The Astronomia collection is synonymous with Jacob & Co. It was the watch that put the brand on the map some 12 years ago, thanks to its highly animated orbital movement, whose rotating arms carry an off-centre time display, a multi-axis flying tourbillon and, in many versions, decorative elements inspired by the solar system.

Over the past decade, the Astronomia has evolved along two distinct paths. The first saw the collection become increasingly elaborate, with ever more kinetic elements added to the dial. The second has taken the opposite approach: simplifying the design while advancing the mechanics.

That second direction culminates in the Astronomia Régulateur, which has come a long way from the original. Gone are the orbiting planets and other decorative flourishes. In their place is a minimalist display with separate hour, minute and seconds indications, each revolving around the dial. It is the cleanest expression of the Astronomia to date, yet also its most technically advanced, as the movement reveals.

Regulator style meets an orbiting movement

It’s hard to imagine an Astronomia without celestial elements, but here it is. The Astronomia Régulateur represents the brand’s effort to distill the collection down to its essence: an orbiting tourbillon movement housed in a more wearable 43 mm case, the smallest in the collection to date.

As its name suggests, the Régulateur takes inspiration from the regulator clocks once found in traditional watchmaking workshops. Designed as precision references, they displayed the hours, minutes and seconds on separate dials for maximum legibility. Jacob’s interpretation follows the same principle of separating the three indications. Instead of remaining static, however, they continuously orbit the dial.

The hours and minutes are each displayed on a translucent sub-dial mounted on a three-arm carrier, with the third arm occupied by a double-axis flying tourbillon. The seconds indication is even more dramatic, taking the form of a disc that spans almost the entire diameter of the case beneath the carrier.

What makes the Régulateur especially captivating is the choreography of its moving elements. The carrier bearing the hours, minutes and tourbillon completes one full revolution every minute  – the fastest ever on an Astronomia. By comparison, the original Astronomia of 12 years ago required 20 minutes to complete a revolution, making this 20 times faster. While the carrier rotates clockwise, the large seconds disc turns in the opposite direction, creating an ever-changing display that is impressive in motion.

High-speed remontoir within the tourbillon

What appears to be a simpler concept actually demands far more mechanical innovation. The Astronomia Régulateur’s rotating displays move at unprecedented speed, requiring considerably more energy than previous Astronomia models. To power the movement, Jacob & Co. equips the watch with twin mainspring barrels. The downside, however, is that the resulting torque is too great to be delivered directly to the escapement. The solution is a remontoir d’égalité.

Unlike a conventional remontoir that charges and releases once every second, the Astronomia Régulateur’s remontoir operates six times per second, matching the movement’s frequency of 3 Hz, or six beats per second. By replenishing and releasing energy with every beat, it delivers a precisely metered amount of torque to the escapement, improving the consistency of the balance’s amplitude despite fluctuations in mainspring torque. It is an extraordinarily fast implementation of a remontoir and one of the defining technical achievements of the watch.

Nor does the engineering stop there. Despite orbiting continuously around the dial, the hour and minute displays always remain perfectly upright thanks to a differential mechanism that constantly compensates for their rotation.

A minimalist palette

When the Astronomia Régulateur debuted, it was offered in vibrant blue, green and red versions. Now, Jacob & Co. has taken the concept to its logical conclusion with an understated black dial. Paired with the rose gold case, it may well be the collection’s most striking execution yet.

The case remains wearable at 43 mm in diameter, with its largely sapphire construction preserving the signature transparency of the Astronomia. At 18 mm thick, it is still a substantial watch, but notably slimmer than earlier Astronomia models, which measured around 25 mm in height. The reduction represents a significant improvement in wearability while retaining the dramatic architecture that defines the collection.

Tech Specs: Jacob & Co. Astronomia Régulateur 

Movement: JCAM56; manual-winding; 28 hours power reserve; 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz)
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and tourbillon
Case: 43 mm x 18 mm; 18k rose gold; water resistant to 30 m
Strap: Alligator leather strap with 18k rose gold folding buckle
Limited edition: 18 pieces

Find out more at Jacob & Co.