This is most likely the ultimate tribute timepiece, a watch that contains a movie. The Opera Godfather 50th Anniversary is not a metaphor watch, or a nod, or an item that entertains a loose relation to its original subject. It is an actual application of its graphic, acoustic and historic elements into a watch. It's a solid piece of storytelling whose literal and symbolic dimensions are ubiquitous.
Usually, a tribute piece, or a partnership piece include one, two, a few traits from its partner. The shape of a rotor, a name on a dial, a color theme... With a little effort, an actual link can emerge that bonds the watch with its subjects design, look or even functionalities. In the case of the Opera Godfather 50th Anniversary, the connection is much much deeper that all that.
In any Opera Godfather, let alone the 50th Anniversary edition, the flying, triple-axis tourbillon movement also contains a music box. Two sets of blades, activated by rollers, play The Godfather main theme. Meanwhile, the whole movement spins 120° on its central axis : the movie's music and Don Vito Corleone's dance with his daughter Connie, hand in hand. The crown has been replaced by a violin, another nod to the music. There are more details on the movement that allude to the movie. The most striking usually is a small figurine of Marlon Brando, sitting on his Don chair, wearing his tux. In this instance, it's been replaced by a red rose.
Since the movie is in the midst of celebrating the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob&Co. decided to celebrate that half-century milestone with a 50-piece limited series. And the Opera Godfather 50th Anniversary is pushing the envelope in several, major ways. The first one of those has been to turn the caseband into a movie reel. Using a femto-laser etching process that's been pushed to its limits, the brand has managed to engrave the white gold case with 13 images from the movie. 13 cult scenes in the same order as in the script. The rendering reaches an unheard of level of realism, vividness and relief. The gold is sculpted, colored by oxidation and polished thanks to the high power laser bursts. The brand indicates that the process of engraving one case requires 30 hours inside the laser engraving machine.
The second very specific feature of the Opera Godfather 50th Anniversary has to do with the picture's lines. Its has become a movie for the ages thanks to its incredible dialogs, written jointly by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, who wrote the movie's original book material. Jacob&Co. retained 13 of the most famous ones and has engraved them on the two rollers that power the music boxes. They contain pins driven in by hand in Ste Croix, the small village that owns most of the music box know-how. They're made of rose gold and engraved by the same process as the case.
In the center lies a rose. It's the same one Brando wears on his lapel and that originally comes from the book's cover. The latter is also printed on the pianos that cover the music box blades. And, oh, more more thing. The watch comes in a massive box, which also contains a crystal decanter and a special edition of The Godfather Pen, topped by another red rose. The Opera Godfather 50th Anniversary is pushing its cinematic dimension to the next level, including on the technical side. It's become a shrine dedicated to one of Hollywood's greatest movies.
