Jacob & Co. introduces the Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon, the likes of which the world has never seen before. “This is the masterpiece of the Astronomia collection,” Jacob Arabo, founder of Jacob & Co., says. “I have always loved the Ilona Andrews quote, ‘If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons.’ I have been dreaming of creating the ultimate dragon to showcase with the Astronomia Flawless case, and we have now done it.”
The new Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon features a hand-engraved, hand-painted dragon winding its way around the spectacular Astronomia double-axis tourbillon movement. In a sense, when you look at the Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon, you don’t know where to look. The incredible dragon captivates, but so does the turning and spinning tourbillon, the revolving hand-painted magnesium globe, and the rotating 288-facet Jacob-cut diamond. In fact, the beauty of the artisanal dragon, with all its incredible detail, is reflected in the facets of the diamond as it turns.
The 360-degree sapphire crystal case of the Astronomia Flawless is a feat of engineering in and of itself, as the entire case is made of crystal-clear sapphire, putting the entire movement, and the Imperial Dragon sculpture, on display for all to see. All told, the production of the Flawless case requires almost 1,000 additional hours of work to create.
“Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes”
A Chinese phrase that means to put the finishing touches on something, “Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes” emphasizes the attention to detail paid during the creation of the 18K rose gold sculpture of the Imperial Dragon.
Encompassing nearly three full months of non-stop work, the sculptor painstakingly creates and casts the solid 18K rose gold dragon, then polishes and finishes the sculpture. The dragon is actually four pieces -- the head, the body, the tail, and the water below – which then have to be assembled together seamlessly. This is no mean feat as the gold dragon is extremely heavy and the screws fixing it together are tiny, and attention has to be paid not to mar the surface of the dragon while assembling it.
Then, the dragon moves on to the painter, who completes all the small details of the scales on the dragon, the teeth, the tongue, and yes, dots the eyes. So, skillfully engraved and painted, leaving enough gold for it to shine, the imperial dragon truly looks alive.
In China, dragons were reserved for the Emperors and represent power, prosperity, love and passion, and good luck. In fact, these legendary rulers were known as “Sons of the Dragon.” For many emperors, the dragons they used were often holding a pearl. In this case, the dragon represented authority while the pearl represented wisdom. In the Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon, the dragon is holding the magnesium blue-lacquered globe in one taloned claw and grasping a pearl (actually an 18K rose gold ball painted to look like a pearl) in the other, which doubles as the point of fixation for the sculpture within the monobloc sapphire crystal case.
The dragon is red because this is the most auspicious color, representing royalty and imperial power. Emperors very often wore red, the doors to their chambers were painted red, and they always wrote their decrees in red ink. So, red for the Imperial Dragon makes perfect sense.
An Artistic Tour de Force
Never before has there been a timepiece that combines high watchmaking with fine art as well as the Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon. And the Flawless case is the perfect gallery for the exposition of this unique sculpture – this way, it is always available for you to view, not locked away in some dusty museum.
The dragon wraps around the high watchmaking Astronomia movement, muscular and full of energy. The dragon’s body undulates around the watch like the Great Wall of China, protecting the movement from any harm that might befall it.
A spectacular piece at a spectacular price
You can have the one–of-a-kind Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon on your wrist for $1.5 million, a high complication timepiece with a fine art sculpture on display inside. The Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon is an amazing piece, perfectly suiting the motto of Jacob & Co., “Inspired by the Impossible.”
