Jacob & Co. Billionaire 42 mm Skeletonised Grade

Case, dial & bracelet

Case dimensions

42 mm

Case thickness

8.1 mm

Case material

Grade 5 titanium

Bezel

Smooth polished

Crystal

Box sapphire with AR coating

Dial

Skeletonised

Hands

Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent

Indexes

Diamond-set hour markers

Bracelet / strap

Alligator leather with folding clasp

Clasp / buckle

Pin buckle in matching case metal

Water resistance

50 m

Movement

Movement / calibre

Calibre 78B — In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor

Movement type

Automatic with micro-rotor

Frequency

28,800 vph (4 Hz)

Power reserve

55 hours

Number of jewels

27 jewels

Complications

Minute repeater

Functions

Annual calendar, moon phase

Watchmaker

Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.

Production & market

Production period

2006 – 2010

Limited-edition quantity

Not applicable

Current market information

Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.

Designer

Marc Newson

Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.

Historical significance

Jacob & Co. Billionaire 42 mm Skeletonised Grade sits within Jacob & Co.'s Billionaire line, introduced in 2006. It carries the house codes established since 1986 — grade 5 titanium case, skeletonised dial and in-house automatic with 22k gold rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.

Interesting facts

• The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
• The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
• The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.