Within the realm of mega-expensive statement watches, no conversation is complete without mentioning Jacob & Co. and the fanciful pieces that make up its modern catalog. While many of the brand’s watches are flat-out ridiculous in concept, they are also undeniably impressive, and wheth-r we are talking about music boxes, planetariums, or miniaturized car engines crafted from sapphire, Jacob & Co. watches often embrace a level of fun and whimsy that is seldom seen in high-end watchmaking. The latest release from the brand just ahead of Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023 is the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon, which takes the fully functional roulette wheel complication that characterizes its popular Astronomia Casino watch, and combines it with a flying tourbillon to create a gambling-themed timepiece aimed squarely at high-rollers and the top 1% who enjoy spending their time at the tables in Las Vegas or Monte Carlo.Crafted from 18k rose gold with a high-polished finish, the case of the new Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon measures 44mm in diameter by 16.3mm-thick. Just as you would expect, a heavily domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment protects the dial side of the watch; however, there is no winding crown protruding from the side of the case, with the only thing disrupting its round profile being the pusher located at 8 o’clock, which is used operate the roulette wheel game complication. Instead, positioned on the caseback, directly above the small circular window that offers a view of the roulette-themed flying tourbillon, are two fold-out tabs, with one used for winding the watch and the other dedicated to adjusting its hands. While this timepiece is hardly designed for aquatic use (as confirmed by its black alligator leather strap with matching 18k rose gold deployant buckle), the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon still offers 30 meters of water resistance to protect against daily incidental contact.
The time is displayed by a pair of skeletonized hands with luminous inlays and red finished tips, while the dial itself is made from a single sheet of black onyx with applied 18k rose gold kite-shaped hour markers. The dial and hands sit elevated from the spinning roulette wheel section that surrounds it, and this difference in height creates a natural space for the white ceramic ball to move freely when the roulette wheel game complication is activated. Additionally, the black curved flange that occupies the outermost periphery of the display features eight diamond-shaped deflectors, which are intended to further add variation to the roulette ball’s movement. Pressing the pusher on the side of the case at 8 o’clock sets the wheel in motion, causing the white ceramic ball to bounce around until it settles into one of the 37 pockets that are filled with black, red, or green lacquer.
Powering the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon is the brand’s manufacture Cal. JCAM51 manual-wind movement. While its signature roulette wheel complication and base caliber design are carried over from existing watches, the Jacob & Co. JCAM51 itself is a new movement and offers a novel combination of features. Running at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 72 hours, the JCAM51 is a 24-jewel caliber that consists of 268 components. In addition to having its winding and time-setting carried out through fold-out tabs located on its caseback and having a fully-functional mechanical spinning roulette wheel game complication, the Jacob & Co. JCAM51 also features a one-minute flying tourbillon that has red, black, and green lacquer inlays on its carriage, which mirror the appearance of the spinning roulette wheel on the opposite side of the watch.
Production of the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon will be limited to 101 examples, and the new watch will be accompanied by an official retail price of $330 USD. Although this is undeniably expensive and could just as easily buy you a supercar or even a house in many parts of this country, it’s also worth noting that the new Casino Tourbillon costs less than half the price of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Casino, while simultaneously offering a superior roulette playing experience due to its simplified display and unobstructed view of the spinning roulette wheel. While a solid gold Jacob & Co. watch with a fully functional roulette wheel game isn’t really for the budget-conscious buyer, the difference in price is more than a quarter of a million dollars, and this delta is even significant to the mega-wealthy collectors — even if it just means having some extra money to throw down at the tables next time they visit the casinos.
Category: Jacob & Co. Watches
Jacob and Co. X CR7
Celebrating two decades of collaboration, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jacob & Co. have united for two all-new watches, under the Jacob & Co. CR7 Epic X moniker. The inaugural timepieces, which honor Ronaldo’s global football domination and the timekeeper’s affinity for elevated watchmaking, sport profoundly personalized designs of the flagship Epic X.
The first model, “Flight of CR7,” with appears in rose gold with bezels set with 26 baguette-cut diamonds, was hand-delivered to Ronaldo in Lisbon on November 17, prior to his departure for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The path-forging player boasts a longstanding partnership with the watch company, having met founder Jacob Arabo in his career’s infancy, 20 years ago. Since then, their relationship has blossomed into a business venture in which Jacob & Co. produces timepieces inspired by Ronaldo’s expertise and sportsmanship.
