Luxury watchmaker Jacob & Co, known for its refined and one-of-a-kind timepieces, has just expanded its Astronomical Tourbillon Art Collection with another watch commemorating Moscow. The company also announced that it is willing to "make custom watches for all the major cities in the world." Just like the Moscow timepieces, these are one-of-a-kind pieces to ensure that no two clients have the exact same watch, even if they are inspired by the same city.
If the Astronomia Moscow Tourbillon is any indication of what you can expect, prepare to be completely blown away. It features 3D versions of four of the Russian capital's most iconic buildings (St. Basil's Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Bolshoi Theatre, and the Ukrainian Hotel), all hand-carved and hand-painted on a beautiful aventurine base in a 50mm case. The case is made of 18-karat rose gold with a unique domed sapphire and double anti-reflective treatment.
The hand-wound movement consists of 384 components and features a double-axis tourbillon. Another standout feature is a unique diamond sphere weighing 1 carat with 288 facets - it rotates every 60 seconds. Another globe on the same axis is made of lacquered blue magnesium and looks like the Earth. This watch comes with a dark blue alligator leather strap and an 18-karat rose gold folding clasp.
Jacob & Co. Astronomia Triple Axis Gravitational Tourbillon Jacob & Co. Astronomia Triple Axis Gravitational Tourbillon is a replica luxury watches with a stunning panorama of the starry sky and a three-axis tourbillon. In 2014, the brand presented the Astronomia Tourbillon model, equipped with a three-axis tourbillon. This year, it was decided to add a three-dimensional sidereal time indication to the astronomical watch ensemble, with a star chart and a day / night indicator next to it. The Astronomia Sky dial, made in the form of a firmament, makes a full revolution in an interval equal to a sidereal year (a sidereal year is the time during which the Earth makes a complete revolution around the Sun relative to the stars). In fact, the "sky" itself is made of grade 5 blue titanium, and for the sake of completeness it is decorated with 18-carat white gold stars and hand-engraved zodiac signs.
An indicator is located directly under the dial, which is a map of the starry sky of the Northern Hemisphere. This sub-dial completes a full revolution in a time interval equal to a sidereal day (the time during which the Earth makes 1 revolution around its own axis is approximately 23.560916 hours).
The dial is closed by a glass hemisphere, under which the four-axis modular design can be seen in detail. In the center of the structure is a hand-engraved lacquered titanium globe. The ball revolves around its own axis under the protection of a tinted sapphire crystal dome, symbolizing the change of day and night. Ball rotation speed - 1 full revolution every 20 minutes.
The modular structure itself rotates at the same speed, at one end of which there is a three-axis tourbillon. The speed of rotation of the tourbillon along different axes is as follows: 60 seconds around the first axis, 5 minutes around the second and 20 minutes around the third.
The upper part of this cosmic composition is occupied by a small dial with hour and minute indication. Thanks to the differential system, the hour indexes are always vertically positioned, which makes it possible to accurately read the hour readings in the clockwise direction that is familiar to the user.
The third "satellite" of the Earth in the unusual watch ensemble is the orbital seconds indicator - an openwork titanium wheel that makes a full revolution around its axis in 60 seconds. The fourth companion is an orange "Jacob Cut" sapphire, sparkling with 288 facets, which also makes a full revolution around its axis in 60 seconds, around the dial in 20 minutes, respectively.
This miracle of micromechanics can be controlled by special rings installed on the back of the watch. The first ring is used to set the time and day / night indicator, the second is used to operate the mechanism. You can adjust sidereal time and correct the appearance of the starry sky map using the gears, which are also located on the back of the model.
The hand-wound in-house caliber JCAM11 is responsible for the well-coordinated operation of all functions in this watch. The movement with a diameter of 40 mm consists of 395 titanium parts, assembled on 42 jewels and operates with a balance frequency of 21,600 A / h, with a 60-hour power reserve.
The Astronomia Sky case is made of 18k rose gold and measures 47 mm in diameter. On the front side, the case is closed with a domed sapphire crystal. The case back is also made of rose gold. The case water resistance is 30 meters. The watch is proposed to be worn on an alligator leather strap with a pink gold folding clasp.