Watchmaking is one of those things that straddles two completely different worlds. There is the world of traditional craft, of artisanal savoir-faire that dates back centuries and mechanical principles that underpin the entirety of horology. Then there is the world of material innovation, of creative reinvention, of cutting-edge concepts that involve words such as “metaverse” and “non-fungible tokens” (NFTs). In other words, watchmaking is one of those things that can represent both the past and the future at the same time — whilst existing firmly in the present.
The high-end watches of Jacob&Co. have always occupied this liminal space, confounding its critics and delighting its fans by its far-from-conventional interpretation of traditional watchmaking. Earlier this year, the brand launched an ambitious project, combining physical and digital products in a series of watches themed around the eight planets of the solar system. Sold on UNXD, the leading marketplace for luxury and culture related creations, the Astronomia Metaverso collection is open to purchase in cryptocurrency.
Making its official debut at Geneva Watch Days (GWD) 2022, the Jacob&Co. Astronomia Solar Bitcoin extends the path that the brand has blazed in the realm of cryptocurrency, highlighting Bitcoin — perhaps the most famous cryptocurrency of all and certainly the one that first brought this subject to mainstream attention.
A 44mm titanium case based on Jacob&Co.’s groundbreaking Astronomia collection is coated with high-tech diamond-like carbon (DLC), giving the watch a dark and sleek modernist appearance that also adds high durability and scratch resistance thanks to the physical properties of DLC. The movement baseplate is decorated with an applied gold motif that recalls the gold circuitry of a microchip. Surrounding the baseplate are phrases associated with the cryptocurrency movement such as “peer to peer” and “blockchain” — evoking the digital world that it physically represents. Mounted centrally is a sphere depicting the Earth, orbited by Jacob-cut stones (citrine and diamond), a miniature rocket, a rotating Bitcoin logo, and a flying tourbillon.
Although the idea of cryptocurrency may seem esoteric and foreign to our daily lives, the Astronomia Solar Bitcoin’s abstract mix of the physical and the conceptual is a good reminder that even the regular fiat money we use and spend on an everyday basis is something that you’d need a basic economics course to fully understand. The moral of the story being: you don’t always have to know how it works in order to use it!
Alongside the Astronomia Solar Bitcoin being shown at GWD 2022 by Jacob&Co. is another watch facing its official debut — the new take on the brand’s sporty Epic X. Being the watch that first signalled Jacob&Co.’s intentions towards the fine watchmaking sector back in 2015, it’s clear that an aesthetic and technical update (thus ensuring the continued longevity of this brand milestone) is well merited. A five-link bracelet, angular and graphic, premieres with the new Epic X, although the familiar honeycomb-perforated rubber strap is still available as an option. Showing the true range of the watch’s versatility, the new Epic X is released in steel, rose gold and black DLC.
