Jacob & Co. Palatial Minute Repeater returns for 2026

In the photographs, the exposed tourbillon forms a pale circle against the red-tinted machinery, giving a busy face a clear point of focus.

Jacob & Co. is making 12 pieces for its 40th anniversary. Each stands for a year since the original Palatial’s introduction in 2014. In its anniversary press release, the brand describes that model as its first minute repeater. The musical watches that followed include the Opera Godfather, with a mechanical music box playing the film’s theme.

Red crystal and rose gold

The red mineral-crystal dial creates a distinct layer over the movement. Wheels and other components remain visible through it, while the gold markers stand above the surface. That separation gives the colour a practical role in the design, helping distinguish the time display from the mechanism below.

A small rose-gold treble clef decorates the dial. The skeletonised hands take their shape from a metronome, extending the musical references into the time display. Around them, a broad polished bezel and curved lugs frame the dial, with the matching red strap visible between the lugs.

Hours, quarters and minutes

The repeater sounds the time on demand. Pushing the slide in the side of the case supplies the energy for the striking sequence. Once the slide is released, two hammers strike two cathedral gongs.

The sequence follows a simple count.

• A low note for each hour.
• A high-low pair for each completed quarter-hour.
• A high note for each minute after the last quarter-hour.

At ten twenty-three, that means ten low notes, one paired chime and eight high notes. Inside the movement, racks determine the strike count from stepped cams known as snails. These cams encode the hours, quarters and minutes.

The cathedral gongs are longer than conventional gongs and extend around the movement. Jacob & Co. describes a manual process of shaping, hardening, tuning and installing the gongs. The watchmaker listens while making the final adjustments.

Calibre JCCM04

The hand-wound JCCM04 replaces the original JCBM03. Its flying tourbillon has a redesigned cage and completes one rotation a minute. The sapphire caseback provides a view of the gongs, hammers and striking mechanism, according to the release.

A centrifugal governor controls the pace of the chime. Jacob & Co. says the new version operates silently, keeping the governor’s mechanical noise out of the striking sequence.

Price and availability

Production. Jacob & Co.'s 2026 press release states a limited edition of 12 pieces.

Retail. $390,000, as of Oct 2026 (launch price as the press release states it, no tax basis given)