starters, the grade 5 Titanium case measures in at a fair 44mm x 12.3mm and is surprisingly lightweight considering the white ceramic inserts. The case itself is very sporty in nature, featured brushed surfaces with polished edges.
The most unique part of the case, and where it gets it’s name, its the extended “X”-Shaped lugs that fasten to the various colored Rubber strap. Initially, and in press images, I’ll admit I wasn’t a fan of the lug design, and felt it was a little bit exaggerated – And likely uncomfortable. I’ve come to thoroughly enjoy them. Because of the steep taper and extended nature, it sits snuggly against the wrist, despite it’s larger size. I didn’t find the watch to pull or twist as I expected, and enjoyed wearing the watch regularly.
The crown was large enough to compliment the hand-wound movement. As many complaints as I’ve seen about the winding process, I found it very clean, easy-to-wind, and well-made. In fact, there was something satisfactory about winding the watch, and seeing the mainspring tighten up at the top of the movement. Additionally, being able to see the gear train through the back made winding the watch very enjoyable.
The Jacob & Co Epic X Skeleton dial nothing short of simply entrancing. The (very) open-worked dial gives view to just how simplified, yet complex the movement actually is. Starting at the 12 o’ clock position is the mainspring, housed in it’s own cage. the entire movement is held in place two (or four depending on how you look at it) vertical bridges that remind me of racing stripes – which isn’t out of character for the Epic X influence. These two bridges hold a vertical brushed and darkened bridge that showcases the watches handset. You’ll notice that it does not have any indices, only a chapter ring – lending to the idea that this is an enthusiast’s watch designed entirely around showcasing the movement.
The movement is predominantly showcased on the left side of the watch. On the right side of the dial is a really cool inlay with some Jacob & Co Epic X branding. While it would typically be difficult to read a the time, the red pips alleviate that very much. I never had a difficult time picking out the time at a glance.
Flipping the watch over, you’ll find the rest of the JCAM02 Skeleton Calibre. The 158 part movement was made solely for Jacob & Co in conjunction with Concepto – A prestigious movement manufacturer. The finishing is top-notch, and there is plenty of visual interest. I found myself enjoying watching the movement during the winding process from the back of the watch. The Manual Wind movement beats at 28,800 VpH and features a 48-Hour Power Reserve. The watch features a generous 100 meters of water resistance.
Overall, the Jacob & Co Epic X was one of the most fun watches I’ve ever had the opportunity to Review. I expected the watch to be bulky, over-the-top, and kitschy, but actually found it to be quite reserved and well fitted into the skeletonized sport watch territory. It’s easy for a watch to feel cheap when it’s oversized and light – And since the 44mm case in Titanium was the feature-set that was bragged, I was concerned.
And being that the price-point can be found well under $20,000 on the secondary market, it’s a solid alternative to some of the big guys at a much lower hit to the wallet.
Read more about the Epic X on the brand’s website.
Wrist Enthusiast would like to the Rodney Howard-Browne and Allen Hawes for providing the Epic X for review.
