The Jacob & Co. Billionaire II

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Inside the Release

• The Billionaire II is produced as a singular unique piece, not a numbered edition.
• Its 54 × 40 mm white-gold case flows directly into a bracelet set with 429 emerald-cut white diamonds totalling 159.8 carats.
• A skeletonised tourbillon movement sits at the centre, further adorned with 57 baguette-cut diamonds weighing 1.52 carats.
• The watch is described as Jacob Arabo’s ultimate tribute to the diamond.

A Watch Built Around the Diamond

JACOB & CO was founded by Jacob Arabo, a jeweller whose instinct has always been to treat a timepiece as an extension of gem-setting rather than a mechanical exercise alone. The Billionaire II frames that philosophy at its most uncompromising. Every surface of the 54 × 40 mm white-gold case and its integrated bracelet is given over to 429 emerald-cut white diamonds, each selected and positioned to return a continuous field of brilliance across the wrist. The total diamond weight reaches 159.8 carats, a figure that places the piece firmly in the territory of high jewellery rather than conventional watchmaking.

The emerald cut was not a casual choice. Its long, rectangular facets are among the most demanding to set in sequence because any misalignment is immediately visible. Achieving the unbroken coverage that characterises the Billionaire II’s bracelet requires each stone to be calibrated individually, a process that sits closer to the atelier than the manufacture. For collectors in the GCC, where jewelled watches have historically carried cultural weight alongside horological interest, that level of gem work speaks directly to established taste.

The Skeletonised Tourbillon at Its Centre

Beneath the diamond surface, the Billionaire II carries a skeletonised tourbillon movement. Skeletonisation removes all non-essential bridges and plates, leaving the gear train and escapement exposed to direct view. In this case the movement itself is set with 57 baguette-cut diamonds totalling 1.52 carats, so even the mechanical architecture reads as a jewellery object. The tourbillon complication, originally conceived to counter the effects of gravity on a pocket watch, here functions equally as a visual centrepiece. Watching the cage rotate through a diamond-set frame is the defining experience of the piece.

The integration of gem-setting into a tourbillon at this density is technically constrained by weight and balance tolerances. Each baguette must be positioned without disrupting the rotation of the cage, which demands close collaboration between the movement team and the setters. The result, as seen in the official Jacob & Co. video, is a movement that reads as spectacle without obscuring its mechanical logic.

A Unique Piece by Design

The Billionaire II is designated a unique piece, meaning a single example exists. This is distinct from a numbered limited edition: there is no second or third reference to acquire. For a buyer, that singularity carries its own logic. The 159.8-carat diamond complement, the custom bracelet integration, and the individually calibrated setting work mean that replicating the watch exactly would require starting the process entirely from the beginning. The unique-piece designation is, in that sense, a factual description as much as a commercial one.

Jacob Arabo’s Perspective on the Piece

JACOB & CO describes the Billionaire II as Jacob Arabo’s ultimate tribute to the diamond. That framing positions the watch not as a technical exercise first but as a statement about material obsession. Arabo built his reputation in New York setting diamonds for clients who wanted jewellery that registered immediately, and the Billionaire II applies that same logic to a wristwatch format. The case dimensions of 54 × 40 mm are generous, ensuring the diamond surface area is sufficient to carry the ambition of the concept. Understated it is not, nor is it intended to be. You can explore the full range of JACOB & CO creations on the official Jacob & Co. website.

Why It Matters

For luxury watch and jewellery collectors across the GCC, the Billionaire II occupies a specific position: a single object that combines the rarity of a unique-piece designation with a diamond weight that rivals standalone high jewellery commissions. Its blend of tourbillon mechanics and 159.8 carats of emerald-cut diamonds makes it one of the most concentrated expressions of gem-set watchmaking currently documented. For the region’s collector community, where both horological and jewellery credentials carry equal standing, that combination is precisely the point.

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