Jacob & Co. unveils a unique Astronomia Tourbillon watch in collaboration with Bucherer and Sotheby’s.
The Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer BLUE is a marvel of Swiss craftsmanship and the decorative arts. Moreover, this unique timepiece was the first triple axis tourbillon to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.
On April 8, from the Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Axiom Space launched a four-person team to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The flight named AX-1, returned off the Florida coast on Monday, April 25.
A crew member on this historical mission was Eytan Stibbe, an impact investor and philanthropist, leading the Israeli designed Rakia mission to space. He had carried the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer BLUE watch during the space journey.
The Rakia mission, along with the Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer BLUE, spent 17 days 1 hour and 37 minutes in space, as the space crew orbited the Earth 273 times at an altitude of 250 miles at nearly 17,500 mph, traveling over 7 million miles in total.
With its return from space, the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Bucherer BLUE is set to embark on a public exhibition tour in New York City, first stopping at the Bucherer 1888 TimeMachine from July 11 – 17. From there, moving to exhibition at Sotheby’s New York galleries from July 21-25, before heading to the auction block in a single-lot dedicated live auction on July 26.
On offer with no reserve- and bidding starting at $1- proceeds will be donated to benefit charities, with further details to be announced at a later date.
The Jacob & Co. Astronomia Bucherer BLUE incorporates a complex movement with a gravitational triple axis tourbillon.
The dark blue starry background mirrors the deep, captivating color of the firmament (“Rakia” in Hebrew) and the pronounced domed case, made of anti-reflective sapphire crystal, essentially features a microcosm: four satellites turn in constant motion, including the dial, tourbillon cage, a spherical diamond that reflects the moon, and a magnesium lacquered globe that reflects the Earth. All finished in the Bucherer BLUE color scheme, this timepiece is galactic to the core.
According to crew member, Eytan Stibbe, the Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer BLUE timepiece continued to accurately display the time during the launch and return to earth, enduring extremely high G-forces and also micro-gravity while in space.
