Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo spotted wearing a Jacob & Co

When Cristiano Ronaldo posed with his Al Nassr No. 7 jersey to confirm one of football's most lucrative transfers in January 2023, the watch on his wrist was doing as much talking as the shirt. The timepiece — a Piece Unique from Jacob & Co's Caviar Tourbillon line, set entirely in tsavorite garnets — is a singular commission with a list price of $770,000, making it one of the most valuable watches ever photographed at a club unveiling.

The Caviar Tourbillon platform sits at the apex of Jacob & Co's high-jewellery watchmaking. The 47mm white gold case hosts a flying tourbillon at the six o'clock position, visible through an open-worked lower dial section. The movement is a manually wound calibre with a 72-hour power reserve. What distinguishes this specific piece is the invisible setting technique applied to all 388 baguette-cut tsavorite garnets — green grossular garnets sourced primarily from East Africa — which are channel-set with no visible metal between stones, creating an unbroken mosaic of vivid green across the bezel, dial surround, and crown. The green alligator strap completes a monochromatic composition of exceptional precision.

For collectors, invisible setting at this scale is extraordinarily labour-intensive; each baguette must be individually calibrated and slotted so its table face is flush with its neighbours. Jacob & Co executes this work in-house at their Geneva atelier. As a Piece Unique — a single example — the watch carries no reference number in the conventional sense, placing it beyond the reach of any grey market and making resale valuation largely academic.

Ronaldo's relationship with Jacob & Co is well documented. He is one of the brand's most visible ambassadors, having worn multiple high-jewellery and complication pieces publicly. The deliberate colour coordination between the tsavorite-set watch and Al Nassr's green kit suggests the sighting was considered rather than coincidental — a signature move for a player who treats personal branding with the same precision he applies to his game.

At a $770,000 list price for a Piece Unique, secondary market comparisons are nearly impossible. Comparable Jacob & Co high-jewellery tourbillon commissions have appeared at auction with hammer prices ranging from $400,000 to well above $1 million depending on provenance and celebrity association — the latter of which this watch now carries in abundance.