It was back in 2014 when Jacob & Co. surprised the world of haute horlogerie by introducing the first Astronomia watch. Over the last 9 years, the American boutique watch and jewelry brand has constantly pushed the boundaries of horological engineering to create new jaw-dropping iterations of the extremely complicated timepiece. For 2023, Jacob & Co. has completely updated its flagship model which now features a new streamlined design along with a brand-new JCAM48B Calibre that has been designed to deliver “high speed, high accuracy, and high entertainment efficiency.” Behold the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Revolution which has been revealed ahead of Watches & Wonders 2023.
“We’ve been grooming the Astronomia movement for eight years now,” said CEO Benjamin Arabov. “It started at the already incredible speed (at the time) of one revolution every 20 minutes. It’s unique, unheard of, and not just an evolution of Astronomia. This piece has been reworked from the ground up. It required revolutionary mechanics, inventions, and what we at Jacob & Co. are driven by. Astronomia Revolution is ‘Inspired by the Impossible’, and we made it possible.”
Astronomia has always been inspired by the universe and different celestial bodies, which is a personal passion of Jacob Arabo, the Maison’s founder and chairman. The latest version is no different. The sculptural case measuring 47mm in diameter and 27mm thick features a highly domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. The three arms of the movement, each one bearing an advanced function, revolve smoothly around a central axis at a surprising speed. Astronomia started at one revolution every 20 minutes, which was cut down to 10 in the Astronomia Solar. Further innovation took that to 5 minutes. However, Astronomia Revolution has taken the concept to a whole new level with an ultra-fast 1-minute rotation.
Powering the watch is the new JCAM48B Calibre. The highly complex hand-wound movement ticks at 21,600 vibrations per hour with 36 hours of power reserve. The architectural movement floats over a plate covered with 18 5N rose gold honeycomb mirrors inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope. The Jacob & Co. Astronomia Revolution has been released in a limited edition of 18 pieces, 6 in rose gold, 6 in white gold, and 6 in black PVD-white gold, all retailing for $600,000. For more information, you can visit Jacob & Co.’s official website.