The CR7 Epic X collection champions classic watch design, with a 44 mm case, X-shaped lugs, a diamond-set bezel and a tonal crown. Brought to life by Jacob & Co.’s signature caliber, the JCAM45, the timepiece offers a skeletonized movement, with two vertical pillars depicting Ronaldo and the CR7 label. Where the “Flight of CR7” model follows a red color story, the second iteration, “Heart of CR7,” appears green, with a stainless steel construction and a bezel set with 26 baguette-cut white diamonds.
Contact Jacob & Co.’s sales team for more information regarding both timepieces on the brand’s website. Take a look at each design in the gallery above.
After 20 years of mutual respect and friendship, Ronaldo and Jacob & Co have collaborated on a watch collection that commemorates the soccer legend’s success. This one-of-a-kind partnership gives birth to the Jacob & Co X CR7 Epic X Flight of CR7 and Heart of CR7. This debut collection is set to be followed by entirely new designs.
Ahead of his departure to the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo personally received the first Jacob & Co X CR7 Epic X piece in Lisbon. The champion immediately started wearing his rose gold Flight of CR7 with a bezel set with 26 baguette-cut diamonds.
By now, Cristiano Ronaldo is a household name. The Portuguese soccer hero is a once-in-a-lifetime caliber of player. Ronaldo has won the prestigious Ballon D’or five times and led his birth nation to its first-ever Euro Cup in 2016. This level of excellence aligns perfectly with Jacob & Co.
The Jacob & Co X CR7 Epic X collection is a profoundly personalized version of the Epic X. It has all its identity markers: a 44 mm case with X-shaped lugs, a smooth and polished or diamond-set bezel, and a colored crown and flange. It’s powered by one of Jacob & Co’s most emblematic calibers. This skeleton movement offers striking architecture. Its two vertical pillars form the central part of the X shape initiated by the lugs, whose entire design gave the name Epic X.
In the Jacob & Co X CR7 Epic X collection, these two pillars are designed to represent Cristiano Ronaldo and the CR7 brand. The left pillar takes on the shape of Cristiano Ronaldo himself in various postures while the right one bears the CR7 logo and the man’s hand signature, both engraved in bold letters.
The skeleton barrel cover is shaped like a football. Another image of Cristiano Ronaldo himself, wearing his iconic, lucky number 7 jersey, is printed on the caseback’s tainted sapphire crystal. This first collection is based on the design of Jacob & Co’s 2022 novelty, the Epic X V2. In the upcoming months, and throughout the 5-year span of this partnership, further developments with exclusive and all-new designs will be revealed.
Jacob & Co Epic X
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.
Jacob and Co. The Mystery
Mystery watches, timepieces where the time indications seem to be floating over the dial, are part of the grand history of watchmaking, going back more than 100 years. It should come as no surprise high watchmaking and diamond jewelry house Jacob & Co. has brought the mystery back with a contemporary high watchmaking and high jewelry twist.
The Mystery Tourbillon combines high watchmaking, a world first with two linked central, back-to-back triple axis tourbillons, with high jewelry, as the case is invisibly set with baguette hexagonal diamonds and the dial is set with hexagonal, “overlapping” diamonds. The sophisticated and ground-breaking Mystery was more than one year in development.
Powering this incredible timepiece are two of Jacob & Co.’s iconic triple-axis tourbillons, placed back-to-back. The first axis makes a full revolution in 60 seconds, while the second and third axes make a full revolution in two minutes. The power reserve for this high watchmaking movement is 60 hours.
The two mystery disks turn to indicate the time, rotating around the twin triple axis tourbillons, linked by a single differential, set into the center of the watch. This is a unique positioning, as most tourbillons are either set at the twelve or six o’clock position. This is the first time that Jacob & Co. has placed its two incredible triple axis tourbillon movements in the center of the watch, where they turn on three axes: the first axis in 60 seconds, and the second and third axes in two minutes.
The case of the Mystery Tourbillon is invisibly set with baguette hexagonal diamonds and the dial is set with hexagonal, “overlapping” diamonds. The minute disk is set with 119 white diamonds (≈ 6.80 ct.) and one ruby (≈ 0.18ct.) to indicate the exact minute.
