The Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo “Fast & Furious” Limited Edition

One thing in the world of watchmaking by Jacob & Co. is certain: extravagance is key. The same could be said about the Fast & Furious movie franchise. In twenty years, the blockbuster saga has moved on from what it originally was, a cult movie about illegal street racing set in the US, and has morphed into one of the biggest grossing franchises in cinematic history. Taking inspiration from the nine Fast & Furious movies so far, the Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo “Fast & Furious” is a stunner of an automotive-inspired watch.

For those not familiar with what the movie saga really is about, a bit of background is helpful. In 2001, the first The Fast & The Furious movie hit the screens focusing on car culture in the US. Specifically, it revolved around tuning and modifying Japanese cars like the Nissan Skyline and Toyota Supra to take part in illegal street races. The movie was about an undercover police officer infiltrating a group of street racers to try and find out who’s responsible for several high-profile heists and robberies. The plot wasn’t all that complicated really, yet the way it depicted car culture was new. It propelled the aftermarket tuning business into the stratosphere. No wonder several sequels followed, all depicting different aspects of the underground world of street racing and car culture.

Fast-forward twenty years and the franchise has broken with its street racing origins and now focuses on over-the-top action instead, mostly revolving around the same group of people from earlier movies. What remained though were the high-performance cars from all parts of the world; supercars, tuner cars, muscle cars, off-roaders. The franchise is made up of nine movies, a spin-off movie, an animation series, video games and much more. It also shows no signs of slowing down as a tenth movie has been confirmed already. In twenty years it has become one of the biggest grossing movie franchises with a gross income of more than USD 5.8 billion.

It comes as no surprise then, that extravagant watch manufacturer Jacob & Co. has created a superbly complicated watch dedicated to the Fast & Furious franchise. The Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo “Fast & Furious” is based on the Twin Turbo Furious we already know, but has been given a cosmetic makeover. The smoked sapphire crystal dial now features a stylised image inspired by the original 2001 The Fast & The Furious movie. A starting girl with checkered flags is ready to launch two street racers in what seems like a Dodge Charger and Toyota Supra, a nod to one of the most famous scenes from the movie.

 

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The automotive theme doesn’t end there. The two high-speed triple-axis tourbillon escapements provide an incredible visual spectacle, with a fuel gauge-style power reserve indicator nestled in between the two. The ultra-complex in-house mechanical movement was the first to combine two triple-axis tourbillons with a decimal minute repeater, a mono-pusher chronograph and a mechanical time reference indicator. The latter can be set at the crown and displays the difference between the set time and actual elapsed time when timing an event like a street race. Negative and positive deviations are indicated on the pit-board track. We’ve explained the complex mechanics of the Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo in detail in a previous article.

All this is set in a fairly huge case, constructed of titanium and forged carbon. The case is made of 88 individual components and measures 57mm by 52mm and 17mm in height. On the right side of the case, you have a hand-crank winding crown with an integrated chronograph pusher. This crown also allows you to set the reference time indication, shown in a vintage racing pit-board style. On the other side of the case is the slider to actuate the decimal minute repeater, with two hammers striking the gongs to indicate time. Of course, the entire movement is covered by a large, curved sapphire crystal on top and a tinted flat sapphire crystal on the back. The crystal on the caseback is decorated with a Fast & Furious Twin Turbo print in white.

The limited edition by Jacob & Co. is a collaboration with Universal Studios, the production company behind the series of movies. Dedicated to the Fast & Furious saga, only nine pieces will be made. It will launch alongside the ninth movie, set to premiere on 25 June 2021. It comes with a black leather strap and titanium folding buckle. Price is yet to be confirmed but expected to be north of USD 500,000. The Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti “La Montre Noir” was a one-off million-dollar deal, roughly double the price of the original Twin Turbo Furious presented in 2018.

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