At 13 years old, while still living in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Jacob Arabov (now known as Jacob Arabo or “Jacob the Jeweler”) received a Wakmann double time zone watch from his father, Nison Arabov. This heirloom, which remains in the family’s possession, not only serves as inspiration for Jacob & Co‘s newest release but, according to Jacob Arabo, it’s also the watch that “opened the world and the world of watchmaking” and “started it all.” And “all” refers to the success of Jacob & Co., his eponymous label that gained popularity in the 1990s as the go-to diamond jewelry source for hip-hop’s biggest names and transitioned to also making watches with the debut of the Five Time Zone watch. From that first Five Time Zone piece to this new Jacob & Co. “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone watch, the evolution of the company’s watches has clearly been dramatic — yet all of Jacob & Co.’s creations owe something to that Wakmann bestowed by a father to his son.
Like most Jacob & Co. watches, the “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone is generous in its dimensions. The watch’s case measures 43mm in diameter, 14mm thick, and is fashioned from 18k rose gold. To give as much space as possible to that dial, the watch’s stepped bezel was kept as thin as possible. Beneath the highly domed sapphire crystal sits a dial that’s just as dramatically curved. In fact, there’s a 3.7mm difference between the dial’s lowest and highest points. The center of the lacquered blue dial represents the Atlantic Ocean flanked by the various continents, which are stamped and finished with rose gold relief. The detailing of the landmass topography is impressive, complete with mountains and depressions, made all the more realistic thanks to the dial’s curvature. As expected, water resistance isn’t a priority for a watch like this but it is rated to 30 meters.
Similar to the Wakmann watch that inspired this piece, there are two subdials on the new Jacob & Co. Dual Time Zone, one at 12 o’clock with Roman numerals and one at 6 o’clock with Arabic numerals. Each time zone can be set using the crown, down to the minute. This is an important consideration for certain locations with less common 30-minute or 45-minute UTC time offsets. The shared small seconds counter is at the center of the dial, featuring an oscillating compass rose with a red tip to indicate the seconds.
To create the dial of “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone, the continent outlines are first carved into a domed brass plate with a high-precision laser and then stamped using a purpose-built mold. Following that, the trio of subdials are carved into the dial plate and the whole piece is given a galvanic treatment to cover in rose gold. The bodies of water are lacquered blue by hand and finally, the numerals and minute tracks are gold-stamped onto the lacquer.
Powering the watch is the brand-new Caliber JCAA11 automatic movement, which operates at a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour and supplies the watch with 42 hours of power reserve. As mentioned, the functions of the caliber include double timezones with independent hours and minutes and a central small seconds indicator. The movement sits under a solid rose gold caseback, laser-engraved with the rest of the world map that isn’t shown on the dial. Finishing off the look of the watch is a blue alligator strap, equipped with a 18k rose gold pin buckle.
This is the first timepiece of the newly minted The World Is Yours collection, which, according to the brand, is the name Jacob and his son Benjamin chose to pay tribute to Nison, the family’s patriarch. As such, expect other pieces to join the collection soon, which will no doubt carry on the lavish nature of this inaugural piece. The new Jacob & Co “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone watch is limited to 999 pieces and is priced at $57,000 USD. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.