Yes, you read that right: Jacob & Co and Bugatti have just dropped a watch and car with the same name! Trust me, it makes sense when you hear about it.
You know how much of a fan I am of haute horlogerie. I’m confident I’ve gushed about the crazy world of MB&F more times than I can possibly count. However, I have regrettably been ignoring one company whose creations rival theirs, Jacob & Co., due to prejudice more than anything else. A very vocal crowd of dissidents seeks to actively undermine the achievements of the jewellery company, but it’s hard not to marvel at the technological mastery on display with each and every new release.
Entering the industry in 2002, jeweller Jacob Arabo would eventually carve a legacy for himself in the pantheon of high-level watchmaking. He, alongside other pioneers like Richard Mille, Hublot and Roger Dubuis, found themselves constructing some of the most radical and rebellious timepieces in history. Combining the finesse of traditional methods with Jacob & Co.’s unlimited sense of imagination, he would release his first piece, the Quenttin in 2007, equipped with a vertical tourbillon and a world record-shattering 31-day power reserve.
Twelve years and many insane creations later, Jacob & Co. would sign a deal with Bugatti Automobiles. This was a match made in heaven – Bugatti is reputable for its focus on extreme artistry, technical performance, and ruthless engineering, and Jacob & Co. is the same. The only difference, however, is the size of the parts that they work with.
In 2022, Bugatti quietly disclosed to Jacob & Co. about their plans to create a successor to the already popular Bugatti Chiron. This year, their experimentation in the hyper-car space has paid off, prompting them to both release a new car and the watch to match: The Bugatti Tourbillon.
“Working closely with Bugatti is an exciting experience. I live to push watchmaking to new levels, coming up with designs and complications that no one had even dreamed about. Bugatti is the same. They push everything beyond what everyone thinks is the limit. The Bugatti Tourbillon is our most advanced timepiece, the great achievement of a great partnership.” – Jacob Arabo, Jacob & Co. Founder and Chairman
Never before have the extremes of the automotive and the watchmaking industry have come this close, nor have they complemented each other with such extreme levels of accuracy. Different in industry but twins in artistry and engineering, the hyper-watch draws exactly ten elements from the hyper-car as inspiration for the watch: Everything, from the front grille to the side radiator inlets, the windows, the dashboard, and even the control knobs, is mimicked by the wristwatch.
Perhaps the most spectacular feature of all is the sapphire automaton in the centre of the watch, imitating the famous V16 engine of the Bugatti Tourbillon. Powered by a pusher within the crown, the JCAM55 manual-wind movement – which beats at 3Hz (21,600vph) on a 48-hour power reserve – drives a single axis crankshaft to power all sixteen titanium pistons. The automaton sequence, lasting 20 seconds, is a sight to behold, and remains one of the most delicate complications in all watchmaking history. That’s not to say that this is all just smoke and mirrors, however, as the three sub-dials all contain their own feats of engineering: a 30-second tourbillon, retrograde minutes and hours mimicking the rev and speedometer, and a power reserve designed in the style of the Bugatti Tourbillon’s fuel gauge.
Final Thoughts:
This has got to be one of the most insane watches I have ever covered for WatchAdvice. Those aforementioned vocal dissidents oftentimes claim that Jacob & Co.’s creations are something out of a horror movie and that what they do is borderline blasphemy to the industry. But how so?
These Bugatti Tourbillon timepieces are some of the very few examples of horology with absolutely no strings attached. It has the same merit as someone climbing up Mount Everest, or freediving as deep as humanly possible, or seeing if someone can run 100m in nine seconds. None of these have any practical merits, but they’ve all been done because we, as humans, want to see if we can.
Jacob & Co. could have stayed in their jewellery lane. They didn’t have to be so passionate about horology – nobody asked them to be a part of the industry. But they joined for the same reason we did: For the passion and for the emotion. Even if it’s not attainable by 99% of us, it’s still amazing to see how this level of watchmaking persists in the modern day, and much like a Bugatti hyper-car, it’s not designed to just tell you the time or get you from A to B. It’s designed to make you feel.
Reference: BU300.21.AA.AA.A
Specification:
- Case Size: 42mm case diameter x 44mm lug-to-lug x 15mm thickness
- Case Material: Black DLC titanium
- Dial: Blue/Skeleton
- Movement: Manual Wind JCAM55 movement with retrograde hours/minutes, 30-second tourbillon, & 20-second sapphire V16 engine block automaton
- Power Reserve: Approx. 48 hours
- Water Resistance: 3m (3bar)
- Strap/Bracelet: Quick-change black rubber with black DLC titanium deployment clasp
