ReviewWho Wants To Meet A Billionaire: Presenting The Jacob & Co Billionaire Ashoka Small

The one thing that sets Jacob & Co apart from other Swiss watchmaking brands is their audacity—they’re bold and they’re unapologetic about it. Their Billionaire line of diamond watches is a good expression of what the brand stand for. Fine watchmaking and gem-setting meld in this bejewelled collection. Of these, the most wearable (yes, wearable) is probably the Jacob & Co Billionaire Ashoka Small timepiece, featuring a skeletonised tourbillon at six o’clock on the dial, surrounded by 492 Ashoka-cut diamonds, decorating an open-worked watch face. Excessive? Maybe. Brilliant? Most certainly!

Diamond-Studded Expressions Of Jacob & Co.

Known for their bling, the brand was founded in 1986 by Jacob Arabo, who was born to immigrant parents, and learned the skill of setting diamonds long before he became the renowned watchmaking visionary he is today. Today, Jacob & Co are as well known for their diamonds (their Brilliant collection, for instance, displays their invisible gem-setting technique) as they are for their watchmaking skills (their Twin Turbo Tourbillon Repeater features two triple-axis tourbillons as well as a decimal minute repeater—two fantastic complications in one unreal timepiece).

The first Billionaire watch introduced in 2015 housed a filigree tourbillon decorated with 239 emerald-cut white diamonds. This was followed by the Billionaire II with 424 diamonds on the case and strap and 57 baguette-cut diamonds decorating the skeletonised tourbillon movement on the dial. The Billionaire Ashoka was the first in the line to feature 292 Ashoka-cut diamonds. And though it was a unique piece, the response it garnered was enough for the brand to introduce an 18-piece limited edition in a similar vein. Meet the Billionaire Ashoka Small.

In A Smaller Package: Billionaire Ashoka Small

The 45.67mm by 35mm case of the Billionaire Ashoka Small has a height of 12.49mm. The case is made from 18-karat white gold, set with 62 Ashoka-cut white diamonds. Only marginally smaller than the Billionaire Ashoka, which featured a 53mm by 40mm case set with 38 Ashoka-cut diamonds, the Billionaire Ashoka Small has about as much impact as its predecessor. The diamonds decorating the case and strap are also smaller than the Billionaire Ashoka. A total of 418 Ashoka-cut diamonds sit on the bracelet in 18-karat white gold. The crown at three o’clock features a conical rose-cut diamond.

The 45.67mm by 35mm case of the Billionaire Ashoka Small has a height of 12.49mm, and is made from 18-karat white gold, set with 62 Ashoka-cut white diamonds

What exactly is an Ashoka cut diamond, you ask? A regular round diamond has 57 facets. In comparison, the rectangular Ashoka-cut diamond, created by and exclusively available through jeweller William Goldberg, features 62 facets. Incidentally, the stone is named after Ashoka the great, the Maurya dynasty emperor known for his skill in the battlefield and for his benevolence as emperor. The elongated diamond with rounded, cushioned edges has a more dazzling appearance than most other diamonds.

Small But Dazzling: Billionaire Ashoka Small

Sapphire crystal with antireflective treatment is used for both the glass and caseback of the Billionaire Ashoka Small. This transparency lends the open-worked dial an added ethereal effect. The dial itself displays the mechanical artwork of the JCAM23 calibre—an in-house movement that offers a power reserve of 72 hours. The manual-winding movement displays hand-bevelled edges and sandblasted surfaces on the open components, gears and wheels. Blackened rhodium-plated bridges add a certain dimension, enhancing the transparent quality of the dial. A delicate filigree tourbillon stands out at six o’clock. And eleven baguette-cut indexes, skeletonised timekeeping hands, the brand logo at 12 o’clock, and the words ‘Swiss made’ at six complete the display on the dial.

Sapphire crystal with antireflective treatment is used for the glass and caseback, and the transparency gives the open-worked dial a delicate effect

The dial itself displays the mechanical artwork of the JCAM23 calibre—an in-house movement that offers a power reserve of 72 hours

The Billionaire Ashoka Small is smaller than its predecessor in that the stones themselves are smaller and measure a total weight of about 100 carat. The Billionaire Ashoka, in comparison, weighs over 189 carats. Comparisons, however, pale when it comes to availability. The Ashoka was just the one unique piece ever created, while the Billionaire Ashoka Small is a limited edition of 18 pieces. The exclusivity offered by this watch, then, may well be worth the price one pays for it.