Watch Paparazzi

Model Anna Andres spotted wearing Jacob & Co

A half-million-dollar wrist statement surfaced recently when model Anna Andres was photographed wearing a Jacob & Co Brilliant Rainbow Full Baguette — one of only 18 examples in existence. The occasion appears to be a high-fashion shoot or soirée, with Andres dressed in a deep navy ruffled blouse and dramatic jeweled earrings, the kind of styling that demands an equally theatrical timepiece.

The Jacob & Co Brilliant Rainbow Full Baguette is built around a cushion-shaped white gold case housing a dial that dispenses entirely with conventional watchmaking aesthetics. Every millimeter of the face is covered by 226 baguette-cut sapphires invisibly set in a radial pattern, progressing through a full spectral gradient — violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red — with no metal visible between stones. The crown adds a further 12 baguette-cut multi-colored sapphires and a single rose-cut sapphire cabochon. The white satin strap keeps the presentation clean, ensuring the dial remains the sole visual protagonist. Powering the piece is a Swiss quartz movement; at this level of gem-setting complexity, a mechanical caliber would add weight and risk structural compromise to the invisible setting.

Invisible setting — serti invisible — is among the most labor-intensive techniques in high jewelry horology. Each stone must be calibrated to within fractions of a millimeter and slid onto internal rails with no prongs breaking the surface. Achieving color continuity across a curved, dome-shaped dial at this scale represents hundreds of hours of atelier work. The 18-piece limitation is less a marketing device than a practical ceiling imposed by production capacity.

Anna Andres, a model known for her work in high-fashion and luxury editorial contexts, is an appropriate ambassador for a piece that sits at the intersection of jewelry and timekeeping. The choice reads as a deliberate editorial statement rather than a personal collection flex — though the two are not mutually exclusive at this price point.

At $500,000 retail, the Jacob & Co Brilliant Rainbow Full Baguette occupies a rarefied tier alongside Graff and Chopard high-jewelry watches. Grey-market activity on pieces this exclusive is minimal and highly private; when examples do change hands, they typically do so at or above retail given the 18-piece production run. Collectors tracking rainbow-set complications will find few rivals to this piece's chromatic ambition.