The hour disk is also set with 119 white diamonds (≈ 7.93ct.) and one red ruby (≈ 0.28ct.) to show the hours.
The outer ring is set with 108 white diamonds (≈ 4.56ct.) and 12 Tsavorites (≈ 1.49ct.) for the hour markers.
Jacob and Co. Caviar Tourbillon
After announcing the “Office Supplies” collaboration with Virgil Abloh, Jacob & Co. took to Instagram to show the two founders shaking hands. In the picture, Abloh can be seen wearing a very special watch — a 1-of-3 Jacob & Co. Caviar Flying Tourbillon in Ruby.
The watch lists at a staggering $1.8 million USD (one has been seen trading near the $950,000 USD mark) and features a full 47mm rose gold case that has invisibly-set rubies. The watch contains over 424 stones with a single rose-cut stone placed at the crown, giving the watch a total carat weight of 44.35 ct. At the six o’clock position is Jacob & Co.’s one-minute flying tourbillon that’s part of the manual-winding caliber JCBM05 movement. This Jacob & Co. Caviar Flying Tourbillon watch has a power reserve of 100 hours.
Coming with a green alligator strap and gold tang buckle, Virgil Abloh couldn’t have worn a better statement watch to this partnership signing.
Today, Jacob & Co. Caviar Flying Tourbillon unveiled their latest creation: the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon. After spending nearly a year thoroughly developing a timepiece that honors the legendary Chiron hyper sports and reproduces the sensation of the renowned Bugatti 16-cylinder engine. Designed in a stunning, rich blue shade, the fully transparent sapphire crystal case is inspired by the flowing lines of the Chiron and reveals every aspect of the 578 hand-decorated and hand-assembled components of the JCAM37 manual wound caliber, including the fully functional replica of the Bugatti W16 engine. The case’s design is a true testament to Jacob & Co.’s expertise and high watchmaking as the brand continues to push the boundaries in craftsmanship. The movement powers the timing functions and a 60-second flying tourbillion—which is the same movement that powers the Bugatti W16 engine recreation inside the case. When the automation is activated, the “engine” comes to life with its 16 pistons pumping and two turbochargers spinning—a groundbreaking feature for the timepiece. The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon features a 30º inclined tourbillon, marking the first time Jacob & Co. has ever used an inclined tourbillon.
Jacob and Co. Rasputin Tourbillon
The Jacob and Co. Rasputin Tourbillon by Jacob & Co. is a watch with multiple secrets, but to reveal them you first have to break through a seemingly impenetrable barrier of diamonds. The 47.6mm diameter case in 18-carat white gold is fully paved with the stones, from the case band to the bezel, lugs and crown. The case also has a diamond-set slider on the side, which indicates that this watch has a minute repeater function.
But the Jacob and Co. Rasputin Tourbillon is so much more. Fully depress the slider and you will be treated to an audible time signal, broken down into hours, quarters and minutes. Press the slider down slowly and carefully, however, and you will see three baguette rubies set beneath it. If you move the slide just enough to expose these rubies, then release it and depress it fully again, an altogether different secret is revealed. The minute repeater will chime, the two swans in the upper half of the dial will move and a sector that has been hand engraved with a motif resembling curtains (the only part of the watch not covered with diamonds) will open up in the lower half of the dial to reveal a hand-painted erotic scene beneath.
Even without the animations, the dial itself is a work of art. Crafted from 18-carat white gold, it is invisibly set with 188 baguette diamonds arranged diagonally. There is a red heart-shaped ruby (0.70 carats) set between the two swans just below 12 o’clock. A further 178 baguette diamonds are set on the case, 100 on the bezel and 14 on the crown, plus a 1.02-carat diamond cabochon on the end of the crown. The slider is set with 12 baguette diamonds, bringing the total number of diamonds on this piece to a staggering 515, representing an unprecedented 40.28 carats by weight! All of them are IF-VVS clarity and G+ colour, non-fluorescent.
