The Astronomia is the epitome of 21st century ultra-high-end watchmaking and a globally recognized symbol of Jacob & Co watchmaking expertise. A world-first both in the boldness of its unprecedented concept and its entirely mechanical construction, the Astronomia has gone beyond impressive horological achievements and has been regarded as an outstanding multidisciplinary engineering achievement.
The Jacob & Co. Astronomia Meteorite Triangle connects Astronomia with its extraterrestrial inspirations as much as with Jacob & Co’s unique gem-setting know-how. It is a cinematic sculpture animated by its four-arm movement construction that rotates and floats through the sapphire and diamond-bound space inside its spectacular case. A grand total of 383 triangle-cut white diamonds adorn the case, lugs and dial, as though this piece unique Astronomia has transformed throughout its travels in space, like a meteorite that has turned into a precious diamond as it entered our planet’s atmosphere.
Full of unparalleled watchmaking solutions and adorned with exceptional finishing techniques, the Astronomia Meteorite has earned its reputation as an inimitable icon in the field of haute horlogerie.
The four arms of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Meteorite Triangle carry the triple-axis tourbillon timekeeping organ of the watch, the magnesium globe in hand-painted blue for a spectacular representation of Planet Earth, the exclusive Jacob-Cut 1-carat spherical blue sapphire with 288 facets, and the differential-leveled, skeletonized time display. This four-arm assembly completes a rotation around the center of the watch and over a spectacular backdrop in 10 minutes. Another astounding feature of the Astronomia Meteorite is how each pair of opposing arms are perfectly calculated counterweights of one another – a testament to peerless materials engineering and watch movement design. By having equal weights on these opposing arms, its axles are relieved from strain or increased pull, as the movement takes up different orientations in space.
Whereas the tourbillon was originally invented to be a single-axis, rotating cage to carry the regulating organ of a mechanical pocket watch for improved timekeeping performance, the Astronomia Tourbillon brings this 224-year-old invention to breathtaking levels of modern refinement and complexity.
The triple-axis tourbillon of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Meteorite Triangle is at the forefront of ultra-high-end watchmaking: its delicately decorated cage encapsulates the balance wheel, hairspring, escape wheel and a number of other crucially important components. Characterized by this openworked cage, this constellation of superbly finished components rotates on three axes simultaneously. Following its hand-assembly and specialized fine-tuning procedures, the JCAM18 keeps accurate time throughout its 60-hour power reserve.
A full rotation on the 1st axis takes exactly 60 seconds, as a nod towards the traditional single-axis tourbillon. The 2nd axis of rotation requires 2.5 minutes to complete, while the 3rd axis of rotation is made possible by the 10-minute, four-arm rotating platform of the Astronomia Meteorite. This makes for a bold new look at how tourbillons can function, when engineered with cutting-edge, ultra-modern technologies and timeless horological heritage in mind.