The Fortuitous Phases of Jacob & Co.: From Mover and Shaker to Whiskey Maker

Never would I have believed I could get as close as I was to one of the world’s most expensive timepieces as it was being revealed in Geneva this past March. I mean, I was right there; right in front of the case that housed the masterpiece that was the Jacob & Co. “Billionaire Timeless Treasure.”
 

I was taking video for Instragram, and in my own world, when I heard a deep voice in my left ear repeatedly say, “Excuse me, EXCUSE ME,” followed immediately by the sight of a tanned hand ahead of a white cuff and dark suit sleeve that came across my left shoulder as it opened said case and removed the record-breaking watch. That arm belonged to none other than Jacob Arabov, and the 28-year-veteran gem/jewelry/watch geek inside of me jumped for joy that I had caught that moment on film.
 

I knew right then and there that I was witnessing something special. I knew this was history in the making.

The now 58-year-old Arabov, the youngest and only boy amongst his siblings, began learning the jewelry trade at the age of 14 after his family migrated to Queens. Eventually, Arabov began working in New York City’s Diamond District, and by 21, had founded the jewelry company Diamond Quasar, while also making pieces under the name “Jacob & Co.” for private clients, including several well-known rap artists.
 

Jacob’s clients today are largely the who’s who of the music and fashion worlds: Jay-Z, Nas, Drake, Rihanna, Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Pharell, Naomi Campbell, and Salma Hayek among others. Yet he has also created custom pieces for several sports celebrities as well, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Jordan.
 

The World is Yours.

That’s at least what Jacob & Co. believes, and it’s backing up that sentiment with a spectacular timepiece that pays homage to the watch that took a 47th Street jeweler into the alternate universe of high horology.

In August of 2023, the brand announced it would be releasing The World Is Yours Dual Time Zone watch as a tribute to an Arabov family heirloom, inspired by the double time zone watch that Jacob Arabov received at the age of 13 from his father, Nison Arabov.
 

As a child born in the then USSR but mainly raised in the United States, a dual time zone means a lot to Jacob Arabov. Nison Arabov's gift to his son served as a reminder that the world is filled with possibilities, and that goals can be reached, and adversity conquered.
 

The 43mm case contains the Jacob & Co. self-winding JCAA11 movement, which has a 42-hour power reserve and both dual time zone (with independent hours and minutes) and central small seconds functions. The case is crafted in 18K rose gold and is equipped with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. 

 

The stunning dial is crafted in blue lacquer and decorated with North, Central, and South American continents to the west, and Africa, Europe and the westernmost parts of Asia to the East, (including the Arabian Peninsula). Each is stamped and rendered in a rose gold with rose gold compass in the center.

Needless to say, Jacob Arabov, and now his son Benjamin, have not only the world on their wrists (and on the wrists of others), but they have the luxury world at their fingertips with so many genres left to conquer.
 

What’s next for the brand? Yachts? Hotels?

Only time… will tell. You can learn more at the Jacob & Co. website.