Jacob & Co Astronomia Black Solar Zodiac Adds Another Spin On A Classic
Rotating solar system background builds on the already complex original.
Jacob & Co‘s Astronomia Solar Zodiac receives its biggest design overhaul since the audacious horological creation first dropped in 2014.
Under a vast sapphire crystal dome, the Astronomia Solar Zodiac Black features the design’s telltale rotating three-arm carousel serving as a mount for a 60-second flying tourbillon, 60-second rotating rose gold, and blue lacquered globe, and three other hand-painted planets as well as a self-orientating dial for hours and minutes. The whole assembly completes a single clockwise rotation every 10 minutes.
But unlike previous versions (Conor McGregor recently showed off a new $1m diamond-set Astronomia) the background, here formed from black aventurine glass and set with a semi-precious solar system of planets, also rotates, completing a single, 360-degree rotation in the opposite direction at the same rate.
At the center of the arrangement is a 2k Jacob-cut yellow citrine, with its 288-facets forming an almost perfect sphere representing the sun.
The planets are formed from cabochon-cut semi-precious stone half spheres: white Granite from Mercury, Rhodonite for Venue, Red Jasper for Mars, Pietersite for Jupiter, Tiger Eye for Saturn with 18k rose gold rings, blue Calcite for Uranus, and Lapis Lazuli for Neptune.
The impressive mechanism is housed inside a 44mm black DLC-coated titanium case with sapphire crystal windows. Only 18 pieces will be made priced at $320,000 USD.
In other watch news, Greubel Forsey has produced its smallest watch so far, the Balancier Contemporain Red Gold.
