Street culture is becoming ever more a part of the luxury brand world, and now, New York watchmakers Jacob & Co. have unveiled the first timepiece in its recently-announced partnership with graffiti artist Alec Monopoly: The Astronomia Alec Monopoly.
“It’s the perfect setting for my art and a watch made for true collectors to wear," Monopoly is quoted in a press release. "My hope is this is a watch that gets passed down generations with the same passion and pride as a masterpiece original artwork."
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The Astronomia Alec Monopoly blends the artist's interpretation of street culture with the Astronomia's four-arm vertical movement. The watch retails for $600,000 and is limited to just nine pieces.
The luxury, hand-sculpted watch is crafted in 18-karat rose gold, with a sapphire crystal dome and four sapphire windows that create a transparent view of the entire structure and inner-workings of the piece. Most striking of all is the spinning, 1-carat Jacob Cut diamond with 288 facets. It completes one rotation every 60 seconds, marking the time and completing a picture of the night sky with shining stars.
Across from the diamond spins a magnesium, hand-lacquered globe of the Earth. A double-axis tourbillon finishes its first rotation in 60 seconds and a second rotation in five minutes. The timepiece also boasts miniature pop figures of Monopoly's most famous character situated among two differential gears systems. All the characters are designed by Monopoly and then resized through CAD renderings.
“I love the juxtaposition of my youthful cartoon characters, brought to life with bright and vivid colors in a timeless watch with stunning complications,” Monopoly says. “This is by far the smallest scale ‘canvas’ I have ever painted. Every element, brushstroke and color choice needed to be carefully thought out and perfectly executed. My street art murals are often free flowing and wild, but given the intricacies and meticulous mechanics within these watches, I needed to approach the creative process with much more precision and patience.”
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The collection includes Monopoly’s interpretation of Scrooge McDuck which holds a bright green money bag with gold coins lying at his feet. On the other side, a dollar sculpture is painted with the Jacob & Co. logo in diamonds. One figurine, which is inspired by “The Monopoly Man," is a top-hatted character holding his money in the shape of wings. Another top-hatted man with a white mustache is placed on the opposite side with a melting pink ice cream dollar sign.
“Jacob's watches are works of art," Monopoly says. "Combining my art with his incredible watches is something that has never been done before. To have 3D sculptors inside a watch is just amazing and beautiful to me."
See more of the watch in the video below and learn more about the limited release Astronomia Alec Monopoly via Jacobandco.com.
Photography by: Courtesy Jacob & Co.
