Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXI

9 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Jacob & Co. – Astronomia Sky J acob Arabo, the founder and chief executive of Jacob &Co., is a man with limitless imagination and a tremendous desire to push the boundaries of possibility. He has the drive of a self-made successful businessman and artist, and each year he graces the worlds of haute horlogerie and haute joaillerie with truly spectacular timepieces and jewellery. At Baselworld 2015 we saw the jaw-dropping Billionaire watch, a one-of-a-kind timepiece created in collaboration with Formula 1 impresario Flavio Briatore, which was unveiled with an equally mouth-slackening price tag of $18 million. This year at Baselworld 2016, Arabo will reveal his first astronomical complication: the Astronomia Sky. This grand complication is a world premiere. The mind-boggling watch features a sidereal display in a tridimensional space. The Astronomia Sky is, technically defined, an astronomical sidereal display triple axis gravitational tourbillon. Needless to say… it’s extraordinarily complex, but equally beguiling in its beauty. The aim of this watch is to present a clear and comprehensive readability of the celestial universe (may as well aim for the stars!) and provide a tridimensional interpretation of the celestial vault motion, miniaturised in a mechanical watch. The watch provides two time dimensions in one watch: the solar time (time based on the Gregorian calendar) and the celestial time. In addition to the astronomical display achievement, the Astronomia Sky also features a night and day indication, with months, hours, minutes and seconds functions and of course the gravitational triple axis tourbillon. The representation of the stars and zodiac signs of the celestial dial recalls traditional village clocks, which were a meeting point for local populations to understand celestial bodies and stars and to plan their farming work. Speaking exclusively to Simply Abu Dhabi, Arabo says, “We are thrilled to be introducing the next generation of our signature Astronomia Tourbillon model, blending innovation with history, science and artistic design to offer our clients an extremely complicated masterpiece that is truly unique in the global marketplace.” In characteristically enigmatic fashion Arabo concludes, “As a sailor heading towards the seas driven by the celestial vault, I found my star: the Astronomia Sky.”