Introducing the New Jacob & Co. Oil Pump in 44mm

Over the years, one of the biggest criticisms I have seen levied towards Jacob & Co. is the size of their pieces. Yes, obviously the aesthetics of their pieces attract a unique collector, but the brand appeals to who they appeal to. And I appreciate them for that. So, the only real criticism I had for the brand was the massive size of some of their watches. And I am talking about massive. The original Astronomia Tourbillon and Oil Pump were both close to 50mm in diameter (not to mention the Astronomia Tourbillon was 25mm thick and the Oil Pump was 20mm thick).

Well, in 2017, Jacob & Co. sized down the Astronomia Tourbillon, releasing the more modest 44mm Astronomia Solar. And this year, they are doing the same with Oil Pump, bringing it down to 44mm in diameter from 49.5mm.

THE BASICS:

Brand: Jacob & Co.

Model: Oil Pump

Case Material: Rose gold and sapphire.

Case Size: 44mm

Water Resistance: 30m

Movement: Jacob & Co. Manual-Winding JCAM53 with tourbillon and oil pump automation.

Strap Options: Black alligator leather strap.

The Juice:

Look, 44mm is not a small watch for most brands. We tend to think of Panerai and their standard 44mm watches as large. But for a Jacob & Co. high horology piece, this is a big size reduction. For reference, I have tried on both the Astronomia Tourbillon and the Astronomia Solar. And the size reduction on the Astronomia Solar makes it much more wearable, at least to me. I am happy to see the brand is now sizing down the Oil Pump. It makes it a lot more accessible (well, not price-was) but with wearability. I hope Jacob & Co. continues to make 44mm their new sweet spot when it comes to high horology and jewelry timepieces.

Besides the smaller size, the dial of the Oil Pump has been rearranged a bit, perhaps to accommodate the new in-house manual wind JCAM53 movement (and of course the sized down dial). The oil pump automation remains at the top of the dial. The power reserve has been moved from the upper right to the bottom left. And the time display has been moved from the left side of the dial to the bottom right. Additionally, the single-axis tourbillon (a double-axis tourbillon was present in the previous iteration) has been moved into the time subdial. Even with the tourbillon and automation, the oil pump remains extremely easy to read and legible, once you pinpoint the time.

Obviously, the main talking point of this watch is the oil pump automation. To engage the automation, you simply press the button on the top right side of the case. When done you will see the oil derrick at work, with the automation lasting an impressive 35 seconds.

Look, Jacob & Co. is an interesting watch brand that is unabashedly itself. They are not for everyone, and pretty much every watch they make is out of my price-point. But I appreciate them for what they do and do well. You don’t see many brands willing to make watches like the Astronomia or Oil Pump. And their Astronomia Art pieces include beautifully handcrafted sculptures. I like to think of Jacob & Co. as this interesting mixture of high horology, jewelry and art. Not many brands meld these three genres together so successfully. And I love the new Oil Pump because Jacob & Co. is listening to industry trends and sizing down (in their own way) in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the brand’s identity

How much does the Jacob & Co. Oil Pump 44mm Cost?

The Jacob & Co. Oil Pump in rose gold is limited to just 88 pieces and retails for $280,000 USD. Learn more about it at Jacob & Co.’s website.