JACOB & CO. :  “Astronomia Flawless Diamond”

Images courtesy of Christie’s

Ultra High-End Watchmaking of the 21^st Century: Christie’s Watches Online, 18-30 May 2023

From 18 to 30 May, Christie’s Watches Online: The Geneva Edit will offer a selection of remarkable timepieces curated from a refined circle of ultra-exclusive timepieces at the nexus of high watchmaking and high jewellery. A vast number of lots from this sale will be exhibited at the new Christie’s Geneva Office between 22 and 26 May.

Among them the spectacular one-of-a-kind JACOB & CO. “Astronomia Flawless Diamond”.

This one-of-a-kind creation has a ground-breaking 4-arm movement seemingly floating inside a sapphire crystal case. Four unique mechanisms, one at the tip of each arm – a globe of magnesium representing Earth with hand-lacquered oceans and continents of white gold, a one-carat Jacob-cut spherical diamond with 288 facets, a patented triple-axis tourbillon, and an hours and minutes complication with a patented differential gear system – orbit around the 3.02-carat diamond crowning the vertical movement.

The estimate of this unique JACOB & CO., sapphire triple axis tourbillon “Astronomia Flawless” with 3.02 carat D flawless diamond, Ref. A125.80.AA.UG.B, from 2022, has been set at CHF200,000-400,000.

Introduced in 2018, the “Astronomia Flawless Diamond” remains a testament to JACOB & CO.’s incredible creativity, boldness and engineering genius – a feat of multidisciplinary mastery in high watchmaking.

At the centre of the watch, an unprecedented vertical four-arm movement that demonstrates next-level watchmaking prowess, both creatively and technically. At the tip of each arm, an element which again evokes the sensibility for art and storytelling, a hallmark of JACOB & CO.: the patented triple-axis tourbillon; the likewise patented hours and minutes complication with timepiece-differential gear system; the planet Earth made from a globe of magnesium, with hand-lacquered oceans and white gold continents; and as the Moon, a spherical diamond with 288 facets achieved with the exclusive Jacob cut.

Presented by Coulisse | INK

All four orbit around the 2.88-carat white diamond, a miniature solar system floating in a spectacular sapphire crystal case. The “Astronomia Flawless Diamond” is a one-off piece that dazzles by its presence and by its substance.

The triple-axis tourbillon is at the forefront of modern watchmaking. The delicately decorated cage encapsulates the balance wheel, hairspring, escape wheel and several other important components. Characterised by an open-worked cage, the JACOB & CO. tourbillon rotates on three axes simultaneously, a constellation of superbly finished components that ensures the Astronomia calibre’s absolute accuracy throughout the 60-hour power reserve.

Jacob Arabo, the founder of JACOB & CO. commented: “The Astronomia was inspired by the universe and all the ideas and wonderment that celestial bodies evoke. Ever since the introduction of the first Astronomia in 2014, the stars, the Moon and the planets have taken on new meaning with each new piece. Even as the Astronomia story continues, it has already earned its place in the world of superlative Haute Horlogerie.”