Jacob & Co. is known today for having created some of the most visually and conceptually spectacular watches in the world where mechanics and entertainment are folded one into the other. Examples like the Astronomia, Twin Turbo Furious, Oil Pump automaton, and Jean Bugatti Tourbillon Chronograph are just about as outrageous yet intellectually rewarding as one can get. In Singapore, Sincere Haute Horlogerie is well known as a specialist retailer in this type of wildly visionary complications, so it makes sense that you can find Jacob & Co. in their showcases. So how did the rapper-beloved jeweler become a high-concept watchmaker? Its trajectory and path to prominence in watchmaking can in fact be charted by its multi time zone watches.

It all began two decades ago at the height of its success, having hacked a path to stardom by attending to a clientele that was largely overlooked by the jewelry and luxury business – hip-hop artists. Jacob’s name was a recurring motif in the verses of countless rap anthems, and his jewelry became the key to the hip-hop kingdom’s gates. But as hip-hop permeated pop culture, Jacob & Co.’s jewelry ultimately transcended its rap origins, establishing itself as an integral part of mainstream celebrity culture. For Jacob Arabo, the brand’s visionary founder, the next step was venturing into the world of watchmaking.

In 2002, the brand unveiled the diamond-encrusted Five Time Zone watch which was inspired by a dual-time watch that was gifted to him by his father at the age of 13. The Five Time Zone was a round watch with a sub-dial that was demarcated in a primary colour at each corner of the dial, along with central hands, enabling it to display five time zones at once. Its ubiquity in celebrity culture defied exaggeration; it graced the wrists of hip-hop’s impresarios, from Jay-Z to Busta Rhymes, as well as style icons like Nigo of Bathing Ape, David Beckham, and even Leonardo DiCaprio in its heyday.

What intrigues, however, is that beneath the whirlwind of success, the timepiece remained, like a piece of jewelry, rather accessory-like in nature, driven by a quartz movement. This was later rectified in 2006 in the H24 Time Zone Automatic, a mechanical version that would mark the start of the jeweler’s journey down the horological rabbit hole

The next multi time zone watch would already be a world apart, evolving in mechanical sophistication to the point of being remarkably original. It was the Epic SF24 in 2013, a dual time watch that displayed the first time zone on the main dial and the second time zone, along with the city name on split flaps that recalled digital flip clocks of the 80s. Developed by Luca Soprana, a fourth generation watchmaker and the founder of complication specialist Studio 7h38, the movement’s unusual split flaps are mounted on notches within and between a series of wheels arranged perpendicular to the main dial. Each set of wheels carries a set of 24 flaps and the flipping action is facilitated by a spring such that each flap is rotated by 180 degrees when the wheels are rotated by 15 degrees. These wheels are linked to the motion works by a reduction gear train where the motion of the hour wheel, which completes a rotation in 12 hours, is transferred through a gear train to drive two other wheels such that they complete one full rotation in 24 hours.

Thus, when the user sets the time on the main dial using the crown at four o’clock, the gear train drives the shutters to indicate the time at a selected city. However, if the user wishes to change the city to display another time zone, this is achieved by pressing the pusher next to the city name. The set of wheels associated with the cities then drives the second set of wheels dedicated to the corresponding time display. In many ways, the Epic SF24 embodied an unconventional, maximalist approach to complications that the brand has grown increasingly renowned for over the years.

The next time Jacob & Co. introduced a multi time zone function it would be in a grand complication, the Astronomia Maestro Worldtime Tourbillon Repeater Carillon in 2021. By then, Jacob & Co. had created what is arguably its most conceptually singular, visually striking, and undeniably beautiful line of watches – the Astronomia. In fact, no contemporary watchmaker produces overload with as much beauty or technical appeal. Under a massive domed crystal, a four-arm carrier supporting a variety of complications rotates above the dial, enabling the three-dimensional movement to be fully admired. Its ingenious construction was developed by Luca Soprana and produced by Le Cercle des Horlogers. Apart from the barrel, the winding and setting mechanism, everything is positioned above the dial.

