The tenth anniversary of the Astronomia collection is celebrating with the launch of the Astronomia Regulateur.
Not only does this watch change the model as we know it (a dial with hours and minutes, a tourbillon, and other decorative elements that rotate on a four-armed carriage), it also shows how the main concept has evolved.
Over the past few years, the engineers at Jacob and Co. have managed to accelerate the central rotation speed from 20 minutes to 1 minute (this record was set by last year's Astronomia Revolution).
In the Astronomia Régulateur model unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2024, the speed they've reached benefits the owner. Now this turning serves to indicate the seconds: a mounted ring tells the seconds by making a full turn counter-clockwise in 60 seconds.
Jacob & Co. Astronomia Regulateur
Conforming to the rules for regulator layout, the hour and minute hands have been given their own subdials. Like the second track, they're also made of blue polycarbonate.The curved sapphire crystal allows you to read indications laterally.
The sides of the rose-gold case have been left openworked for the owner's convenience. Watchmakers at Jacob & Co. are used to demonstrating what's happening on the extremely eventful dial from different sides.
The third "arm" extending out from the center carries the tourbillon, which also makes its own contribution to the never-ending revolution. The one-minute tourbillon's carriage revolves around its own axis here, as the tourbillon revolves around the dial and second track. And all of them revolve at a speed of one full turn per minute!
In order to ensure this number of constantly moving elements have the energy they need, the creators of the 552-component movement added a patented constant-force device in the gear train, near the tourbillon, which is responsible for providing the watch with a steady source of energy.
Despite the large number of revolving components, the movement packs plenty of power reserve for convenient everyday wear: 48 hours. The movement measuring 13.75 mm in height is housed in a display case that's 18 mm thick. Considering all of this, the Astronomia Régulateur is a fairly compact 43 mm in diameter.