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Entrepreneur Benjamin Arabov spotted wearing Jacob & Co

Benjamin Arabov, chief executive of Jacob & Co, was recently spotted wearing one of the most architecturally ambitious pieces his own company has ever produced: the Jacob & Co Chiron Tourbillon, reference BU200.40.AA.AA.BBRUA, a 72-piece limited edition born from the brand's partnership with Bugatti Automobiles.

The watch is built around the in-house JCAM37 manual-winding movement, whose layout and decorative execution were conceived to echo the Chiron's legendary W16 engine — the 1,500-horsepower powerplant that defines the hypercar's identity. The tourbillon cage is inclined at 30 degrees, a specification that is both technically meaningful and visually theatrical, tilting the regulator toward the wearer in a way that maximizes legibility and drama simultaneously. Power reserve sits at approximately 60 hours, respectable for a movement of this complexity.

The 48mm case in 18-carat rose gold is substantial even by Jacob & Co's standards, but the skeletonized architecture prevents it from reading as heavy. Every surface — bridges, plates, the case itself — has been finished to reference the aerodynamic surfacing of the Bugatti Chiron. The dial, such as it exists, is largely absent, replaced by a three-dimensional mechanical landscape in which the movement and its decoration are the display. The reference BU200.40.AA.AA.BBRUA carries a black-toned movement bridge finish that reinforces the automotive palette.

Collector significance here is layered. Jacob & Co has spent the better part of a decade repositioning itself from celebrity jeweler to serious complications house, and the Bugatti collaborations — beginning with the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon in 2018 and evolving through successive references — have been central to that narrative. Limited to 72 units, a number that mirrors the number of Bugatti Chiron Super Sport models produced, the piece carries genuine scarcity credentials alongside its technical story.

Arabov wearing his own brand's crown jewel at retail market value of $380,000 is consistent with Jacob & Co's identity: a house that treats watchmaking as performance art. On the secondary market, pieces from this collaboration have held their value firmly, with grey-market transactions frequently matching or exceeding retail — reflecting both the scarcity of 72 units and sustained collector appetite for high-complication automotive crossovers.