At Watches & Wonders, Jacob & Co is celebrating their 10th anniversary of the Astronomia collection with a lightning-fast take on a horological wonder
A decade ago, Jacob & Co debuted the Astronomia Tourbillon. The model was marked by a unique dial display with a domed sapphire crystal revealing an architectural movement with an otherworldly planetary system. Since then, the Astronomia collection has retained its roots through numerous iterations with themes including skulls, casino games, The Godfather, and many others. Now, on the 10th anniversary of this wild collection, the watchmaker’s technical prowess is on full display with an all-new calibre in the Astronomia Régulateur.
The regulator is one of the most classic complications in watchmaking, notable for its unusual, separate display of the hours, minutes, and seconds in three different locations on the dial. As the name suggests, regulators are historically known for their accuracy and were used by other watchmakers to “regulate” their work. For its latest addition to the Astronomia collection, the brand provides a revolutionised interpretation of the regulator in a way that’s distinctly Jacob & Co.
At the heart of the Astronomia Régulateur, Jacob & Co. debuts an all-new movement: the JCAM56. This exceptional calibre spurs from the brand’s years of work in the realm of rotating, vertical, tourbillon movements. We’ve seen this work on display in the Astronomia collection with a movement built like a carousel, featuring several satellites revolving around a central axis as well as rotating on their own axis, with each arm bearing a complication. The rotation speed of that central axis was initially set at 20 minutes. Then, in 2023, Jacob & Co. released the Astronomia Revolution, whose rotation speed accelerated to just 60 seconds, setting the movement into a wild horological dance.
Now, the new calibre JCAM56 builds on the technology of the JCAM48B found in the Astronomia Revolution, offering the same impressive 60-second rotation. Here, you have three arms: one is a flying tourbillon, itself making one rotation per minute, and the other two arms are dedicated to the time display. If those time-telling dials were fixed, they would be unreadable most of the time, but the Astronomia Régulateur uses a differential system to keep those dials vertically aligned for easy reading. Beneath all this, the seconds are displayed by a long golden hand that points to a large, domed, blue, and translucent ring bearing the seconds scale.
The calibre JCAM56 is showcased in all its glory thanks to the collection’s signature case design featuring large panes of sapphire around the case band. As if this wasn’t impressive enough, the calibre JCAM56 is also the slimmest Astronomia-type movement Jacob & Co. has produced to date.
Jacob & Co. unveils the Astronomia Régulateur today ahead of Watches & Wonders in a limited run of just 250 pieces, each priced at US$280,000.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
