Jacob & Co Astronomia Solar Bitcoin Watch
Re-engineered from the ground up, the Astronomia Solar is the most compact in the collection of Astronomia calibers. Share
The Astronomia is the epitome of 21st-century Haute Horlogerie and a symbol of Jacob & Co watchmaking expertise. A world-first both in its unprecedented concept and its mechanical construction, the Astronomia has gone beyond impressive horological achievements to be regarded as an outstanding multidisciplinary engineering achievement.
The black DLC titanium is a limited edition of 25 pieces, a highly symbolic tribute to the world of cryptocurrencies and to its pioneering and leading example, Bitcoin. It’s interspersed with details and features that are directly linked to the Bitcoin universe.
On this version of the Astronomia Solar movement, the rotating prongs, be they functional of purely decorative, serve a higher purpose. They provide the piece with the necessary symbolic substance that makes this an entirely cryptocurrency-oriented piece. A rotating Bitcoin currency logo. A yellow sapphire sun, a 1ct diamond moon and a golden Earth. A miniature black rocketship, complete with a flaming reactor and a Bitcoin sign to reach for the moon. All these symbols tell the story of the advent of the first cryptocurrency, from abstraction to reality, from outlier to a mainstay of the financial system.
The Exclusive JCAM19 calibre is the most compact iteration of the original, allowing for smaller case dimensions as well as redesigned proportions. Composed of 444 components, all finished to the highest standards of Haute Horlogerie, the Astronomia Solar Bitcoin movement features two rotating platforms. One comprises the three main arms and subsidiary arms of the caliber, while the other is the microchip-designed mainplate, that serves as their spectacular, rotating backdrop.
The rotating platform of the JCAM19 caliber completes a rotation around the center of the watch in 10 minutes. It simultaneously drives the movement’s background in a counterclockwise direction in 11 minutes, adding further animation and complexity to this unique take on metaphorical watchmaking. The Astronomia Solar Bitcoin brings a host of beautifully executed, astronomically inspired details to the world of Astronomia. The base of the movement has been designed to resemble and integrated circuit, the unique web of electronic connections microchips are made of.
As this is the movement’s actual mainplate, it actually is its backbone, much like microchips, servers and physical infrastructure are at the very root of Bitcoin’s existence. It’s literally what makes that small world go round. As a result, this element spins on its own axis in 11 minutes, creating one more layer of rotation within the Astronomia Solar Bitcoin.
The tourbillon was originally invented to be a single-axis, rotating cage to carry the regulating organ of a mechanical watch for improved timekeeping performance. The Astronomia Solar Bitcoin presents this 224-year-old invention in a yet more spectacular way.
The one-minute flying tourbillon features a delicately decorated cage that encapsulates the balance wheel, hairspring and escape wheel. This openworked, black DLC titanium cage is only secured from underneath, which makes it a flying tourbillon. It is a constellation of superbly finished components that, when assembled and fine-tuned expertly, allows the JCAM19 to keep accurate time throughout its 48-hour power reserve.
The Astronomia Solar Bitcoin’s case measures 44 millimetres in diameter and 21 millimetres in thickness. Its case holds a single-piece sapphire crystal window around its periphery, allowing for unhindered viewing of the spectacular calibre inside. Featuring full lugs, a novelty within the Astronomia Solar collection, their plunging shape creates a vertical angle, from which hangs the black alligator strap. This ensures a comfortable and snug fit on the wrist, an indispensable property for any Jacob&Co. Timepiece.
The time display sub-dial of the Astronomia Solar Bitcoin is driven through an infinitesimal differential system that allows it to always remain in the correct 12/6 position and hence perfectly legible, even as the movement’s platform performs its continuous, 10-minute orbit. That dial is one more example of the Bitcoin-related symbols this timepiece is built on. It resembles a motherboard fan, a nod to the ones found in Bitcoin mining farms’ servers, while the hand-finished hands are plated with 18K Rose Gold.
