425 gems, 216.89 carats, and 20 million USD are what make the stellar Billionaire Timeless Treasure.Jacob & Co., in its successful pursuit of creating a cherished, charming, and truly one-of-a-kind timepiece, dried up the market for huge and high-quality yellow diamonds. One wouldn’t expect any lesser of the leading name in high jewelry watchmaking. The dazzling result was the most expensive watch of the entire Geneva watch week.
“We’ve browsed the entire world for three and a half years in search of an unprecedented number of perfect gems, said CEO Benjamin Arabov. He continued, “We’ve gathered them here, in our Geneva headquarters, where each one was scrutinized at ɾօυɢҺ stage, at cut stage, before and after setting. The incredible work done by our gemsetters happened entirely here, in Geneva. We’ve combined our expertise in high jewelry with our skills in high watchmaking and used our drive to achieve what has never been done before. So we’ve created a unique piece that outshines every other high jewelry timepiece in opulence, exclusivity, and diamond quality.” Let’s take a closer look at the immaculate appearance and design of the $20 million Billionaire Timeless Treasure-
The $20 million masterpiece-
In creating a bespoke project like the Billionaire, several years go into making the masterpiece. Three and a half years in the making, this Billionaire timepiece comprises 425 Asscher-cut, Fancy Yellow, and Fancy Intense Yellow diamonds on an 18K yellow gold case measuring 52.2 x 43.5 mm with a Sapphire crystal caseback. The yellow glistening canvas is enhanced by the green glow of tsavorites. The Billionaire skeleton tourbillon movement is adorned with another 57 yellow baguette-cut diamonds. The bejeweled timepiece is water resistant up to 30 m, though no one in their right mind would wear this in a water body unless it’s on a superyacht. The watch weighs nearly 300 gms with an 18K yellow gold bracelet for a strap fitted with 159.62 ct of Asscher-cut yellow diamonds.
Creating the charming timepiece required an army-
The special setting technique required by the manufacturing of Billionaire Timeless Treasure needed the gathering of a skilled set of artisans. No less than ten staff were roped in to search, sort, and cut the gems. A whopping 880 carats of ɾօυɢҺ yellow diamonds were perfected to become 216.89 carats after thousands of hours of cutting to the demanding Asscher cut. Another fifteen skilled craftsmen drafted the intricate yellow-gold lattice structure, set it, and encased the movement.
Seraina Wicht, head of the gemology watch production at Jacob & Co.relentlessly supervised the creation of the paragon starring the rarest and most opulent ɾօυɢҺ yellow diamonds, some captivating pieces measuring 2.50 ct. “It all seemed impossible, says Seraina Wicht. One, to lay our hands on so many gems of so rare a color and so large. Two, to have all gems meet our demands at the ɾօυɢҺ, pre-cut stage. Three, to maintain color consistence after cutting. And four, to cut every single one of them so they would fit into their designated place, their little bed of yellow gold. Jacob&Co. challenged itself like never before.”
A cut above the rest, pun intєɴԀed-
What sets Billionaire Timeless Treasure apart from its 21 predecessors is the fact that this beauty is a game of incredible patience, unmatched skills, and astonishing color. The new type of Billionaire grants each gem a designated place. The larger ones occupy the case and the first rows of the bracelet. As the gems are placed as per color, several large stones were cut to achieve perfection with a massive waste of matter. As a result, there are no interchangeable brilliants on a bezel.
Skill, smartness, and tsavorites-
In the Billionaire Timeless Treasure, the gems surrounding the movement on the flange have precise prerequisites. As the demand for these dazzlers was to be elongated and thinner to fit into the inner ring connecting the case and movement while maintaining color intensity, Jacob & Co. debuted the tsavorite. This rare green garnet, 76 in all, surrounds caliber JCAM39. The skeleton movement Jacob & Co. uses in all its Billionaires is regulated by a tourbillon so thin, so fine it might go unnoticed at first sight. The museum-worthy wristwatch offers a 72-hour power reserve and a hefty price tag of $20 million.
