Hyper design, hyper mechanical
Both at the top of the pyramid in their respective worlds, Jacob & Co. and Bugatti released a new episode of the exclusive saga they’ve been creating for the past five years. This daring odyssey, enthusing their most demanding customers, goes one step further with the all-new Tourbillon Bugatti: a true lesson in design and mechanical complexity. Its DNA seamlessly merges the aesthetic and technical codes of both brands. So much so, in fact, that Bugatti’s new hyper sports car is called Tourbillon, while Jacob & Co.’s new watch features an automaton based on the V16 engine block of the car whose bodywork inspired the case shape. The outcome embodies total integration, astounding complexity and dazzling aesthetics. Each brand has drawn its creativity from the codes and universe of its partner. The resulting Bugatti is unlike any other car and the Jacob & Co. is radically different from any other timepiece.
Bugatti Tourbillon
Case: Black PVD-treated titanium, sapphire crystal, sapphire crystal caseback, stylised crown, water-resistant to 30m Size: 52 x 44mm Movement: Mechanical manual-winding (Caliber JCAM55, 48h power reserve), 557 components, flying tourbillon, sapphire automaton Functions: Retrograde hours and minutes, power-reserve display, sapphire V16 engine-block automaton Strap: Black rubber, titanium folding clasp Limited series of 150
Pole position
Ten elements of the watchmaking UFO have been created to evoke its automotive avatar, including the radiator grille, the side radiator inlets, the sapphire openings, the 16-piston engine block, the dashboard and the sports car shape. Even the structure of the Caliber JCAM55 is inspired by the sports car’s engine and, notably, its crankshaft. Probably one of the longest and most delicate watchmaking components ever built, it enables the pistons to perform their ballet lightly and accurately. The automaton includes 20 animation sequences and is wound using the bidirectional crown shaped like a control knob. The pusher in the centre of the crown triggers the motor scenes, staging a 20-second show.
Haute Horlogerie
Automotive DNA further heightens the prowess of watchmaking complexity. This concentrated blend of expertise comprising 557 components is all housed within a streamlined titanium case measuring 44mm wide and 52mm long. The Bugatti Tourbillon is unabashedly imbued with haute horlogerie codes, unleashing the power of its engine endowed with 48-hour autonomy, while it is regulated by a flying tourbillon and features a highly sophisticated retrograde display of hours and minutes hands performing a 270-degree sweep. The hours scale does not start at 12 o’clock as on a conventional dial, but rather at zero as on an RPM counter. The minutes hand jumps from index to index, while the blue hand jumps from hour to hour, with the power reserve indicated in the right-hand counter alongside that of the automaton. In a final tribute to Bugatti, Jacob & Co. breaks its speed record with this 30-second flying tourbillon, the fastest in its mechanical history.
