Jacob & Co. debuts a new Billionaire Double Tourbillon paved with proprietary 'angel‑cut' diamonds

The cut came first. Before the 18k white gold case, before the 18-piece edition, before the $3.4 million price tag, Jacob Arabo spent two years developing a new diamond geometry in-house, one that would carry his wife Angela's name and encode 37 years of marriage in its 37 precisely engineered facets. The angel cut is now a registered patent and the centerpiece of the Billionaire Double Tourbillon Angel Cut, a watch that marks the brand's 40th anniversary by introducing the first proprietary diamond cut since Jacob & Co.'s 288-facet Jacob cut twelve years ago.

Understanding what the angel cut changes visually requires understanding what it replaced. Previous Billionaire editions used emerald and Asscher cuts, both step-cut geometries that prioritise a deep, reflective hall-of-mirrors effect over fire and brightness. The angel cut takes a different approach: its lozenge-shaped table and stepped rectangular outline with cut corners are designed to maximise light return from a rectangular stone without the yield losses associated with brilliant-cut rounding. The practical outcome is a stone that delivers more dimensional brightness than a baguette while retaining the crisp, linear architecture that defines Jacob & Co.'s setting language.

That language is applied across 298 white diamonds totalling approximately 79 carats. The 54mm by 41mm case in 18k white gold carries 98 angel-cut stones (51.13 carats); the dial adds 88 more angel cuts (11 carats) alongside 80 baguette-cut diamonds (1.14 carats); a further 30 angel-cut stones (approximately 15.72 carats) complete the composition. Of the 298 total diamonds, 216 are angel cut, all set using Jacob & Co.'s invisible-setting technique. The two flying tourbillon apertures, positioned at 12 and 6 o'clock, are the only interruptions in this stone-to-stone surface.

Inside is the hand-wound JCAM50 calibre, running at 3Hz with a 72-hour power reserve and driving two independent one-minute flying tourbillons. A sapphire caseback makes the mechanics visible from the reverse. The watch is paired with a blue alligator strap and a diamond-set white gold clasp. "Launching the angel cut within this platform was a deliberate decision," CEO Benjamin Arabov said. "When you develop a patented cut designed to redefine how a diamond interacts with light, it deserves a stage of equal intensity."

For anyone considering this as a gift, the practicalities are inseparable from the spectacle. At $3.4 million across an edition of 18 pieces, specialist insurance is not optional; Lloyd's-style coverage for a gem-set tourbillon should be arranged before delivery, not after. Jacob & Co. provides provenance documentation and a numbered certificate of authenticity for each piece; verify these are physically transferred with the watch. For servicing, the JCAM50's twin tourbillons will require factory attention on a recommended five-to-seven-year cycle, and only Jacob & Co.'s atelier holds the certified expertise for a movement of this complexity. Request the full service history documentation at point of sale, even on a brand-new reference, and confirm the brand's aftercare programme covers the gem-set surfaces, which demand a different restoration protocol than a standard polished case.

The angel cut is positioned as the foundation of a new design language at Jacob & Co., not a one-time deployment. For a $3.4 million object limited to 18 examples worldwide, that declared continuity is as significant to long-term value as the carats themselves.