The Astronomia Tourbillon from Jacob & Co. was one of the most talked about watches from Baselworld and with good reason; it was one of, if not the most striking watch there as well as being a technical tour de force.
American Brand Jacob & Co marked their intent to be considered as serious complication watchmakers with earlier creations such as the Quenttin 31 Day Tourbillon and SF24 Split Flap GMT. Like the SF24 the technical challenges of the Astronomia Tourbillon were achieved in collaboration with Swiss horological complications specialists Studio 7H38.
However the Astronomia Tourbillon is by far their most impressive and technically demanding piece to date.
Its imposing size of 47mm in diameter and 18mm in height is combined with its unusual deeply convex sapphire crystal grabbing your attention and helping make it an even more impressive visual spectacle.
The spectacle within is all about a four-armed carrousel that rotates in front of a background of midnight-blue aventurine, which creates the impression of a miniature universe.
The carrousel is made up of two sections, one has a small display showing the time with a triple axis tourbillon on the other end and the other section has a globe representing Earth made from white gold with blue flinqué enamel used to represent the oceans at the one end and a 1 karat briolette cut diamond opposite it, representing the moon at the other.
The tourbillon is a triple axis type, fixed only on one side. The cage rotates once every 60 seconds, while the entire cage assembly rotates around the second axis every 5 minutes and finally the carrousel arm on which it is attached (like the other three arms) rotates every 20 minutes.
The Astronomia Tourbillon is a limited edition of only nine pieces Jacob & Co
Astronomia Tourbillon Specifications
Movement
Calibre: Exclusive Jacob&Co manual winding JCEM01 Diameter: 40mm / Height: 15.9 mm / Components: 235 / Power Reserve: 72 hours / Frequency: 18,800 vibrations/hour (2.5 Hz) / Jewels: 42 / System: Gravitational orbital tourbillon / Finishing: Plate and bridges – polished and bevelled by hand, drawn flanks, circular graining, polished sinks, hand-polished screws; barrel – circular graining; pinions – wood grinding-wheel polished; balance spring: Philips curve; PE 3000.
Case
Diameter: 47mm / Thickness: 18mm / Material: 18-ct. rose gold and diamond microparticle polycarbonate fibre / Case back: 18-ct. rose gold / Bows: Winding and time-setting via 18-ct. rose gold lift-out rotating “bows” on case back / Skylayer front case: Aventurine goldfluss and 18-ct. rose gold / Crystal: Domed sapphire with anti-reflective treatment / Water resistance: 30m (ISO 2281)
Dial & hands
Dial: Hand-engraved, lacquered indexes, diamond finish / Hands: Hand-finished gunned blue
Strap & Clasp
Alligator 18-ct. rose gold folding buckle
Limited edition: 9 pieces
HOW MUCH FOR THEM? I dont care if theres only nine of them, HOW MUCH?