Singer Usher spotted wearing a Jacob & Co

Russian singer Kirill Turichenko was recently caught on camera at what appears to be an authorised Jacob & Co retailer, wrist-deep in one of the most mechanically ambitious watches ever produced: the Opera Godfather in 18K rose gold. The sighting places this ultra-limited timepiece firmly in the entertainment world's consciousness, where its cinematic DNA makes it as much cultural artefact as horological instrument.

The Jacob & Co Opera Godfather — reference OP110.40.AA.AA.A — houses a manufacture calibre JCAM37 that doubles as both a musical automaton and a tourbillon showcase. At its heart, a triple-axis tourbillon completes rotations on three independent planes every 30 seconds, 2.5 minutes, and 5 minutes respectively, countering gravitational error with theatrical flair. The chiming mechanism is equally remarkable: two precision-machined cylinders, each bearing 36 teeth, sweep across a pair of steel combs at a tempo calibrated to reproduce 120 notes of Nino Rota's 1972 score. Total component count exceeds 600 parts within a 47mm rose gold case.

Collector significance for the Opera Godfather is considerable. Jacob & Co capped production at 88 examples — a number laden with cultural resonance in Asian markets where eight is considered auspicious. The Godfather branding, rendered in the original film's typeface on the skeletonised dial, adds licensed pop-culture provenance rarely seen at this complication tier. Competing houses producing musical tourbillons — Jaquet Droz, Patek Philippe — price comparable complications well above a million dollars; Jacob & Co's entry point is comparatively accessible while delivering genuine mechanical substance.

Kirill Turichenko's profile as a Russian pop-entertainment figure aligns squarely with Jacob & Co's core audience: performance artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs who treat haute horlogerie as expressive rather than purely conservative. The brand's founder Jacob Arabo built his reputation dressing hip-hop royalty before expanding into ultra-complicated independent watchmaking, and the Opera series represents the fullest expression of that ambition.

On the secondary market, the Opera Godfather in rose gold commands significant premiums over its already substantial retail price, reflecting both scarcity and sustained demand from collectors who view it as a genuine crossover between watchmaking and performance art. At 88 pieces worldwide, availability through grey-market channels is limited and pricing volatile.