Watch Paparazzi

Musician Michael Blakey spotted wearing Jacob & Co

Michael Blakey, the British-American record producer and artist manager best known for his work with acts including Air Supply and his prolific career spanning decades across the Atlantic, was recently photographed at what appears to be a private dining setting wearing one of the rarest complications Jacob & Co has ever produced: the Twin Turbo Twin Triple Axis Tourbillon Minute Repeater in Black DLC Grade 5 Titanium.

The watch is immediately identifiable by its tonneau-shaped case — a signature Jacob & Co architecture — finished in deep black DLC-coated Grade 5 titanium that absorbs light rather than reflecting it. The skeletonized dial is bisected by a red seconds ring and features bold red Arabic numerals at the chapter ring, creating a motorsport aesthetic that mirrors the 'Twin Turbo' naming convention. The case also incorporates a large crown-side mechanism consistent with the striking train of a minute repeater, visible in the product reference image. The piece is numbered 01/18, confirming a strictly limited run of eighteen examples globally.

Mechanically, the Twin Turbo is a landmark piece in Jacob & Co's manufacture catalogue. Each of the two triple-axis tourbillons rotates on three separate axes simultaneously — the inner cage completes one rotation every 8 seconds, the intermediate every 20 seconds, and the outer every 60 seconds — effectively neutralizing gravitational error across all planes of orientation. The addition of a cathedral-gong minute repeater to this architecture elevates the movement's complication count to a tier shared by fewer than a handful of contemporary watchmakers. Jacob Arabo's Geneva atelier developed the calibre in-house, a significant statement for a brand that built its early reputation on diamond-set jewelry watches rather than horological complexity.

For collectors, the Twin Turbo occupies a genuine niche: it is one of the few pieces from a non-traditional manufacture that commands respect on purely mechanical grounds. The 18-piece limitation ensures secondary market scarcity, and the DLC titanium variant — as opposed to white gold or rose gold executions — appeals to the modern collector who values material innovation alongside mechanical drama.

Blakey's taste for Jacob & Co is consistent with a roster of high-profile music-industry figures who have gravitated toward the brand's unapologetic aesthetic. At $360,000 retail, the Twin Turbo is not a casual acquisition — it is a deliberate collector's decision, and Blakey's wrist confirms he is operating at the serious end of the hobby.