In 1986, Jacob Arabo founded Jacob & CO. Over the course of these thirty-five years, he built a name, a brand and a clear association between those and the notion of extremely high jewelry and innovative watchmaking. And more often than not, of innovative watchmaking with an extremely lavish jewelry interpretation. After having opened dozens of points of sale and boutiques in New York, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Miami and the latest in Geneva’s famed Rue du Rhône, he chose his son Benjamin Arabov as CEO and decided to focus on his favorite aspect of running his brand: the creative side.
Jacob the Watch Creator
There is a common misconception about Mr. Arabo Sr. He may be known as Jacob the Jeweler, but in actuality, he has become Jacob the Watch Creator. The company he devised started as a jewelry specialist, with a knack for the upper echelons of high jewelry and exceptional gems. Yet he quickly delved into watches. And in the late 00’s, the brand shifted and made a stronger focus on timepieces, which now represent a larger part of its creative process than ever, and larger than anyone imagines. A substantial number of those are made to order and bespoke.
Unique Take
The last ten years of Jacob & Co.’s history bear the mark of an uninterrupted stream of revolutionary complicated timepieces. They turned the company towards watches as its main means of expression. This in turn reveals that, however jewelry-focused the brand is, its true calling is to create the extraordinary. And partly thanks to partnerships with Bugatti, Warner Bros and world-acclaimed franchises such as The Godfather, to go where no one else has gone before. And these places are named Twin Turbo Fast & Furious. Billionaire. Godfather. Brilliant. Caviar. Epic X and Epic SF24. The Mystery. Chiron. And a very long string of Astronomia. Each in their own way, these collections represent a unique take on what a watch is. How it looks. What it does. And most of all, how it stands out in a crowd.
The latest Gotham City, Jean Bugatti or Epic X Tourbillon Chronograph bear witness to Jacob & Co.’s versatility, dedication and drive.
Higher
Tourbillons. Flying tourbillons. Dual-axis tourbillons. Triple-axis tourbillons. Tourbillons rotating on carousels. Dual tourbillons, either side by side or back to back. Minute repeaters. Decimal minute repeaters. Carillons. Worldtimers. Chronographs. Automata featuring oil pumps, engine pistons, erotic scenes, musical movements. There is an obsessive momentum in the mastering and releasing of complications, covered in extensive and skillfully executed arrays of diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Yet, high jewelry complications do not sum up the craft practiced by Jacob & Co. What does, though, is the fact that they relentlessly push the envelope of watchmaking, leaving their mark on a territory no one would have imagined to be theirs only ten years ago. The latest Batman, Jean Bugatti or Epic X Tourbillon Chronograph bear witness to their versatility, dedication and drive.
Jean Bugatti Tourbillon Chronograph Staggering, yet classical
There’s a rich history at Bugatti, and a major heritage that’s shaped the course of automobile racing and manufacturing. Jacob & Co. chose to delve into that side of the partnership. Enter the Jean Bugatti Tourbillon Chronograph. Jean Bugatti was Ettore Bugatti’s son and heir. A technician, a driver, an engineer, a designer, he is the one behind the development of such automobile legends as the 57SC Atalante. So the Jean Bugatti by Jacob & Co. is a classical watch. At least it looks like one, with a tame polished case, mushroom-pushers, short lugs and a round shape that’s rather unusual at Jacob & Co.
The dial looks like the dashboard of an Atalante. Its concentric hands feel like an rpm counter. Its two sub-counters like oil and temperature gauges. In actuality, they’re two tourbillons, featuring the EB logo as cage design. The hands in the middle are not the ones telling time. Those are shifted to the dial’s outside rim. One is for the 5Hz chronograph seconds units, the other for the tens of seconds. And they’re both retrograde. When a full minute has elapsed, they jump back, like in a car changing gears, and the digital minute counter at 6 o’clock jumps ahead. It is an understatement to say that there is no other watch like the Jean Bugatti by any measure.
Gotham City The Dark Knight timepiece
Jacob & Co.’s latest timepiece may be the result of a partnership with a legendary popular icon, but this collab with Warner Bros. and DC Comics is no ordinary piece. Even within an admittedly fantastic lineup, this 45.5mm watch stands out. The Gotham City draws inspiration from a character that means something to Jacob & Co. as a company, and to many of its clients. He’s structured on the duality between a handsome, charismatic bilionaire philanthropist and his rogue side, both working different angles to achieve justice. Among the many types of Batman that have been created over the course of 83 years, Jacob & Co. chose a darker version, as illustrated at the back of the watch. The latter has been designed as an extension of the Justice League member toolkit, a set of instruments that make up for superpowers he doesn’t really need anyway. The 45.5mm case is made out of stealth, black titanium. The twin triple-axis tourbillons feature titanium cages shaped like his grapple hook. The lugs take after his suit’s angular, bullet-proof panels. The bat-shaped bridge on the mainplate looks like his bat-shuriken. The crown is a Batmobile tire. And of course, the dial is the ubiquitous, world famous symbol of justice, doled out at night, when no one sees it coming, or going.
Bugatti Chiron Watchmaking at 300 mph
The partnership sealed between Jacob & Co. and Bugatti opened the door to a new type of watches. The Bugatti Chiron is all a partnership timepiece can be. Its case takes a faithful inspiration from the eponymous hypercar design: the grille, the windows, the general body shape, the exhaust pipes… even its movement is shaped like an engine. It features a 30°-inclined tourbillon upfront, twin turbochargers on the side for the power reserve and an actual motor in the form of an automaton. This replica of the car’s W16 engine block is carved into transparent sapphire. And it is fully functional, with 16 pistons moving up and down. The last feature that makes this collection akin to the car is personalization. The highly exclusive nature of the Chiron collection makes it the perfect tool to address the bespoke wishes of a particular class of customers. Each timepiece can be made to order to fit the drivers’ requirements, from color to material to gem-setting. Some examples include a full transparent sapphire case while others are set with up to 435 baguette gemstones. The surprising versatility in this model’s executions, from white ceramic to gold cases set with baguette-cut rubies, is a testament to Jacob & Co.’s appeal and ability to understand demand.
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