What to do when you have a few million dollars to spend? Most rich guys will tell you to get a luxury sports car like the latest Bugatti Chiron, but that one costs $3 million. And if you have a couple more millions to spare, get the Bugatti Chiron Blue Sapphire Crystal to go with it. If you can afford a luxury car, you can also afford this one-of-a-kind timepiece made by Jacob & Co. You are one truly lucky guy if you can buy both at once. We’ll then celebrate with you and ask for a joyride or wear the million-dollar watch for a moment.
Only the luxury watch aficionados will understand all the work that went into the newly launched Bugatti Chiron Blue Sapphire Crystal. They will only be the ones who know Jacob & Co too. True watch lovers and experts will agree that this new timepiece is something to watch because only one is made in the world. We want to see whose wrist it will fit for a long time.
Designer: Jacob & Co. for Bugatti
Bugatti Chiron Blue Sapphire Crystal Details
Intricate details in luxury watches are a given, but there are very few who marry the high-end world of watchmaking and automotive design with such symphony. Jacob & Co teamed up with Bugatti to develop this special edition Bugatti Chiron Blue Sapphire Crystal that costs about $1.5 million. It is not the first collaboration between the two as there were already the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon last year and the Epic X Chrono and Twin Turbo Furious watches before that. The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon is already an exciting piece because it features a smaller version of the Chiron’s 8-liter, 1.5HP W16 engine. Every piece created by Jacob & Co and inspired by the Buggati brand delivers visual drama, style, and sophistication.
The Bugatti Chiron Blue Sapphire Crystal, as the name suggests, comes with a sapphire crystal watch case. It is mainly patterned after the Jacob & Co Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon but now with a fresh look as the colors of most watch parts have been changed. Bugatti’s own 16-cylinder engine has become iconic in the past years, so it is only right that this design is extended onto a watch. It may only be the smaller version of the engine used on the Chiron sports car, but that makes this a unique timepiece. The shape of the watch is also patterned after the Chiron, so you can notice the same graceful curves. It arrives with the same lines and texture, but you’d probably spend more time figuring out the engine as the turbochargers spin and all 16 pistons pump.
The Bugatti Chiron Blue Sapphire Crystal is proof that watchmaking can still level up and steal the spotlight. The watch case is fully sapphire crystal and results from thousands of hours of work—from processing to hand-polishing of the materials. In addition, the components of the watch’s JCAM37 manual wound caliber—all 578 of them—have been decorated and assembled by hand. It’s another reason why the watch is that expensive.
Like the car inspiration, there is so much work and intelligent design poured onto the watch. The sapphire crystal case alone was challenging to achieve because of the Blue color while maintaining transparency. Beyond the aesthetics, the luxury watch shows off a one-of-a-kind engine animation. A replica Bugatti W16 engine will be activated when you push the right crown. There are 16 pistons pumping up and down, giving a quick preview of a Bugatti combustion engine. Unlike the real engine on the Chiron with four, this one only has two turbochargers. They’re mainly for visual design and not really to make the watch go fast because there is no need.
The movement is mainly controlled by the crowns found at the bottom of the watch case. The right-hand crown starts the animation, while the middle is for winding the movement. The left crown is to set the time. The watch has 60 hours of power reserve after a complete winding up. The whole system looks complicated and seems impossible, but the watchmaker was able to come up with a patented automotive-style jointed transverse system. This results in crown posts being protected during movement.
Combining watches and engines has not been thought of until the launch of the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon last year. Jacob & Co has continued to use the Buggati aesthetics and technology to produce a watch that is beautiful, innovative, and awe-inspiring—like a masterpiece.
The Bugatti Chiron luxury watch’s case-back is transparent, so you can fully see the mechanism. Inside, you will see the two separate barrels and ratchet wheels that include timekeeping and engine animation movement. The movement also comes with 51 jewels that will convince you this watch delivers true craftsmanship and fine art, as Jacob & Co claims.
Both Jacob & Co and Bugatti have pushed the limits in watchmaking and further extending beyond what is mechanically possible. Sophistication is just one of the many requirements, and we believe this particular watch has that quality. If you see a Bugatti Chiron on the road, you will probably have the same reaction upon seeing the Bugatti Chiron Blue Sapphire Crystal.
