When you’re a watch collector on the level of Jay-Z—with access to just about every significant off-the-shelf, customized, and otherwise virtually unobtainable watch known to man—where do you turn to get something truly new?
Why, to Jacob & Co, of course! Founded by Jacob Arabo in New York City in 1986, the company quickly gained a following in hip-hop circles, with none other than Notorious B.I.G. christening Arabo as “Jacob The Jeweler.” With his diamond-laden creations, Arabo largely invented the idea of the “iced-out” timepiece that has become so ubiquitous today.
But it’s not only diamonds for which Jacob & Co. gained an expansive following. Case in point: The Bugatti Tourbillon, as seen on Hov’s wrist last week at Fanatics Fest in New York City. Inspired by the supercar of the same name, the Tourbillon—which was released earlier this year—is an impressive feat of complicated watchmaking, housed in an avant-garde case that gives it the aspect of an accessory dating to a hundred years in the future: Measuring 52mm by 44mm in black PVD-coated titanium, it features no fewer than four different sapphire crystals on the front and three on the back.
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Courtesy of Jacob & Co.
The hand-wound, 557-part JCAM55 movement, meanwhile, powers a plethora of functions: At the heart of the watch is a V16 engine block automation beneath a transparent sapphire enclosure, while to its upper left is a 30-second flying tourbillon. (Read: The engine pistons actually “fire” when activated. We highly recommend checking out this video to see it in action.) Primary timekeeping is displayed via an off-centered, jumping retrograde hours display topped by a retrograde minutes display, while to the right of this is a dual-power reserve display with indications for the single-axis movement as well as the automaton. (Power reserve for the movement is 48 hours, in case you were curious.)
Any one of these complications alone would be cause for a watch collector to turn their head in interest—to include all of them on one watch is a serious feat of haute horlogerie. Which is probably why the Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon is limited to 150 pieces at a sticker price of $340,000. Sound like a lot? Think of it this way: If you’re gonna snag yourself an allocation of the Bugatti Tourbillon vehicle for $4.6M, you may as well throw in the watch for good measure.
Wild as the Tourbillon is, however, it’s far from Jay-Z’s only mind-boggling watch: His Caviar Tourbillon World Timer, also from Jacob & Co, hammered for $1.5M at auction last year, raising plenty o’ moolah for the Reform Alliance. Beyond Jacob & Co’s shimmering wares, the musician and executive also owns incredible pieces from Richard Mille (check out this masterfully designed RM47), Audemars Piguet (in skeletonized perpetual calendar form), and—this writer’s favorite—a highly customized Rolex-Datejust-turned-perpetual-calendar put together by none other than Franck Muller.
Can anyone top this man’s collection? If so, we haven’t seen the evidence.
