Jacob & Co. says it has broken the final frontier of watchmaking with its Astronomia Revolution 4th Dimension, which is regulated by the world’s first four-axis tourbillon and kept in constant motion by a high frequency constant force system.
To be precise, the Astronomia Revolution Four-Axis Tourbillon has a triple-axis flying tourbillon, but it is rotating at the end a two-arm carousel that rotating every 60 seconds; a fourth dimension, Jacob & Co. explains.
The dizzying speed of the tourbillon’s rotation at 9 o’clock, requires the control of a high frequency constant force mechanism to maintain 1,440 degrees of accuracy.
“Incredibly high rotation speeds of 60 seconds, 18 seconds, 15 seconds and 60 seconds for each axis for the Astronomia Revolution Four-Axis Tourbillon demonstrate that being “Inspired by the Impossible” makes the impossible come true,” the company suggests.
As ever, Jacob & Co. is combining horological advancement with a jeweller’s eye for design. The tourbillon sits to the left of a 47mm watch with a dial made from a mosaic of rose gold, mirror-polished, geometrical shapes.
As a talking point, Jacob & Co. has deviated from accepted norms of gem-cutting in its choice of shapes for the golden dial.
Each rose gold shard is cut in a unique way, with none of the shapes conforming to the usual shapes of diamonds and other gems.
And, with their table facing up and their culet facing down, the shapes are upside down compared to the way gems are set in finished jewellery. The overall effect is a jagged expanse of random angles and faces, like the front edge of a retreating glacier, that throw light in all directions.
Balancing the tourbillon is a two-hand subdial with the Jacob & Co. logo in red composite at 3 o’clock.
The horological work of art is housed in sapphire crystal, which gives a view from the top, bottom and sides of the watch, framed in 18ct rose gold. It is a limited edition of just 18 pieces.
The style of this Astronomia exhibition watch case was first seen ten years ago when it was introduced along with a specially-created movement by the brand’s founder Jacob Arabo. The original concept was to mimic the movement of stars and planets using his high jewellery skills.
This required a movement with a central vertical tower with four satellite arms rotating from it. In the original Astronomia, these arms carried three-dimensional depictions of the Earth and moon along with a tourbillon and subdial displaying the time.
The genius of the movement is that, not only do the four arms slowly circle, the mechanics also extend out to the end of the arm to drive the rotation of the planets and the timekeeping hands.
Over the course of a decade, Jacob & Co. has created 15 sub-collection under the Astronomia name, each of them featuring spinning planets, dancing light and fine jewellery flourishes. The watchmaker often includes light-hearted flourishes that have seen the movement used to power a mini roulette table or the interplay of characters including an octopus, a phoenix, tigers, pandas and several dragons.
There have also been some stunning collaborations, including with street artist Alec Monopoly, king of K-pop G-Dragon.
Astronomia through the ages
