My last appointment at Baselworld 2018 was also one of the more memorable ones. Not necessarily because I found my next watch there, but because of the over the top, out of this universe watches that Jacob & Co. always produces. Whether you like the brand or not, in recent years they have been pushing the boundaries of style, taste, and horology. And for that I am a curious and cautious fan.
I first heard of Jacob in the lyrics of Kanye West's "All falls down" from his first album and perhaps his best: "The college dropout."
"Cause f*ck it, I went to Jacob with 25 thou
Before I had a house and I'd do it again"
In there you can hear Kanye rap about going to Jacob as an admission of a problem with spending and covering up insecurities with accessories. And more recently Jacob & Co. was again in the news after the sell of the so-called "Billionaire watch". An $18M baguette diamond full pavée tourbillon watch that champion boxer and lavish spender Floyd Mayweather purchased.
So what did Jacob & Co. have to show me that I started this review admitting that I was a cautious fan? Well, as much as this is the brand defining "ghetto fabulous" and the lavish lifestyle, they have also, in recent years, produced interesting timepieces that a watch aficionados would at a minimum admire for their complications and careful execution.
The first model I want to discuss is the bonkers double tourbillon Twin Turbo Furious watch. This is a 52 mm carbon fiber watch that packs more complications than most Richard Mille. For starters, there are two triple axis tourbillons inclined and rotating at different speeds. They are located on the bottom of the dial which gives a full view of the rotating whirlwinds as soon as you bring the watch to eye level.
Second, there is a mono-pusher chronograph that includes what Jacob calls reference time at 6 o'clock settable via the crown. This allows you to mark the start of the chronograph to better measure longer elapse time from reference time. And as if this was not enough, the watch also includes a minute repeater. The lever at nine o'clock will trigger the chimes. And this is not your classical minute repeater as this is a decimal repeater that is arguably easier to interpret since the chimes count the time as you would read it from the dial. The twin furious watch is limited to 25 exemplars and will cost you a cool $1/2M.
Since the first release of the Astronomia tourbillon watch in 2014, Jacob & Co. has produced a constant stream of variations of the truly incredible and unique watch. For those not familiar with the Astronomia, simply said, it is like a hockey puck in clear sapphire displaying the stupendous flying rotating tourbillon around the dial. This is a unique movement to Jacob & Co, co-develop with Swiss firm Studio 7h38. To give symmetry, most Astronomia watches also includes a small rendition of the earth as well as sometimes a round diamond that represents the sun or the moon. The whole thing is quite charming and glorious, if rather large and in your face while on the wrist.
For 2018 the Astronomia comes with more variations. Most similar to what was done in the past including various motifs on the watch dials, e.g., poker table and night sky. There is also a lavishly decorated version in red rubies. But perhaps the most unexpected is one that could give a heart attack to any arachnophobes. On the dial is a accurate rendition of a tarantula spider complete with creepy hair on legs and all. The critter is rendered complete and stands over the Astronomia's movement while not impeding the various rotating parts and view of the dial. Clearly a great joke and prank for millionaires. The Astronomia watches start at around $500,000 and go up to over $1M.
The final watch that the folks from Jacob showed me is the most restrained and perhaps most useful. This Jacob unique take on the world-timer complication watch is oddly-shaped, but includes an interesting retro-styled worldwide flipping indicators for the time in various cities around the world. By turning the crown at 11 o'clock the wearer can flip the prominent digital indicator at 12 o'clock to display names of cities around the world with the current hour next to the name. While not a new watch, the current rendition with blue text on DLC black metal is new. The Jacob & Co. Epic SF 24 Racing is limited to 101 pieces and starts at $100,000.
While clearly not for everyone, Jacob & Co. continues to deliver contemporary over the top watches with cool movements. Some of their watches are needlessly blinged out, but I guess Jacob has to deliver the goods to his clientele. While difficult for the average watch buyer to comprehend, these extravagance sell well to Jacob customers.
Unlike you and I who might appreciate the movement in the Twin Furious watch for instance, Jacob's mainstream customers area really looking for a statement timepiece. Adding diamonds and rubies is the cheap way to achieve this, which Jacob delivers in spades. And that Jacob & Co. is also adding a complicated movement stacked with features is the cherry on top.
Before passing judgement, I'd caution the interested watch geek to dress in your fanciest outfit (or most hip hop fabulous) and visit the new store in New York city to see these watches in person. I can't promise you'll fall in love, but I can say that, like me, chances are you might come out with a new appreciation for the brand and an understanding of their horological chops. jacobandco.com
One of the winners in the 2019 GPHG awards in the first week of November was a two year old upstart watch brand from Kuala Lumpur named MING Watches. The young brand won best watch in the Challenge category at the Geneva show to the delight of its founder and watch aficionados who have regularly helped sell out the brand’s 11 prior releases since its debut of the 17.01 watch.
MING watches are not limited per we but are produced in small batches of a few hundreds, which in effect make them limited. A quick perusal to their web site shows that all models, except for the two new 2019 models have sold out. Interestingly the new models are also priced much higher than the previous ones. However, before getting ahead of ourselves, how does one go about seeing or trying on a MING watch?