Above a certain price point, watches simply become status symbols and wrist toys for the wealthy. While people enjoy such creations for their mechanical ingenuity and artistic craftsmanship, the concept of practically could not be further removed from consideration. However, while luxury timepieces do not necessarily need to be practical items, they still need to be wearable (at least to some degree). For its latest novelty, presented this year at Geneva Watch Days 2024, Jacob & Co. has created a new generation of its conspicuously polarizing Oil Pump watch that features a new movement and a significantly more compact case profile.
While the underlying concept of the Jacob & Co. Oil Pump is inherently divisive, it also represents an incredibly self-aware offering from the brand. Aside from famous athletes and celebrities, the only people buying Jacob & Co. watches are mega-wealthy individuals with an appetite for flagrantly luxurious consumption. For anyone who has ever looked at one of the brand’s models and found themselves wondering what type of person actually purchases such a timepiece, the Jacob & Co. Oil Pump serves as your not-so-subtle answer. While a global reliance on fossil fuels may be slowly destroying our planet, the oil business is a multi-trillion-dollar industry, and the brand’s Oil Pump watch is ideally suited for the extravagantly affluent oil baron who wants to celebrate the source of their family’s generational wealth.
Compared to the frankly enormous 49.5mm case of the original Jacob & Co. Oil Pump watch, the new generation represents a significant reduction in size, although its 18k rose gold and sapphire case still measures a sizable 44mm in diameter. Additionally, the height of the watch has also seen a 20% reduction in size from 20mm down to 18mm in order to create a more ergonomic overall package. To help maintain a more slender profile, the Oil Pump features two fold-out crowns on its caseback (one for winding and the other for setting the time), while a button on the side of the case at 2 o’clock is used to activate the model’s signature drilling oil derrick automation. Water resistance for the new Jacob & Co. Oil Pump comes in at 30 meters to protect against incidental contact. Although a 44mm by 18mm watch is still a properly large timepiece, the reduction in proportions is significant, and it should promote a noticeably improved on-wrist experience.
The key to the new Jacob & Co. Oil Pump’s reduction in size is its redesigned movement, which takes the fundamental functionality of the original model and scales it down into a significantly more compact format (although the double-axis tourbillon has been updated to a single-axis flying tourbillon). Powering the new Oil Pump watch is the Jacob & Co. Caliber JCAM53 manual-wind movement, which consists of 450 individual components and runs at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. In addition to having its 60-second flying tourbillon mounted on the dial side of the watch, the Jacob & Co. Cal. JCAM53 also features the Oil Pump’s party-piece automation. When the pusher on the side of the case is pressed, the pair of oil derricks will begin drilling, with the mechanical performance lasting approximately 35 seconds.
Similar to the original, the dial of the new Jacob & Co. Oil Pump is a three-dimensional creation that places the various watch-related elements among tiny rose gold sculptures that depict an oil extraction scene. Due to its updated movement, the dial of the new Oil Pump watch has been reorganized compared to the previous generation. However, it still features many of the same elements, including the pair of drilling oil derricks, a pressure gauge-inspired power reserve indicator, and the tiny sculptures of oil tanks and pipelines that run between the various components of its display. Although the layout of the dial has changed, the most notable update is that the flying tourbillon is now mounted directly above the time-telling hands, rather than appearing within an aperture at the 6 o’clock location. Lastly, fitted to the skeletonized lugs of the new Jacob & Co. Oil Pump watch is a black alligator leather strap paired to a deployant clasp made from titanium and 18k rose gold.
All Jacob & Co. watches are objectively expensive creations, and any model that boldly celebrities the lucrative nature of the oil industry is virtually guaranteed to be far out of reach for the average person. Consequently, the new Jacob & Co. Oil Pump watch will be produced as a limited edition of 88 examples, and while its official retail price of $280,000 USD can easily buy you a house in many parts of the world, the Oil Pump is ultimately far from being one of the brand’s most expensive models. Given that the Jacob & Co. Oil Pump is a six-figure luxury timepiece specifically intended for ultra-wealthy oil tycoons, most individuals would assume that the model has a rather limited audience. However, it’s important to remember that the original version wasn’t only popular enough for the brand to create multiple different executions, but it was also clearly a big enough success to warrant the considerable investment required to develop a second generation of the model. For more information on the Jacob & Co. Oil Pump Watch, please visit the brand’s website.