In the Astronomia Maestro Worldtime Tourbillon Repeater Carillon, the time display has been moved to the center of the dial. The four-arm carrier performs a rotation in just 10 minutes and supports a triple-axis tourbillon, a miniature sculpture of an astronaut, a Jacob-cut 1-carat diamond representing the moon and an oversized magnesium globe of the earth serving as the worldtime complication. Hand-painted in blue, the globe completes a rotation in 24 hours and the position of the continents can be intuitively cross-reference with the single hour marker at 12 o’clock. The backdrop for the whole show is aventurine that is hand-painted with a Milky Way galaxy.

The watch is also a carillon repeater, which is characterized by three gongs and three hammers instead of two. The hours are signaled by a low tone, the minutes a high tone while the quarters are sounded by a sequence of three tones. Additionally, the gongs are cathedral gongs which are nearly twice the length of conventional gongs, producing a richer, deeper sound with a longer reverberation. The three gongs in the Astronomia Maestro elegantly spiral upwards over the base plate can viewed from the side of the case. The strike train is partially exposed on the aventurine dial. Located between the hammers is the repeating barrel that powers the strike train, the speed of which is regulated by a flywheel governor visible at eight o’clock.

This year Jacob & Co. unveiled the “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone Watch that pays homage to his father Nison Arabov, and the timepiece he presented to Jacob in the late 1970s. The watch was a Wakmann that bore an engraved, gold-plated world map on its dial. It was particularly distinctive because Jacob’s family resided in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which, at the time was subject to strict limitations and censorship concerning depictions and visual representations of the West. The watch also seemed as if it was his father’s way of encouraging Jacob to set out and conquer the world. The story and the recreation of the dual time watch are evocative because conquered he did.

Naturally, the “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone is mechanically and materially more sophisticated. The original dual time Wakmann was powered by two independent ETA movements, each dedicated to a different time zone display at nine and six o’clock. The “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone, on the other hand, is driven by an ETA base movement that is topped by proprietary dual time module developed by ETA for Jacob & Co. In addition to the dual time sub-dials at six and nine o’clock, there is also a small seconds sub-dial in the center. The small seconds hand takes the shape of a wind rose with four arms, one of which is highlighted in red to serve as an indicator.

The case is rendered in rose gold and measures 43 mm, which falls in line with Jacob & Co.’s approach of go-big-or-go-home when it comes to watch design. But the expansive dial has been put to good use; if a watch is going to exceed the sacred 38mm, it might as well offer the world. The dial base, made of brass, was stamped with a steep dome, which has been laser-engraved with the outlines of the continents. Additionally, their depressions are formed through stamping with the use of a precision mold, resulting in a realistic depiction of the topography on the continents. Flanking the sub-dials are the Americas on the left and Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia on the right. The map continues onto the solid case back that has also been laser-engraved in relief. All the sub-dials are carved in relief on the dial and are decorated with a sunray finish. The entire dial then undergoes a galvanic treatment that coats it in rose gold. Subsequently, the oceans are painted with blue lacquer, creating a striking contrast.

Both sub-dials are adjusted via the crown. A major upside to such a display mechanism compared to a regular GMT watch is its ability to independently adjust the minutes for both time zones. In other words, it is one of the few travel watches that can accommodate countries with unique 30-minute and 45-minute time offsets like India, Nepal, and Venezuela.

While every multi-time zone watch is an invitation to voyage, this one is woven with the extraordinary journey of Jacob the Jeweler – a story of his remarkable ascent from humble beginnings in Tashkent to the grandeur of both a renowned jeweler and watchmaker. But whichever way the Dual Time Zone appeals to you – the literal, symbolic, or abstract sense – it sure is stunning.

 

Jacob and Co. timepieces are available exclusively at Sincere Fine Watches boutique at Takashimaya S.C., #01-12, and SHH (Sincere Haute Horlogerie) boutique at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, #B2M-202.