zelin0802 / December 21, 2022

Jacob Arabo won with his original design of the Astronomia watch. The Astronomia Tourbillon is a watch to wear with pride, a watch that stands out on the wrist, and a watch that needs – how shall I put it – a certain personality.

There are so many things that set Jacob & Co. Astronomia watches apart from others. First up is the case, which isn’t much of a case by the standards of other watches, at least not in terms of its precious metal content. Because the Astronomia is all about transparency and fully revealing the inner workings of the Tri-Axis Tourbillon. Precious metal therefore plays a greater structural role, as the lugs, caseback and slender bezel act as the frame for the massive domed sapphire crystal. The Jacob & Co. Astronomia does not have a dial in the traditional sense. The caseback, on the other side, features a variety of finishes from mirror polished to starry sky. You also won’t find the crown on the side of the Astronomia case. The watch is wound and set using the two bows on the back.

The key to the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon‘s appeal is the hand-wound movement beating beneath the sapphire crystal. It is a three-axis gravity tourbillon consisting of four independent arms that rotate around a central axis. In the countless watches in the Jacob & Co. Astronomia collection, each of these four arms has two constants: the three-axis tourbillon movement itself and the hour and minute subdials. Other arms may hold miniature models of Earth, gemstones representing the sun, moon or many other planets, or even astronauts.

The tourbillon itself is worth a close inspection, as there are very few other triple-axis tourbillon watches of this type on the market. The tourbillon has three axes of rotation (hence the name triaxial): the first is usually 60 seconds around its own central axis, which controls the minutes, and the second is the axis of its arm, which revolves around it every two revolutions Rotate once for half a minute, and the third is the central axis, which rotates around the central axis every 10 minutes.

The name Jacob & Co. Astronomia is of course a celestial reference, and the four arms and different axes of rotation allow for different interpretations of our universe, where the time display itself plays almost a secondary role. In its simplest expression, the two arms hold a magnesium sphere at one end and a special Jacob-cut diamond at the other, representing the sun. In the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Solar Watch, others use diamonds and other gemstones to depict other planets in the solar system.

However, these highly complicated mechanical watches wouldn’t be real Jacob & Co. watches if it weren’t for the magical touch of renowned jeweler Jacob & Co. All the different Astronomia Tourbillon models are available in dazzling gem-set versions in which baguette diamonds play a starring role alongside the famous Jacob-cut diamonds. Baguette diamonds may be set on the lugs, across the case and throughout the watch background.

But beyond gold and diamonds, Astronomia has another quintessentially Jacob aspect, in the form of playful models inspired by gambling and the animal world. We see Jacob & Co. Astronomia tourbillons called “Gambler” and “Casino,” both of which are based on a wheel (for the latter watch, it even works), as well as “Dragon,” the “Octopus” and “Spider”.