Watch Paparazzi

Musician Michael Blakey spotted wearing Jacob & Co

At a Miss World America event backed by Electra Entertainment, music producer Michael Blakey stepped onto the red carpet wearing one of the most architecturally ambitious wristwatches money can buy: the Jacob & Co Astronomia Sky Tourbillon in white gold. The sighting, captured against the event's step-and-repeat backdrop, confirms Blakey's reputation as a collector with genuinely left-field taste.

The Astronomia Sky — reference AT110.60.AA.SD.A in its white-gold, blue-dial configuration — houses the hand-wound JCAM09 calibre, a movement that required years of development by Jacob & Co's Geneva atelier. The watch features four rotating arms that complete one revolution every 10 minutes. Each arm carries a distinct complication: a one-minute triple-axis tourbillon, a 1-carat magnesium-coated diamond acting as the 'sun', a rotating hand-painted Earth globe accurate to actual geographic geography, and a time display subdial. Power reserve sits at 60 hours. The case measures 47mm in white gold and reaches nearly 25mm in height — this is sculptural horology, not a flat dress watch.

Among collectors, the Astronomia Sky occupies a singular position. It is one of very few wristwatches that functions as a kinetic art object as much as a timekeeping instrument. Jacob & Co launched the Astronomia family in 2014, and it has since spawned numerous variants — Astronomia Solar, Astronomia Tourbillon, the wildly publicised Bugatti collaboration — but the Sky remains the purest expression of the original concept, with its deep-blue celestial backdrop referencing the night sky with genuine conviction.

Michael Blakey, known for his work as a music producer and entertainment executive, has cultivated a watch collection that runs toward the spectacular rather than the conventional. A man with industry credentials spanning decades choosing Jacob & Co over a Patek or AP speaks to a deliberate aesthetic position — one that prizes mechanical spectacle and individuality over institutional prestige.

On the secondary market, the Astronomia Sky in white gold commands prices broadly in line with or above its six-figure retail, reflecting limited production volumes and sustained collector demand. With a UK list of £580,000 (approximately $720,000 USD at prevailing rates), grey-market availability is thin and transactions are largely private. This is a watch that rarely needs a discount to move.