The power for the minute repeater and erotic animation functions, as well as the hour and minute display by the two skeletonised blue leaf-shaped hands, is provided by the Jacob and Co. Rasputin Tourbillon JCAM27 manually-wound movement. It beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour, offers a 50-hour power reserve and has a tourbillon regulator that is visible only through the sapphire crystal case back at 9 o’clock with a mirror-polished carriage, as are the two mirror-polished hammers and the gong for the minute-repeater mechanism. All bridges and all steel components in the movement are straight drawn with polished bevels. The mainplate has a circular graining decoration, while the gear train and balance have a 2N gold coating. The watch is water resistant to 30 metres and is fitted with a black alligator leather strap with 18-carat white-gold folding clasp set with 22 baguette diamonds.
Jacob & Co. Jean Bugatti
For their latest expression of horological masterwork, Jacob & Co takes inspiration from the heady, fuel-injected and supercharged world of the automobile. Except the source of inspiration in this instance isn’t the world of Formula 1, or even some sort of theoretical hypercar. No, Jacob & Co. Jean Bugatti has dug into the history books for one of the most interesting and inspired car designers: Jean Bugatti.
Son of Bugatti founder Ettore, it’s unsurprising that automotive design loomed large in his future. But few could have imagined that Jean Bugatti’s designs, like the duotone Type 50, the Type 41 Royale and the incredible Type 57SC Atlantic would become some of the most iconic industrial designs of the modern age, an aerodynamic design of elegance and speed.
It’s this spirit that Jacob & Co. Jean Bugatti has evoked with the Jean Bugatti watch. Created in two versions, white or rose gold, each limited to 57 pieces, this chronograph stands out not just because of the twin flying tourbillons that dominate the bottom of the dial but for the unusual chronograph layout. Rather than the standard array of registers, Jacob & Co has looked to the dash for inspiration. So it is that we’re treated to a retrograde chronograph display, the shorter hand indicating elapsed seconds, and the larger measuring tenths of a second, resulting in a display of whipping retrograde hands across the dial whenever the chronograph is actuated.
On top of that, there’s a digital jumping minute disc nestled between the two tourbillons to record up to 30 minutes. And what about the regular time? Well, that’s handled via the red indicators at the periphery of the dial. As you might have guessed, this level of engineering genius isn’t a simple task, a hunch quickly confirmed by a quick glance at the epic JCFM09 calibre which has the unenviable task of managing energy, torque and tension while keeping accurate time. It took them 470 components and a whopping 92 jewels, but this calibre is an engine that lives up to the Bugatti name.
Comparing yourself to the incomparable Type 57SC Atlantic is not for the faint of heart, and certainly, for a car manufacturer, it would be madness. But for Jacob & Co. Jean Bugatti, it’s a spiritual evocation rather than a literal one. And on this front, they have done a fine job of honoring the designs of Jean Bugatti while keeping true to the spirit of Jacob & Co. Technically peerless and aesthetically accomplished, the Jean Bugatti delivers.
Jacob and Co. Bugatti Twin Turbo
The unthinkable happened on August 2, 2019, when the magical 300 mph barrier was shattered by the Jacob and Co. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.
Driven by Andy Wallace, Le Mans winner and official Bugatti test driver, the Chiron zoomed past 300 mph, topping out at 304.77 mph.
A monumental achievement, the record sets Bugatti apart from the rest of the automotive industry.
Created to celebrate the world’s fastest series production hypercar, the Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti 300+ echoes the hypercar’s materials and colors, while introducing a brand-new aesthetic. The black titanium twin triple-axis tourbillon movement includes a decimal minute repeater and a mono-pusher chronograph with reference time. Housed in a forged carbon case, to echo the exposed carbon fiber bodywork of the hypercar, this timepiece is limited to three pieces for the world.
Both Bugatti and Jacob and Co. Bugatti Twin Turbo put a premium on performance, while also emphasizing absolute exclusivity, luxury, unrivalled beauty and exceptional craftsmanship. This new Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti 300+ is no different – the grand complication offers a combination of complications no brand has ever done before, while at the same time it is comfortable and sporty, perfect for everyday wear. Dynamic and supremely comfortable, the Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti 300+ matches Bugatti’s performance and excellence standards, while also fulfilling the Bugatti promise of versatility.
In 2019, Bugatti and Jacob & Co. signed a multi-year partnership to create unique, never-before-seen timepieces. These watches are true to the spirit of both companies, while taking watchmaking to impossible heights.
