The Essential Details
- 44mm case crafted in 18K rose gold
- Set with one rose-cut and 98 baguette-cut orange sapphires, totalling approximately 8.28 carats
- Open-worked dial with the barrel at 12 o’clock and the balance wheel at 6 o’clock
- Manually-wound skeleton movement with full architectural visibility
- Confirmed limited edition
JACOB & CO and the Architecture of Spectacle
New York-founded JACOB & CO has long occupied a very specific space in high watchmaking: the point where gem-setting traditions drawn from fine jewellery collide with complex mechanical architecture. The Epic X family sits at the core of that ambition, designed from the outset as a collection that makes the inner workings of a watch as dramatic as its exterior decoration. Every structural element, from the exposed bridges to the open-worked dial, is treated as part of the visual language rather than hidden beneath a conventional face.
The Epic X Chrono Tourbillon Baguette extends that philosophy into the realm of coloured stones. Where many high-jewellery watches confine their gem-setting to the case and bezel, this piece integrates the stones into a composition that surrounds a fully transparent movement, creating a layered spectacle that rewards close inspection. For collectors across the GCC, where vibrant coloured-stone pieces carry strong appeal alongside technical complication, the combination is particularly well-considered.
The brand’s willingness to commit to a palette as bold as orange, executed in baguette-cut sapphires, speaks to a confidence in its audience. This is not a stone choice made to appeal broadly; it is a deliberate assertion of character. Platforms such as Watches and Wonders have increasingly spotlighted independent maisons that take precisely this kind of chromatic risk, and JACOB & CO has consistently been among the most visually arresting exhibitors.
The Case and Gem Setting
The 44mm case in 18K rose gold provides the warm metallic foundation that makes the orange sapphires read at their most vivid. Rose gold and orange sapphires occupy adjacent positions on the colour spectrum, and the pairing intensifies the overall warmth of the piece without the stones and the metal competing for visual dominance. It is a gem-setting decision as much as it is a metallurgical one, and the two materials are clearly calibrated against each other.
The Orange Sapphires
The stone count is specific and deliberate: one rose-cut sapphire accompanied by 98 baguette-cut orange sapphires, together weighing approximately 8.28 carats. The baguette cut, with its long rectangular facets and clean linear geometry, is a particularly demanding choice for a watch. Each stone must be individually sized and fitted to maintain alignment around the curves of the case, and the consistent orientation of those facets produces a rippling, prismatic effect that changes character under different lighting conditions. The single rose-cut stone introduces a contrasting facet structure into an otherwise unified setting, adding a point of visual tension.
The Skeleton Movement
Beneath the stone setting, the manually-wound skeleton movement is the mechanical argument the watch makes for itself. The open-worked dial removes all non-essential material, leaving only the components that actually drive the watch: the barrel sitting prominently at 12 o’clock, the balance wheel oscillating at 6 o’clock, and the bridges and plates connecting them. This layout is not incidental; positioning the barrel and balance wheel at opposite ends of the vertical axis creates a structural symmetry that functions as the dial’s compositional backbone.
The open-worked dial format means that the orange sapphires framing the movement are always visible in the same visual field as the movement itself. The eye moves naturally between the mechanical components and the gem-setting rather than separating them into distinct zones of interest. For a piece in this category, that integration between horological and jewellery elements is precisely what distinguishes it from a watch that simply has stones added to a conventional case. The JACOB & CO official site carries further detail on the Epic X family and its broader collection context.
The limited-edition designation places a finite boundary on availability without a stated production number, which is consistent with JACOB & CO’s approach to high-complication gem-set pieces. For collectors in Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha who follow the brand’s output closely, the practical consequence is that acquisition decisions tend to be time-sensitive.
Why It Matters
The Epic X Chrono Tourbillon Baguette represents a calibrated convergence of coloured-stone jewellery and open-worked mechanical watchmaking that is directly relevant to GCC collector tastes, where demand for bold gem-set complications remains consistently strong. As a limited edition in 18K rose gold with a manually-wound skeleton movement and 99 individually set sapphires, it occupies a precise position at the intersection of haute joaillerie and haute horlogerie.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many sapphires are set in the JACOB & CO Epic X Chrono Tourbillon Baguette?
The watch is set with 99 sapphires in total: one rose-cut and 98 baguette-cut orange sapphires, together weighing approximately 8.28 carats.
What type of movement does the Epic X Chrono Tourbillon Baguette use?
It uses a manually-wound skeleton movement, with the barrel positioned at 12 o'clock and the balance wheel visible at 6 o'clock through the open-worked dial.
Is the JACOB & CO Epic X Chrono Tourbillon Baguette a limited edition?
The piece is confirmed as a limited edition, though the exact production number has not been specified in the available source material.
