Jacob & Co. has long built its reputation on creating watches that feel more like miniature stages than simple timepieces. Over the years, the brand has unveiled pieces inspired by everything from Bugatti hypercars and collaborations with Tom Brady to Scarface and even working oil derricks. Dragons have been a recurring theme in this universe, and for 2025, the brand returns to the mythical creature with the Astronomia Solar Dragon. The watch takes the oversized fantasy of earlier dragon models and reshapes it into a format that is still bold but slightly more wearable.
The case measures 44mm across and 21mm thick, which makes it smaller than the hulking 50mm Astronomia Dragons of the past. Available in 18k rose gold or black DLC-coated titanium, the case is capped with a domed double curved sapphire crystal and surrounded by a sapphire caseband that reveals the movement and the dragon sculpture from every angle. Water resistance is rated to 30 meters, which is symbolic more than practical, but protection is not the main purpose here.
At the center of the stage sits a dragon sculpted from three solid pieces of 18k rose gold. Each sculpture is engraved and polished by hand with careful attention to scales, claws, and flowing details. The process takes about two weeks before the creature is painted by hand over the course of an additional week. Depending on the edition, the dragon either appears in shimmering rose gold with painted highlights or in a dramatic black DLC-coated form coiled tightly around the movement. The sculpture hovers just half a millimeter from the mechanical arms, creating a striking tension between art and engineering.
The calibre JCAM42 that drives the Astronomia Solar Dragon is a manual winding movement made up of 296 components, many of them in lightweight titanium. Unlike earlier Astronomia calibres that rotated as a whole, this one remains static to preserve the sculptural display. Three arms radiate from the center, holding a one minute flying tourbillon, a skeletonized off-center time display, and a rotating magnesium Earth globe that makes one revolution per minute. Rising above the scene is the Jacob-cut gemstone with 288 facets serving as the visual anchor. Yellow stones are set in the rose gold models, while the titanium versions use red or unique gemstone colors, depending on the reference.
Both editions are fitted to alligator leather straps with matching buckles in rose gold or DLC titanium. Production is highly limited, with only a handful of pieces being made across the two metals. The DLC titanium version is limited to just 36 examples and priced at $420,000, placing it among the most extravagant dragon-themed watches ever created. On the other hand, the rose gold variant is limited to just four pieces, while the price is upon request.
