ReviewIn A Hot Minute: The Jacob & Co Astronomia Régulateur
The Jacob & Co Astronomia Régulateur casts a royal appearance with the classic blue-meets-gold combination, world’s first watch with vertical rotating movement that completes one rotation in one minute, and gravity-defying tourbillon plus sub-dials
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Jacob & Co have resorted to aesthetic kinetics with the Astronomia Régulateur trio of timepieces in blue, green and red hues. Looking magnificent with a 43mm case made from 18-karat rose gold and sapphire glass, the timepiece seamlessly blends the brand’s Astronomia heritage of ‘floating’ movement and 3D architecture with the concept of regulator watches. Inbuilt with an entirely new calibre JCAM56 and limited to 216 pieces (99 pieces each for the blue and green versions, and 18 pieces for the red), the Jacob & Co Astronomia Régulateur is touted as the world’s first watch to feature a vertical rotating movement that completes one full rotation in 60 seconds/one minute.
The Three-Armed Astronomia Régulateur
In traditional regulator watches, the three timekeeping elements—hours, minutes, and seconds—are non-coaxial; they display time from different points on the dial and have separate hands to indicate their role in telling time. The Jacob & Co Astronomia Régulateur illustrates this trait with three arms completing 60 seconds/one-minute rotations. Following the Jacob & Co Astronomia signature of gravity-defying tourbillons, one arm of the new Régulateur is the solitary double-axis flying tourbillon at the 12 o’clock hour marker.
The other two arms are the ‘floating’ sub-dials with Arabic markers; the minutes sub-dial at three o’clock sits, and the hour sub-dial at nine o’clock. Each of the arms/sub-dials also complete one-minute rotations. It’s the ring-shaped seconds scale with Arabic markers is the dial’s distinct quirk, occupying the usual spot of the minutes’ chapter ring. A slender 5N red gold dauphine hand sits intact, pointing to the seconds as the scale rotates counterclockwise within 60 seconds.
The Patented Jacob & Co Vertical Rotating Movement
The Astronomia Régulateur dial casts a royal appearance with the classic blue, green or red-meets-gold combination; sapphire glass forms the dial base with 18-karat rose gold serving as the dial highlights through timekeeping markers, 5N red gold dauphine hands, tourbillon framework, brand logo, and ‘Swiss made’ quality stamp. A large, domed translucent ring forms the seconds scale, and the two domed translucent blue sub-dials sit above it. Protecting these delicate timekeeping elements of the dial is a protective curved anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The case comes attached to openworked lugs that secure an alligator leather strap in matching tones with 18-karat rose gold deployment buckle to the wrist.
This timepiece runs on the brand’s thinnest Astronomia movement—the new vertically proportioned JCAM56 calibre—that comprises 552 components, beating at 21,600vph and offering upto 48 hours of power reserve. The régulateur works in tandem with the calibre JCAM56, ensuring it is upto accurate speed with inbuilt differentials and patented constant force device in the gear train that keep under control the amount of energy sent to the tourbillon. This hand wound movement is enclosed within the 43mm case measuring 18mm in height. The rose gold closed caseback equally captivates for its engraved information with separate chambers alluding to the winding rotors and two spaces for sub-dials
By marrying superior craftsmanship with precision in timekeeping, the fairly new Jacob & Co Astronomia Régulateur offers the right mix of colour with glint to create a royal aura.
Crazy pricing. At this price I could buy a luxury apartment in Mumbai, Delhi or even Dubai