Jacob & Co. Revives the Palatial Flying Tourbillon Minute Repeater

Jacob & Co. has brought back the Palatial Flying Tourbillon Minute Repeater, unveiling the new edition at Geneva Watch Days. The latest version arrives twelve years after the original model introduced the brand’s first chiming complication in 2014. This return coincides with Jacob & Co.’s 40th anniversary and is limited to 12 pieces, each referencing a year since the first Palatial’s debut.

The Palatial Flying Tourbillon Minute Repeater stands out with its 43mm 18K rose gold case paired with a vivid red mineral glass dial and a matching red alligator strap. Jacob & Co. founder Jacob Arabo is known for expressive, technically ambitious watches, but the Palatial model takes a more restrained approach compared to the brand’s architectural Astronomia or musical Opera series. Still, the visual impact remains strong, with the red translucent dial revealing the intricate mechanics of the minute repeater and flying tourbillon beneath.

A Chiming Legacy

Jacob & Co. first entered the world of sound-based horology with the Palatial Flying Tourbillon Minute Repeater in 2014. Since then, the company has produced a range of chiming and musical watches, including the Opera Godfather, the Twin Turbo Furious with twin triple-axis tourbillons and a decimal minute repeater, and the Astronomia Maestro equipped with a carillon minute repeater. The Palatial, however, was the brand’s first exploration of the classic minute repeater complication.

The new edition keeps the original’s formula, a round rose gold case, exposed tourbillon, and chiming mechanism, while introducing technical updates. The manually wound caliber JCCM04 replaces the original movement, now comprising 308 components and 29 jewels, operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The movement gives a 90-hour power reserve, a notable figure for a watch with both a minute repeater and a flying tourbillon. The tourbillon sits at 6 o’clock, completing one rotation per minute. Its cage has been redesigned for the new release. The movement is manufactured with Régence in Geneva, reflecting a lineage that began at BNB Concept and continued through MHC and Timeless within the Régence Group.

Mechanical Refinement and Acoustic Innovation

The minute repeater mechanism uses two hammers and two cathedral gongs, which are hand-formed, hardened, and tuned individually. Cathedral gongs, which extend further around the movement than conventional gongs, are chosen for their richer, more resonant sound. The slide to activate the repeater is integrated into the case band. Hours are struck with low tones, quarters with alternating high and low tones, and minutes with high tones. The centrifugal governor that regulates the cadence of the chimes has been re-engineered for this edition to operate silently, reducing mechanical noise and preserving the clarity of the gongs’ tones.

The case is 12.3mm thick and water-resistant to 30 meters. On the dial, Jacob & Co. places a rose gold musical symbol at 9 o’clock and open-worked hands shaped after a metronome, both nodding to the watch’s musical theme. Applied rose gold hour markers and the brand’s logo complete the arrangement. The choice of red mineral glass for the dial, rather than sapphire, is a technical one: mineral glass allows the intense red color to remain vivid at the necessary thinness for the dial, a result not possible with red sapphire.

Limited Edition and Availability

Only 12 examples of the new Palatial Flying Tourbillon Minute Repeater will be produced, each priced at $390,000. The watch comes with a red alligator leather strap and an 18K rose gold pin buckle. The magazine has also looked at Jacob & Co.’s ultra-limited Ring of Fire collection.

Jacob & Co. lists the Palatial Flying Tourbillon Minute Repeater at $390,000, limited to 12 pieces.