GEM SETTINGS
Case: Invisibly-Set with 192 Hexagon-cut Black Spinels (≈12.41 ct.)
Inner Ring: Invisibly-Set with 108 Black Spinels (≈4.56 ct.)
Minute Ring: Invisibly-Set with 119 Black Spinels (≈6.1 ct.) and 1 Ruby (≈0.18 ct.)
Hour Ring: Invisibly-Set with 119 Black Spinels (≈8.11 ct.) and 1 Ruby (≈0.28 ct.)
Hour Markers: 12 Black Spinels (≈1.49 ct.)
Clasp: set with 18 Baguette Black Spinels (≈1.76 ct.)
Total Carat Weight: 568 Black Spinels (≈34.43 ct.) and 2 Rubies (≈0.46 ct.)
DESIGN INSPIRATION
The Mystery Tourbillon is a horological statement of vast magnitude. One of the most elaborate movements ever made is surrounded by a dizzying number of gems. The very nature of Jacob & Co., high jewelry, high watchmaking and relentless innovation, takes the shape of this singular timepiece.
The Mystery Tourbillon is a double tribute to the greatest achievements of high watchmaking. One is Mystery Clocks. First invented by 19th century watchmaker and illusionist Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, they amazed the crowds with their intriguing and apparently impossible mechanisms. Like them, The Mystery Tourbillon’s display is enigmatic. The other is the tourbillon itself. The Mystery Tourbillon is a contemporary, never-imagined take on the flagship complication : its two tourbillons are combined back to back while spinning 360° on three axes and at high speed.
The sophistication of the gem-setting Jacob & Co. has applied on The Mystery Tourbillon is beyond measure. The 50-mm case and dial elements are drenched with over 550 gems of hexagon and baguette cut. The Mystery Tourbillon is, more than any other Jacob & Co. timepiece, “Inspired by the impossible”.
THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
The most striking mechanical aspect of The Mystery Tourbillon is its tourbillon. Most of them are flat, few have more than one rotation axis, and they're almost always located on the outer part of the movement. The Mystery Tourbillon is made up of two tourbillons linked together, therefore it's a twin tourbillon, coupled like Siamese twins.
They rotate on a single anchoring point, therefore it's a flying tourbillon. It's right in the middle of the watch, therefore it's a central tourbillon. Its carriage rotates on three different sets of gears, therefore it's a triple-axis tourbillon. The Mystery Tourbillon is a central, flying, twin, back-to-back, triple-axis tourbillon.
The diamonds used in The Mystery Tourbillon are called baguette-cut. Their actual cut is close to a kite-cut, with an arrow shape unlike anything ever seen in a timepiece. They're overlapping seamlessly like shards of pure light. On the case side, abundant hexagonal-cut gems saturate the visible space with absolute light.
THE COMPLICATIONS & FEATURES
The Mystery Tourbillon is powered by caliber JCAM32. It's made up of 430 individual components, most of which are contained in its ground-breaking, one of a kind tourbillon.
THE ROTATING RINGS
The mysterious part of The Mystery Tourbillon is that it doesn't have hands. Instead, hours and minutes are displayed on two concentric rings, lavishly set with overlapping gems. They tell time with the help of a single pointer, a gem of a different color than the others.
THE CENTRAL, TWIN, TRIPLE-AXIS FLYING TOURBILLON
There is no other tourbillon like The Mystery Tourbillon. It's a pair of tourbillons joined at the back, with a differential between them. They're sitting in a deep pit in the middle of the watch. They're rotating on three axes and without an upper bridge. The rotation speeds for the axes are respectively 1, 2 and 2 minutes, which is incredibly fast for such a sophisticated construction.
PEAK GEM-SETTING
The 50-mm gold case of The Mystery Tourbillon is entirely set with gems. The invisible setting technique leaves no apparent gold and unites all the precious stones seamlessly. The caseband uses hexagon-cut gems, one of the rarest there is. As for the ones sitting under the sapphire crystal, they're a rare variant of the baguette-cut, shaped like arrows. These are overlapping, creating a three-dimensional effect like shards of ice in a melting iceberg. A total of over 12 different sizes and cuts are used to craft the 552 gems in The Mystery Tourbillon.
THE LIFESTYLE
The Mystery Tourbillon is peak Jacob & Co. It is a statement of absolute lavishness, luxury and exclusivity. Uniting the utmost level of both watchmaking and gem-setting makes it a timepiece that is, literally, without compare.
