Leave it to Jacob & Co. to add bling to a watch’s intricate inner workings.
The New York-based watch and jewelry maker has unveiled a new, iced-out tourbillon featuring what it claims is the first diamond-set balance wheel in modern horology.
Swiss and French watchmakers experimented with setting diamonds directly onto balance wheels in the 1820s and 1830s, but it soon became clear that the extra weight from gems compromised chronometric performance. As a result, horologists decided to add sparkle to bridges, plates, and rotors rather than the regulating organ—up until now, that is.
The balance wheel at the center of Jacob & Co.’s Brilliant Flying Tourbillon Baguette Pastel Arlequino is adorned with 54 brilliant-cut white diamonds, adding extra pizzazz to the movement without affecting timekeeping. The balance wheel oscillates at 3 Hz as the flying tourbillon completes one full revolution every 60 seconds, with the movement causing the diamonds to sparkle in such a way that it appears there is a perpetual glowing halo around the balance wheel. The luminous ring seems to be continuously moving with every passing second, creating a true spectacle at 6 o’clock.
On the reverse side, the sapphire caseback gives a full view of the movement’s bridges, which are covered with 234 brilliant-cut white diamonds. The new in-house self-winding movement (Caliber JCFA02) is worth highlighting, too, offering 184 functions and a 72-hour power reserve.
The movement is the only glitzy element on the one-of-a-kind timepiece—it’s Jacob & Co. we’re talking about, after all. The 42 mm white-gold case, dial, crown, and even the buckle are invisibly set with 366 colored sapphires and 56 white diamonds. The kaleidoscopic arrangement, which Jacob & Co. has called Arlequino as a nod to the Arlecchino (or Harlequin) character from Italian commedia dell’arte, sees contrasting stones play against one another. Pops of blue juxtapose splashes of blue and lavender in a carefully composed sequence reminiscent of the colored diamonds on Harlequin’s costume. Though they are different hues, the gems are united by tone: Each one was matched to the same delicate lightness to give a sense of harmony.
The kicker is that Jacob & Co. will make just one example. The pièce unique is priced at $693,000.
