Jacob Arabo, founder and Chairman of Jacob & Co., has a flair for showmanship and extravagance. One of his creations was one of the most sensational watches presented at this year’s Geneva Watch Week. It’s only $20 million! Meet the Jacob & Co. Billionaire Timeless Treasure in yellow diamonds.
Colored diamonds are even more rare than colorless diamonds. The yellow color is caused by the presence of traces of nitrogen within their carbon structure. It took Jacob and his team three and a half years to collect 425 stones in the perfect color (fancy yellow and fancy intense yellow) and size to create another uniform look.
The Jacob & Co Billionaire Timeless Treasure required time-consuming craftsmanship and gem-setting. The rough diamonds weighing 880 carats were meticulously cut down to 216.89 carats. The goal is to create a one-of-a-kind mosaic in which each stone plays a specific role. Their Asscher-cutting process was an added challenge. The characteristic square shape with inclining corners necessitates 57 facets and much larger roughs than the typical brilliant cut.
“We’ve browsed the entire world for three and a half years in search of an unprecedented number of perfect gems,” says CEO Benjamin Arabov. “We’ve gathered them here, in our Geneva headquarters, where each one was scrutinized at the rough stage, at the cut stage, before and after setting. The incredible work done by our gem setters happened entirely here, in Geneva. We’ve combined our expertise in high jewelry with our skills in high watchmaking and used our drive to achieve what has never been done before. So we’ve created a unique piece that outshines every other high jewelry timepiece in opulence, exclusivity, and diamond quality.”
The gems that surround the movement on the flange must meet certain criteria. They must be longer and thinner in order to fit into the inner ring that links the case to the movement. Jacob &Co. used 76 tsavorite gems because it was impossible to preserve color intensity with yellow diamonds of such dimensions.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – JACOB & CO BILLIONAIRE TIMELESS TREASURE
- Case: 52.2mm x 43.5mm x 12mm – yellow gold – 46 Asscher-cut yellow diamonds (~ 55.15 ct.), crown set with one rose-cut yellow diamond (0.57 ct.) – sapphire crystal with antireflective coating – back sapphire crystal – water resistant to 30m
- Dial: flange set with 76 kite-cut and emerald-cut tsavorites (3.59 ct.)
- Movement: skeletonized tourbillon calibre JCAM39 with manual winding – 40mm x 31.60mm x 5.70mm – 3Hz frequency – 72-hour power reserve – 19 jewels – hours, minutes, one-minute tourbillon – 57 baguette cut diamonds
- Bracelet: yellow gold bracelet and folding buckle – set with 378 Asscher-cut Yellow Diamonds (~ 159.62 ct.)
- Jewellery: 482 fancy yellow and fancy intense yellow diamonds: ~ 216.89 ct. 76 Tsavorites : ~3.59 ct.
- Availability: Unique Piece
- Price: USD 20,000,000
