If you spend a lot of time on social media, you can’t really ignore Jacob & Co. Jacob Arabo’s watch manufacturer always comes up when it comes to very expensive, very exclusive and – admittedly – sometimes unusual watches. The founder often appears in front of the camera himself and presents his creations to prominent customers such as Messi, Ronaldo, DJ Khaleed or Justin Timberlake.
For several years now, Jacob & Co. has also been the in-house watchmaker for the French luxury brand Bugatti, whose cars it accompanies with special watches. This was also the case with the recently presented Bugatti Tourbillon, the latest hypercar from Molsheim for 3.8 million euros before taxes (find out more here).
It was almost a no-brainer to dedicate a watch to the vehicle – after all, the Bugatti is named after an exclusive device from the world of watches.
A watch with a V16 engine
The heart of the Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon is once again a real engine. In the lower part of the rather large watch, again in keeping with the car, there is a V16 engine block with pistons, cylinders, exhausts and a crankshaft. This automaton does not drive the watch, but can be brought to life at the push of a button and imitates the function of a real combustion engine. The energy for the sequences comes from the spring barrels, which are located in the lower part of the watch.
The upper part of the watch is based on the cockpit of the new Bugatti. There are a total of three round cutouts – just like the original. On the left, of course, there is a tourbillon. This is the name for a popular – and very expensive – complication of mechanical watch movements that makes it possible to compensate for the effects of gravity and thus improve the accuracy. A tourbillon has been considered the “pinnacle of watchmaking” for over 200 years and is usually only found in the most expensive models from the various manufacturers.
In the middle there is actually a more or less classic dial for reading the time. But it quickly becomes apparent that it is not numbered all the way around, meaning that the hands do not make a complete rotation. With the Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon, the manufacturer uses a so-called retrograde display. This means that the hands always return to the starting point when the measurement segment, i.e. either 60 minutes or the eleventh hour, is reached. 12 o’clock is therefore displayed when both hands are at zero.
With this unusual display, the manufacturer wants to imitate the tachometer and speedometer of a car. This is also evident from a look at the right side, because the power reserve on the watch looks like a fuel reserve. The movement can run for 48 hours without a winding mechanism, after which it must be wound. There is no automatic winding mechanism.
Model Bugatti: Expensive price and strict limitation
In total, Jacob & Co. plans to produce 250 pieces of the watch – also in keeping with the strict limitation of the Bugatti Tourbillon. Initially, the watch will only be available in coated titanium, later models made of precious metals and with diamonds will follow. The black watch will be produced in 150 pieces at a price of 340,000 US dollars each.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
