ReviewLuck By Chance: The Jacob & Co Casino Tourbillon

Picture this: had the Bulgarian couple trying to flee Europe in Casablanca (1942) come in possession of a Jacob & Co Casino Tourbillon, it’s possible that we wouldn’t have seen the iconic scene wherein the wife, when asked about her husband’s whereabouts, hesitantly replied, “At the roulette table, trying to win enough for our exit visas.” A roulette-themed watch then could have fuelled their American dream, its sale paying not only for their exit visas, but also for a lot more. Games of probability such as roulette are anxiety-inducing but a rare stroke of luck makes it all worth it. For a seasoned player, however, who finds the experience thrilling and addictive, owning a Casino Tourbillon then—their very own functional ‘mini roulette’—will give them the rare pleasure of playing the game when they cannot access a casino and online gaming doesn’t offer the same adrenaline rush.

Wrist Roulette With The Casino Tourbillon

The Casino Tourbillon is the no-frills, more wearable version of the initial Astronomia Casino version by Jacob & Co, whose opulent dial had the roulette wheel as the base, topped with a rotating double-axis tourbillon, revealing the watch’s balance wheel, escape wheel, hairspring, along with the proprietary Jacob-cut diamond and magnesium, lacquered globe. In comparison, the Casino Tourbillon dial only retains the wheeltrack with 37 craved and lacquered pockets, consisting of one green ‘0’ slot and numbers ranging from 1 to 36 in alternating black and red hues. The flange is ‘mirror polished’ to resemble the same space on the real roulette wheel. This version also moves the tourbillon to the caseback, positioned at six o’clock.

Cradled within the 44mm polished 18-karat rose gold case like a thick chapter ring is the miniature roulette wheel, equipped to handle bets cast on single numbers, odds, or evens, double, adjoining numbers, corners, one section of the betting board, and black versus red hues, via by a tiny white ceramic ball. To ‘set the ball rolling’, use a push button at eight o’clock, attached to crescent-shaped crown guard. The wheel will start spinning, and the ball will start bouncing, thanks to the sloped flange with diamond-shaped deflectors. It finally stops spinning, with the ball hopefully settling on the number you had set your mind on.

Parts of a roulette wheel in relief on three appliques fitted with screws occupy the rest of the caseback surface

The miniature roulette wheel is cradled within the 44mm polished 18K rose gold case

At the centre, is the raised black onyx dial with gold indices and pair of hands filled with white Super-LumiNova. This timekeeping podium is brought as close as possible to the antireflective domed sapphire crystal glass to prevent the roulette ball from hitting the hands or getting stuck between the crystal and the dial. The overall height of the case is 16.3mm.

The raised black onyx dial with gold indices and pair of hands is filled with white Super-LumiNova

To ‘set the ball rolling’, use a push button at eight o’clock, attached to crescent-shaped crown guard

On The Other Side Of The Casino Tourbillon

Ensuring the game works and the watch is always set to the right time is the inhouse calibre JCAM51, offering upto 72 hours of power reserve when manually wound to operate the flip-up key/bow on the left. Use the right flip-up key to set the time. This 286-component calibre beats at 21,600vph. There’s a partial view of this movement through the caseback, via the flying tourbillon escapement, decorated with roulette wheel slots with the brand name engraved on the tourbillon cage. Parts of a roulette wheel in relief on three appliques fitted with screws occupy the rest of the caseback surface. Ably securing the ‘portable roulette game’ onto your wrist is a thick black alligator leather strap attached to an 18-karat rose gold deployant buckle.

The Jacob & Co Casino Tourbillon is proof of the soaring technological advancement in the watch industry, through its dual nature of showing time and offering entertainment on the go. No harm in dreaming big, especially for those rare occasions when the ball settles on the single number you’d mentally bet your bet on, and then get to imagine walking away with 35 times the money.