Jacob Arabo

“Geneva is the heart of timepiece craftsmanship, where all our fine watches are made and the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues is my favorite hotel in Geneva. We have been exhibiting at the hotel for years, so it is the perfect place to begin our boutique expansion in Europe.”

“It is a very complicated new timepiece. Additionally, whereas in the previous Astronomia, there were three crystal windows, this watch is fitted with one entire piece of sapphire, allowing for views all the way around. It also features a three dimensional Earth globe in the center. It … is unbelievable.”

“I have not yet begun to create.”

“I have my hand in every aspect of the business. From the materials of the boxes to the choice of colours in our boutiques to the movement designs and the marketing, I review and approve everything. Because my name is on the company, I can’t afford to delegate many of these decisions about design, quality, and more. I am especially involved with our Instagram account. I love being able to communicate directly with our clients and fans.”

“I think people are so amazed by our designs and our unique ideas that they don’t realize how advanced our watchmaking is. In the Astronomia, for example, we took what had been a flat tourbillon and made it vertical, and made it turn around the dial. Still, however, it is rooted in traditional watchmaking. We take traditional Swiss watchmaking and turn it on its head.”

“I am very proud that I have been able to build a company with almost 35 years of history, with two headquarters, one in New York City and one in Geneva. I am proud that I have been able to assemble a team of the finest professionals in the watch industry.”

“I wear all the watches we produce, mostly as a test so I can live with them before we bring them out. Aside from that, the watch I wear the most is the Astronomia, as that is the most important watch to my company. It revolutionized high watchmaking and now we make a number of different versions of this model.”

“When I was just a boy, my father gave me a world time watch and I was fascinated by it. I think this is what led me to develop the Five Time Zone watch, that really started our watchmaking journey.”

“During a challenging time, I realized the full potential of my team, who stood up to the plate in an incredible fashion.”

“Our collaboration with Donnie Yen highlights the creative spirit that has become synonymous with Jacob & Co. Donnie Yen embodies the style and spirit of the Jacob & Co lifestyle.”

“Since he was 18 years old. He came to buy a piece of jewelry from me that cost $1,200 and he chiseled me down to $900. I always believed in Pharrell and I knew he was going to grow in the music industry, so I introduced him to the Japanese designer, Nigo. Then [they] became partners and that opened up many doors for Pharrell. Then he totally took off.”

“After we made the Five Time Zone, with five time zones and a world map, I received phone calls from Italian, French, Russian, Japanese and Chinese distributors to buy watches. To me, that was a great achievement, because we were an American company, making watches in Switzerland without a Swiss office. I now have a Geneva office with 10 staff members including engineers, graphic designers and a sales team.”

“I want to create things that haven’t been done before. It’s about making the impossible a reality.”

“Diamonds are this big sign of success. When you wear them, you feel good and when people look at you, they love it, they compliment you; that’s show business.”