An Introduction To Jacob & Co. And Their Top 12 Watches (2024)

Watches from Jacob & Co. are true statement pieces that make a mark in more ways than one. The founder Jacob Arabo hails from a family, who moved to the United States from the former USSR, for a better life. In the early 80s in America, Arabo began designing for various jewellery labels and established himself in that sphere. Eventually, he channelled his talents and know-how in the field towards his own brand, dubbing it Jacob & Co. His bold design sensibility fast became known across circles, and the use of large jewels in pieces for men turned into his signature. It wasn’t long before well-known personalities from various walks of life began to take notice of his work and began to adopt that style. It’s no surprise then that Jacob & Co’s creations have been the choice of so many statement-making stars. Musicians Jay-Z, Drake, 50 Cent, Madonna, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, as well as sportspersons David Beckham (and Victoria Beckham), Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi are just a few of the brand’s well-known patrons from over the years.

From jewellery, watches were a natural progression for Arabo, who created his first watch in 2002. It was a five-time-zone watch that saw instant success with its bold colour palette and design. Five short years later, Arabo hit the international ‘capital of watches’, Geneva in Switzerland, establishing Jacob & Co SA. His first high-complication watch, the Quenttin, which was launched soon after that, boasted many firsts, and then there was no turning back. Every few years, the brand kept unveiling one outrageous piece after another. The famed Astronomia collection catapulted to success in the 2010s. And 2019 onwards, the brand got into various high-profile partnerships as well. There was Bugatti (for the Bugatti Twin Turbo watch), Paramount Pictures (for a Godfather-special watch), with NBC/Universal studios (for a Scarface-themed watch, and later for a Fast And Furious watch); and then with Warner Bros and DC, for a Batman-themed timepiece.

With each novelty, the brand’s creativity and bold character are really quite evident. And even with their simpler, more accessible, ‘everyday’ watches, they still manage to make a mark that sets them apart. Here are just a few of their timepieces that exemplify this and reflect their distinctive personality.

Astronomia Art India—The Canvas By Jacob & Co.

One of their Astronomia watches that make the splashiest of watchmaking statements is their Astronomia Tourbillon, which was first introduced in 2014. It reimagined the classic tourbillon complication in a vertical construction, presented with a constant turning of four satellites. This splashy statement piece soon became a canvas for various other works of art, with the Astronomia Art collection of watches that are practically showcases, made from sapphire crystal and precious metals. The subjects on display in the India edition of the Astronomia Art are the four hand-engraved miniatures of Indian landmarks. These hand-painted monuments are placed on a dial made from aventurine glass, which forms the base for the double-axis tourbillon mechanism as well. They are the Taj Mahal, the Lotus Temple, India Gate and the Qutub Minar. Each miniature is a product of countless hours of hand work. In addition to this, the watch includes a 288-facet ‘Jacob-cut’ diamond, which rotates once in 60 seconds, as one of the four satellites of the mechanism. Opposite the diamond is the blue-lacquered globe, made from magnesium, which also completes one rotation in a minute. Completing the four-way balance of the satellite is the main timekeeping dial, which is skeletonised with Roman numerals—hand-engraved and with black lacquer, and paired with blued hands, which are also hand-finished. This whole astounding moving work of art runs on a manual-winding calibre that offers a 60-hour power reserve. It comes housed in a generous 50mm ‘showcase’ in 18-karat rose gold and sapphire crystal.

Epic X—A Base For The Edgy And the Sporty

A far more pared-down Jacob, the Epic X may be stripped down to the basics of architectural construction, but it can’t exactly be called minimalistic. As edgy as it is in appearance, the Epic X really does celebrate a traditional form of watchmaking. The skeletonised watch is not simply about removing the excess material from a more conventional form; it also has a lot to do with ensuring the piece’s structural integrity despite stripping it down and increasing transparency. While the watch must still be robust, the movement also has to remain not just functional, but accurate and reliable as well. The manual-winding calibre JCAM01 is placed vertically, then skeletonised and finely finished to achieve all this. The watch doesn’t have a running seconds hand, so the transparency is particularly useful as it reveals if the parts that need to be moving are still moving, or if the piece needs winding. But with a 48-hour power reserve, you can rest assured that an alternate-day winding schedule should be sufficient. The watch comes in a 44mm case, in black DLC-treated grade-5 titanium, and it presents the imposing ‘X’ shape, seen through the sapphire crystal of the glass and caseback.

Epic X Chrono—The Sportiest Watch From Jacob & Co.

The Epic X template from Jacob, with claw-like lugs and two prominent visible bridges on either side of the movement, has been translated into this chronograph version. This 47mm sporty timepiece retains a skeletonised appearance, owing to the coloured mineral crystal of the dial, which reveals the column-wheel chronograph movement within.

