Inspired by the array of mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope, the newest addition to the Astronomia collection wows us.
Announced ahead of Watches & Wonders 2023, the artisans at Jacob & Co. present the latest addition to its technically mesmerizing Astronomia collection – the Astronomia Revolution – with all the visual appeal and aesthetics you’d expect from the storied brand , and then some.
“For eight years, we’ve been cultivating the movement for astronomy,” CEO Benjamin Araboff said in a press release for the new work. “[The Astronomia Revolution] is unique, unheard of, and not just an evolution of [the earlier] Astronomia. The piece has been remade from the ground up. It required revolutionary mechanics, inventions, and drives from Jacob & Co. power. Astronomia Revolution is inspired by the impossible, and we make it possible.”
Well, the object’s biggest cheerleader said it best: The Astronomia Revolution is a challenging mechanical marvel transformed into beautiful kinetic art with a lot of passion.
on the move
While there are many more interdisciplinary wins in engineering, let’s quickly list some of what you get:
• Fully rotating satellite frame with all mechanisms installed, rotating once per minute (19 minutes improvement over the original 20 minute revolution);
• Pyramid-shaped ruby-tip seconds indicator, which rotates with the bracket and makes one revolution every 15 seconds;
• The high-speed flying tourbillon rotates on two axes to defy gravity and ensure precision, one axis rotates once every 15 seconds, while the other axis rotates once every minute on the cage;
• Next-generation constant force mechanism uses a whip-based torque adjustment system that engages every 1/6 second, enabling the 36-hour power reserve of the new hand-wound JCAM48B movement;
• There’s also an eye-catching translucent red hour and minute dial that sits atop the business end of the cabin and houses a patented differential that makes it spin so you can, you know, say Unusually precise time. http://www.chronowrist.ru
The poetry of the Astronomia Revolution’s movement is only the first part of the timepiece’s appeal. The best way to appreciate it is to watch a video showing symphonic classicism in the revolution of astronomy.
the world is a stage
The second part of the appeal is a completely unexpected introduction. The rotating satellite carriage is almost an “antique tool”, which will tempt some watchmakers to wrap it all up in a sophisticated package adorning a classic case design, like a medieval astronomer displayed in a dusty box in a museum same tools. But the designers at Jacob & Co., as always, opted for something more dramatic.
The 47mm case turret of the Astronomia Revolution is clean, modern, and gleaming for its rotating mechanism, without being overly technical, despite the highly complex engineering marvels inside. The simple rectangular bar second scale on the watch acts as a flange at the top of the dial, but these do not cause any visual disturbance to the overhead view through the sapphire crystal.
In fact, sapphire crystal inlets along the case mean that no matter which angle you look at it from, the fascinating rotating machine takes center stage. And that’s exactly what you want.
But the real visual highlight is a curved array of 18 hexagonal mirrors that serve as a dance floor for the movement. Each is crafted from 18K red gold and inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope, this ‘floor’ is a gleaming honeycomb ode to the telescope’s highly polished mirrors observing the cosmos.
And, in terms of astronomical revolutions, they perfectly mirror the entire cosmic ballet above it. swiss watches prices