One of the most sensational watches exhibited at Baselworld 2018 was the creation of Jacob & Co.. The super-complex Twin Turbo Furious is a beast of a watch, with a crazy and surprisingly complex combination: dual high-speed three-axis tourbillon; decimal minute repeater; and a single-button chronograph with reference time indication! For some, it is a surprise to find that Baselworld’s most complicated watch is the work of “Jeweler Jacob”, and for others who have been following the brand, Twin Turbo Furious is a spectacular and incredibly complicated watch. The representative brand is capable of producing.

Super complicated Twin Turbo Furious

The reason behind the madness
Jacob Arabo, the founder and chairman of Jacob & Co., has a talent for acting. From his background and experience in photography and jewelry design, he formed a truly unique vision of watchmaking—to say the least—in terms of aesthetics and technology. There is no doubt that Jacob & Co. watches are top-notch spectacular works, and the design of these individual pieces may be polarized. But Jacob brought something unique and fascinating to the watch industry. This is especially true given the conservative strategies adopted by many watch brands in the past few years. You need people to risk beyond the mainstream.

Jacob Arabo, founder and chairman of Jacob & Co.

Jacob opened his jewelry company in New York in the 1980s and quickly gained a reputation as a celebrity. He started making watches in 2002 and was known for his diamond-encrusted men’s watches before setting foot in more technical fields. If you can combine technology with creativity, you can gain traction.

The first milestone recorded by this brand of mechanical watches was Quenttin in 2006. It was developed jointly with the BNB concept, which is a high-end mechanical movement expert created by Mr. Buttet, Navas and Barbasini. This innovative timepiece uses vertical movement and is equipped with a lateral tourbillon. It also comes with an impressive 31-day power reserve stored in seven barrels.

One of the main steps in the development of the company’s watch activities was the opening of the Swiss headquarters of Jacob & Co. in 2012. The brand now has two headquarters: one in New York specializing in jewelry, and the other in Geneva, the center of the Watch Valley, specializing in watchmaking. There, the brand developed its watches in the suburbs of Plan-les-Ouates. The assembly and final quality control of the watch are carried out in-house. fake Jacob & Co. also cooperates with several long-term Swiss partners.

Luca Soprana is the co-founder of Les Ateliers 7H38, a watch/movement design and development company located near Neuchâtel, and one of Jacob Arabo’s main partners in watch projects. Soprana developed Astronomia and Epic SF24 (see below). He also serves as a consultant for other projects. He told Monochrome, “Jacob knows what he wants. He is always looking for different aesthetics and prompts you to find new solutions. Every time we start a new development, it is never for safety. You must be prepared. Explore the boundaries of traditional mechanical watchmaking. Since the end of the Opus series, I cannot think of any creativity in the field of high-end mechanical watchmaking.”

Only one year after the physical opening in Switzerland, Jacob launched the Epic SF24, a unique travel watch that combines high technology, functionality and fun. The watch allows viewing of the time in 24 time zones displayed on separate flaps, reminiscent of a board once used in an airport or train station. The pushers on the side of the case roll in different cities one by one.

Epic SF24 Tourbillon version

In 2014, the launch of the first Astronomia caused a sensation on Baselworld. Astronomia presents the celestial bodies in a poetic way. Under the control of a three-axis tourbillon, the planets are in constant motion (including a 288-face Jacobian spherical diamond). One of the main technical challenges is to power mobile devices and perfect balance at the end of each of the four arms. It requires the use of ultra-light magnesium to make a globe that is opposite to a one-carat diamond. The tourbillon itself needs to be balanced. This mechanical miniature is protected by an impressively high domed sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating. Since then, several improved versions of Astronomia have come out, including Astronomia Tourbillon Clarity Octopus or Astronomia Sky, which adds a unique 3D star display under the four-arm mechanism.

Astronomia Sky debuted in 2016

The collection of watches created over the years is impressive. Among them, let us mention the opera godfather version, which includes a three-axis tourbillon, a music mechanism playing the godfather theme, and a miniature Don Vito Corleone in the center!