To inaugurate this partnership led by performance, two timepieces were created. These watches, based on the Twin Turbo Furious and the Epic X Chrono, were directly inspired by the unique design and spirit of Bugatti hypercars.
In 2020, Jacob & Co. and Bugatti introduced the Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti 300+, the Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti La Montre Noir, and the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon.
In the world of watchmaking, the presence of a tourbillon in a watch’s movement places the piece among the elite. Jacob & Co.’s Twin Turbo Furious sets itself apart from this rarified group, incorporating two accelerated triple axis tourbillons into its striking design. The tourbillons work to compensate for the effects of gravity on the precision of the movement.
This grand complication movement is made up of 832 individual parts, incredible to consider that many parts coming together, and amazing to see in action. The twin triple-axis tourbillons are in constant motion, completely visible under the special, curved sapphire crystal.
Minute repeaters are the most prized complications by collectors and they are among the most difficult complications for watchmakers to conceive. Nevertheless, Jacob and Co. Bugatti Twin Turbo sought to push the boundaries of what was considered technically feasible when bringing the Twin Turbo Furious to life. Most minute repeaters conform to the hours, quarter hours and minutes standard, but the Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti 300+ chimes on demand ten-minute intervals after the hours and before the minutes, a decimal repeater that is very rare in high watchmaking. In fact, you can count the number of manufacturers presenting decimal minute repeaters on one hand and have a few fingers left.
With the Twin Turbo Furious, Jacob & Co. goes even further by adding a very specific monopusher chronograph function. Embodying the brand’s determination to always seek new solutions or to create never-before-seen functions, the Twin Turbo Furious chronograph is equipped with a “reference time” indicator. Inspired by pit boards in motor racing, the Twin Turbo Furious reference time display is located in the center of the dial, indicating the difference in seconds in comparison to a reference time
The power reserve is labeled “300+” for this edition of the Twin Turbo Furious, and this is displayed on the dial side at six o’clock. Thanks to an ingenious planetary system comprising a differential gear mechanism, the hand points to a full power reserve on the left, then moves to the right as the 50 hours of reserve winds down. The watch is wound up through the crank placed on the crown at three o’clock.
Jacob and Co. Gotham City
In 2022, Jacob & Co. partners with Comics powerhouse DC Comics to design an entirely new timepiece. Jacob & Co. Gotham City is a batman-themed watch that draws inspiration from Jacob Arabo’s personal taste and preferences. He is a fan of the Batman, just like Benjamin Arabov, Jacob & Co.’s CEO. This timepiece is the result of deep individual involvement and a symbol of what Batman and Bruce Wayne represent. In the mind of creator Bob Kane, vertical and dark Gotham City is a stand-in for New York City, whence Jacob & Co. was created and operates.
The Jacob & Co. Gotham City is destined for a Jacob & Co. audience that also relates to his secret identity : that of a playboy billionaire, nonchalant and gifted with extremely good taste. The duality of the comic’s character invented by Bob Kane is furthered in the Gotham City. The 18K Rose gold version of the Gotham City is edited as a 36-piece limited series. Like the town it’s named after, Jacob & Co. Gotham City is an architectural construction. Its movement, its case, its layered structure are the result of a comprehensive and advanced design process. It goes beyond aesthetics to enter the realm of symbolism. Every part of the watch, be it visible or hidden, carries meaning. A symbolic capsule, it honors both Batman and Bruce Wayne, and everything they stand for.
The crown is covered with a rubber band shaped like the Batmobile’s tires. The shape of the lugs is meant to resemble the Batsuit’s multi-faceted design. The flying tourbillon cages are shaped like grappling hooks. And prominently, the central part of the dial is cut from a slab of back onyx and shaped like the Batman’s emblem. Highlighted by a neoralithe outline which glows blue in the dark, this is a tribute to the BatSignal. Calibre JCFM10 features off-centered hours and minutes, a power reserve topping out at 48 hours and is regulated by twin, flying, sequential, triple-axis tourbillons located at 5 and 7 o’clock. Its highly advanced technical nature is on par with the technological array of tools, devices, machines and equipment Batman has at his disposal.