This self-winding calibre JCAA05, which offers a power reserve of 48 hours runs the watch, including the chronograph and small seconds sub-dials presented in a bi-compax layout. An addition to the watch’s functionality is the inner rotating bezel that has a 60-minute timer that can be controlled with the push-down crown at 10 o’clock. Enhancing the view of it all is the antireflective sapphire crystal glass, which comes framed by a bezel in ceramic.

Other elements of the watch include rubber pushers and a screw-down crown, which helps keep the watch water-resistant to 200m. This is Jacob & Co’s sportiest watch, and is available in a variety of materials and colours.

Palatial Classic—The Classical Alternative From Jacob & Co.

From the sporty to the classical, here’s Jacob’s collection of dressier timepieces that offer a level of sophistication greater than their larger statement pieces, as well as their sportier Epic X watches. Reflecting codes of art deco design, these classic timepieces present finishing that is very nuanced, which lends them an understated yet refined appeal.

Palatial Classic Automatic

This automatic version of the Palatial Classic is powered by the self-winding calibre JCCA01, which offers a power reserve of 36 hours. It is equipped with a ‘Glucydur’ balance wheel—which offers far lower thermal expansion—and an anti-shock system. Set in a 42mm case in 18-karat rose gold, water-resistant to 50m, the watch is fitted with a sapphire crystal glass with antireflective treatment. The display comprises a guilloche dial in various colours (seen here in brown), an applied emblem and markers, and polished dauphine hands for the two-hand timekeeping. Each piece is individually numbered and comes affixed to an alligator leather strap with a solid rose gold buckle.

Palatial Classic Manual Big Date

This Palatial may come with a manual-winding movement, but it sure does offer a lot. The calibre JCCM01 offers a power reserve of 50 hours, which is indicated on the dial at six o’clock. And diametrically opposite that, at 12, is a big date display—one that is quite coveted. All this is laid out on a dial featuring a guilloche pattern, in various colours—seen here in hues of grey, gold and blue. Housed in a 42mm steel case, with a sapphire crystal glass, the watch comes with an alligator leather strap or steel bracelet, depending on the version.

Palatial Five Time Zone—A Pared-Down Avatar Of The First Jacob & Co. Watch

With GMT and world-timer watches being some of the most useful and most sought-after, this five-time-zone watch is definitely high on demand. While we may or may not travel across time zones, our correspondence with people in various zones has increased significantly in these past few years, and hence a timepiece that tells us the time in various zones at the same time is certainly a handy tool to have. This one here is a more recent rendition of Jacob Arabo’s first ever watch. It features two-hand central timekeeping, and four sub-dials with times in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Paris. But you can actually set any time zones of your choice on them. Featuring sword‐shaped hands and finely cut markers, the main dial is in black nickel, with a guilloche pattern; while the sub-dials are snailed and in ruthenium. Each of the five sets of timekeeping hands runs on its own Swiss quartz calibre—the ETA 280.002. To accommodate the multiple movements within, the steel case is generously sized at 45mm, topped by a rounded sapphire crystal glass with inner antireflective treatment. The closed, satin-finished caseback features a world map motif. It is engraved and lacquered. Water-resistant to 50m, the case comes affixed to a black alligator leather strap.

Brilliant—Presenting A Bejewelled, Vivid Spectrum

With an apt name, this sparkling and stunning piece is a modern, beautiful watch that spells glamour and exhibits Jacob & Co’s high jewellery prowess—including the sourcing of stones and gem-setting. Sized at 38mm, the steel case features a single row of 52 round-cut diamonds on the bezel, totalling about 1.3 carat. Even the crown has as many as 32 round diamonds, amounting to about 0.39 carat. Meanwhile, the white mother-of-pearl dial is set with 11 multi-coloured sapphires for hour markers (about 0.44 carat), and the centre of the dial is paved with 50 diamonds (0.66 carat). Housing a Swiss quartz ETA calibre 955.432, the steel case has a sapphire crystal glass and a satin-finished caseback. It comes fitted with an elegant satin strap.

Brilliant Mystery Pavé—As Resplendent As It Is Mysterious

The Brilliant Mystery Pave Diamonds is a triumph in novel displays that maintain the illusion of mystery and intrigue, even if the trick itself is easy to understand, and easy to explain. The black triangular hour and minute hands are suspended in panes of sapphire crystal, and appear to be floating in mid-air. Strategically concealed are the parts of these hands connected to the mechanism, which itself is hidden behind a central portion of the dial paved with diamonds. Housed in 18-karat rose gold, the Swiss quartz ETA calibre E01.701 does not connect with a regular time-setting crown, so as to maintain empty space between the central part of the watch housing the movement and the external frame of the case. Instead of the crown, there is a time corrector on the caseback. The 38mm case itself is set with 298 round white diamonds (about 6.5 carat), with the bezel also paved with diamonds (0.55 carat). The satin strap comes with an 18-karat rose gold buckle, which is also set with diamonds—about 0.48 carat. The total number of diamonds on this watch is a whopping 476 stones, amounting to 8.43 carat. Brilliant: check; Mystery: check; Pavé: check!