JACOB & CO.’s Masterpieces Comes to Taiwan with Cortina Watch

JACOB & CO., one of the most sought-after luxury timepiece and jewellery house for watch collectors worldwide, finally entered the Taiwanese market with Cortina Watch in March of this year. Fans in Taiwan now have the opportunity to appreciate JACOB & CO.’s most iconic and innovative complications like the Epic SF24, the Astronomia Casino, the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, and the Opera Godfather Musical Tourbillon.

To welcome the official launch of JACOB & CO. in Taiwan, Cortina Watch is holding the “JACOB & CO. Unique Masterpiece Exhibition”, which will be held from March 15 to May 15 at the Cortina Watch Hotel Royal Nikko Taipei Boutique.

A Jewelry Designer’s American Dream

The success behind JACOB & CO. can be said to be the epitome of the “American Dream”. Jacob Arabo, the founder and chairman of the brand, was born in Uzbekistan and moved to the United States with his family at the age of 14. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to be a jewelry apprentice, and started his own jewelry workshop at the age of 21 in 1986.

At that time, the U.S. was undergoing a renaissance of popular culture and chic fashion, and Jacob Arabo’s bold and innovative designs attracted many celebrities, including Madonna, Rihanna, and Elton John, who all became his friends and loyal clients. JACOB & CO. was also the first brand to pioneer luxury jewelry for men in the 1990s.

Jacob Arabo dreamed of becoming a horologist since he was a child, and received his first world time timepiece from his father when he was 13 years old. He also worked part-time as a watchmaker’s assistant in his early career. Finally, Jacob Arabo realized his dream and created his first Five Time Zone timepiece in 2002, which became an instant hit in world fashion thanks to its innovative design and creativity. He then provided customized services to many celebrities, including Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who is also a collector of JACOB & CO. timepieces.

Inspired by the Impossible

In 2006, JACOB & CO. established a watchmaking workshop in Geneva, Switzerland. In the same year, the brand boldly challenged the technical design of a super complication and successfully launched the Quenttin Tourbillon, which not only features the industry’s first vertical tourbillon, but also has a refreshing cylinder-type time display, and a series of 7 spring barrels to achieve a long power reserve of 31 days, setting a record for the longest power of a mechanical watch, successfully marking a new milestone for JACOB & CO.

JACOB & CO., from New York, USA, stands in stark contrast to the established conventions of the Swiss watchmaking industry. Without the baggage of history, JACOB & CO. possesses the courage to innovate and challenge new concepts and creative complications that are considered impossible by the traditional watch industry. JACOB & CO.’s brand spirit “Inspired by the Impossible” perfectly encapsulates the secret of JACOB & CO.’s rise to the pinnacles of the watchmaking industry.

Epic SF24

In 2013, JACOB & CO. launched the Epic SF24, which is inspired by old-time split-flap boards in airports and train stations, and adds a wheel-shaped second time zone display at the 12 o’clock position of the case. Every press of the button integrated into the left-hand side of the Split-Flap extension turns it to the next city name- and, along with it, also advances the Arabic hour display by one.

It is a practical and convenient timepiece during your travels around the world, and the unprecedented world time zone display imbues JACOB & CO.’s signature playful take on timekeeping.

Astronomia Casino

The Astronomia is the embodiment of 21st-century ultra-high-end watchmaking and a globally recognized symbol of Jacob & Co watchmaking expertise. With its groundbreaking complications, not only features an outstanding triple-axis tourbillon, but also a minute-by-minute movement of the chronograph dial, and a minute-by-minute vertical rotation of the Earth and the Moon around each other.

The watch is like shrinking a miniature universe of movements into a tiny space, combining the two concepts of a multi-axis tourbillon and planet in one. What’s more, the Jacob Cut, the brand’s iconic one-carat spherical diamond cut, is a fitting testament to the brand’s mastery of jewelry craftsmanship.

The success of the Astronomia tourbillon collection has led many traditional watch collectors to take an interest in the brand. The series subsequently saw the launch of the Astronomia Sky, featuring a lacquered hand-engraved titanium globe, the Astronomia Solar Planets, featuring the seven planets of the solar system, the Astronomia Maestro, which comes with a minute repeater carillon for timekeeping function and the Astronomia Casino, which features a fully-operational miniature roulette wheel beneath the watch’s sapphire crystal dome case.

By pressing the button at the 7 o’clock position on the case, the cylinder can be activated to start the game, adding more fun and inventive ways of engaging with this creative and complex function watch.

The same concept is extended to the Fleurs de Jardin tourbillon watch, with a flying tourbillon transformed into a fluttering butterfly, accompanied by eleven colorful flowers set with colored stones and a 0.81-carat Jacob Cut tsavorite in the center, together with a mother-of-pearl time disc, creating a vivid sky garden scene one the wrists.

Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon

While the collaboration between watch brands and supercar brands is nothing new, turning a whole watch into a super engine is not something that ordinary watch brands can claim to master.

The partnership between JACOB & CO. and Bugatti started back in 2020 and has since released two super complication timepieces, the Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti Edition with two triple-axis tourbillons, and the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon under the same name of supercar. The case is inspired by the flowing lines of the Chiron and the movement reproduces the 16-cylinder piston compression mechanism and shock absorption system of the W16 engine, perfectly combining mechanical movement and supercar design, as if shrinking the Bugatti Chiron and wearing it on your hand. The watch caused a sensation among car and watch enthusiasts alike upon its launch.

Opera Godfather

In addition to visual creativity, JACOB & CO. also brings the auditory senses to the forefront, with the Opera series featuring a triple-axis gravitational tourbillon and a pair of uniquely crafted cylinders that can play up to 30 seconds of music. The Godfather is one of the most popular pieces in the Opera Collection.

For Jacob Arabo, ‘’The Godfather’’ was the first movie he saw after immigrating to the United States at the age of 14, and the background of the Italian immigrant family resonated with his own life experience. After Jacob Arabo’s active negotiations, he finally obtained the license from Paramount Pictures, which is also the first crossbranding collaboration between Paramount Pictures and the watch industry.

The movement of this Opera Godfather watch comprises 664 parts, including a triple-axis tourbillon that rotates in 72-second, 8-second, and 24-second cycles from the outside in. Underneath the two sets of miniature pianos, there is a 30- tooth comb that can play up to 120 notes and 30 seconds of The Godfather theme song.

In the center of the dial is a miniature sculpture of Marlon Brando, which is like a recreation of a classic scene from the movie, flowing along with the familiar melody. The creativity and the watchmaking craftsmanship are truly awe-inspiring.

The “JACOB & CO. Unique Masterpiece Exhibition” features a number of iconic masterpieces from the brand. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to appreciate masterpieces of horology in person by making an appointment now.

Exhibition：JACOB & CO. Unique Masterpiece Exhibition
Date：15^th March－15^th May 2023
Venue：Cortina Watch Hotel Royal Nikko Taipei Boutique (No.37-1, Sec.2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Taipei, Taiwan)
Reservation call：(02)2563-3538