This 382-component calibre is also part of a broader ambition. Much like everything that composes this timepiece, its design is a tribute to symbols and features of the Batman. The way the tourbillon cages are designed, the bat-shaped bridge that occupies the most part of the movement’s back, all carry meaning and participate in making this timepiece a creation halfway between the Dark Knight’s toolkit and Bruce Wayne’s attire. Calibre JCFM10 features a pair of triple-axis, sequential, flying, high-speed tourbillons. Each one of them rotates along three different axes. Each axis drives a separate cage. The first, outermost one makes a full turn in 180 seconds, the second one in 24 seconds and the third one, closest to the 3 Hz balance wheel, in 48 seconds. Compared to the traditional one-minute rotation of a flat tourbillon, and to many multi-axis tourbillons, 24 and 48 seconds are very high figures. This explains why Jacob & Co. calls them high-speed tourbillons.
Mounted on the wheel that drives the tourbillon, a spring accumulates energy to allow the cages to jump forward. They don’t just move in small incremental moves, but large ones, creating a series of sequential, very visible moves, with pauses in between.
The tourbillons inside calibre JCFM10 have no upper bridge. Their only grounding in the black-chromium mainplate happens underneath, which makes them flying tourbillons.
Jacob and Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon
The Jacob and Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon is the most recent exercise in extreme automotive engineering from Bugatti, and for car lovers, it seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition. I had an opportunity to experience the Veyron when it first came out, and although I am pretty sure I am as far from its target demographic as it is possible to be and still be a member of the species H. sapiens, I thought it was a ton (well, two tons and change, to be more exact) of fun, and I am glad that it exists. I feel the same way about watchmaking from Jacob & Co. The company continues to practice a kind of watchmaking which at one point many were attempting and at which few succeeded: Maximalist, irrepressibly over-the-top timepieces which were time-telling instruments only incidentally. These were and are wrist-mounted mechanical fantasies that have, perhaps, more in common with mechanical entertainments like automatons than with conventional watches.
The recent partnership between Bugatti and Jacob & Co. has just given birth to one of the most exuberantly diverting watches I have seen in a long while: the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon. The Chiron is an exercise in pure excess – the centerpiece of the car is its huge, mid-chassis mounted 8-liter W16 engine, which puts out – hold onto your knickers, Gertrude – 1,479 horsepower and easily propels the car to its electronically limited top speed of 261 miles per hour. (HODINKEE’s James Stacey has driven the Veyron and tells me it could find 200kph in fourth gear “on any on-ramp, no exaggeration.”) The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, natürlich, is also an exercise in pure excess. Albert Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity came about from asking a very simple but penetrating question: “What would the world look like if you rode on a beam of light?” The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, likewise, came about from asking an equally simple and penetrating question: “What would you get if you made a miniature, working mechanical model of the W16 engine in the Bugatti Chiron, and put it in a watch, oh, and we should probably throw a tourbillon in there, and don’t forget the turbochargers?” What you get is the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon. As the saying goes, “Just What It Says On The Tin.” This is indeed a tourbillon watch, of Brobdingnagian heft and Herculean impact – 54mm x 44mm. But then, the basic dimensions dwindle into insignificance when considered next to the actual watch. The case is occupied by the caliber JCAM37, hand-wound, with a tourbillon regulator and an honest-to-Betsy working W16 engine inside, which takes up at least half the volume of the case. You push an actuator on the side of the case, and the crankshaft turns, pistons move, and miniature turbochargers begin to rotate. If there were ever a watch that demanded to be seen in action to be appreciated, this is it. It is a truism that you can only go so far judging a watch from a photograph without seeing it in the metal; it is absolutely true that to get a sense of the impact of this watch, you have to see it doing its thing.
There is a famous line in the movie Jurassic Park, in which the chaos mathematician Ian Malcolm reproves the dinosaur-maker, shouting, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should!” Of course, the fact of the matter is, the moment you see the T. rex, you’re on the side of the dinosaur makers – institutional ethics review boards be damned, making a dinosaur is cool. I kind of feel the same way about this watch. Certainly, there is no reason for it to exist; inarguably it is as damnably indefensible a way to blow a quarter of a million bucks as the Chiron is to blow four (or more, at that point, though, who’s counting?).
