Jacob & Co. Takes a Gamble with the New Casino Roulette Tourbillon

Originating in France, roulette, which in French means ‘little wheel’, is a casino game that is said to be inspired by a similar Italian game called Biribi. American jeweller and watchmaker Jacob & Co. has come up with its own horological interpretation of the little wheel — indeed it has shown what it takes to put a casino table on the wrist with its new Casino Roulette Tourbillon (Ref. CA100.40.AA.AA.ABALA), a limited-edition sleek roulette watch. The latest offering is limited to 101 pieces.

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Jacob & Co.'s new Casino Roulette Tourbillon watch is certainly an interesting and unique piece of engineering. The 44 mm rose gold watch features a working roulette wheel on the dial, complete with a tiny ball that spins around as the wearer moves his wrist. The fully operational table has a pusher at 8 o’clock, which is surrounded by a long, crescent-shaped crown guard for the Roulette animation that propels the wheel head, complete with 37 pockets — one green, 18 red and 18 black — and a white ceramic ball. The wheel head spins with high speed and very little friction. The limited-edition watch comes with a curved caseband, a steep bezel and a domed sapphire crystal. 

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The time-viewing dial is made of black mirror-polished onyx with black PVD. There are eight diamond-shaped deflectors on the outer periphery of the watch. The 12 rose gold diamond-shaped hour markers come with arrow-shaped rose gold hands in white Super-LumiNova. While some may consider this watch a bit over-engineered, most can’t help but appreciate the creativity and the novelty of the design. The fine craftsmanship of the Jacob & Co.'s Casino Roulette Tourbillon extends to the caseback as well. The 18 ct rose gold caseback features a transparent sapphire crystal window that allows you to see the intricate inner workings of the watch's movement. 

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The watch also includes a tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock, which completes a full rotation every minute. This implies that the timepiece is a ‘One Minute Flying Tourbillon’, which is a type of mechanical movement that compensates for the effects of gravity on the watch's accuracy. The absence of a crown, where  time-setting and winding are both operated with bows placed against the caseback at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock respectively, is one of the remarkable attributes of the Casino Roulette Tourbillon.

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The black-and-red pattern is laid out on two applied plates, screwed on the caseback on either side of the bows, acting as winding and time-setting crowns. Here the numbers appear in the same order as the ones on the opposite side of the Casino. 12 o’clock on the caseback features the ‘Casino Tourbillon’ engraving and the dual numerals, from 15 to 17.

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The watch is powered by a highly sophisticated manual winding JCAM51 movement with 72 hours of power reserve. Overall, the movement of the Casino Roulette Tourbillon is a true masterpiece of horological engineering, with every component carefully crafted and assembled by hand to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

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The watch is completed with an alligator strap that is secured by an 18 ct rose gold deployment buckle. The strap is made from high-quality alligator leather, which is known for its durability, flexibility and natural beauty. It provides a secure and comfortable fit for the wearer while also adding to the overall aesthetic appeal of the watch. Since the water resistance is 30 metres, avoid wearing the timepiece while swimming or diving. 

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