There is a roulette wheel inside this watch. Not a dial designed to look like a roulette wheel — an actual, functioning miniature roulette table, complete with a rolling ball, that spins each time you press the pusher at 4 o'clock. Jacob Arabo has always understood something that the Swiss old guard spent decades pretending not to notice: the people who buy six-figure watches are the same people who own the casino. So he made a watch that contains one.
The Story
Jacob & Co. was founded in New York in 1986, and Jacob Arabo — known simply as "Jacob the Jeweller" — spent his first two decades making celebrities feel like royalty. He has sold timepieces and jewellery to Jay-Z, Elton John, P. Diddy, and a roster of athletes whose combined net worth exceeds the GDP of several European nations. The Casino Tourbillon is the culmination of that philosophy: a watch that is unashamedly, magnificently about excess. The roulette complication was two years in development. The miniature ball — 0.8mm in diameter, hand-crafted from a synthetic ruby — drops into the spinning wheel with a sound that is unmistakably satisfying. Horologically, it is entirely unnecessary. That is precisely the point.
The Mechanism
Underneath the theatre is serious engineering. The manually-wound tourbillon movement runs at 3Hz and delivers a 72-hour power reserve. The one-minute tourbillon cage is positioned at 6 o'clock, rotating in full view through the exhibition caseback. The roulette mechanism sits at 12 o'clock on the dial, occupying roughly 40% of the total surface. The case is machined from grade 5 titanium coated in black DLC — hard enough to resist scratching from anything less than a diamond, light enough that you forget the watch weighs anything at all. The sapphire crystal is double-curved and anti-reflective on both sides. The finishing is immaculate in the way that only occurs when money is no longer a constraint.
On the Wrist
Wearing the Casino Tourbillon in a casino is, frankly, showing off. But showing off in this context is not a character flaw — it is the entire point. The case is large at 47mm, but the ergonomics are surprisingly forgiving. On the wrist, the DLC case reads as a void — black absorbing the low light of a gaming floor — with the roulette wheel catching whatever light exists and redirecting it in the direction of anyone within ten feet. People stop. They ask. You show them the pusher. The ball drops. Nobody goes back to their cards immediately.
“The ball drops. Nobody goes back to their cards immediately.”
How to Acquire It
Jacob & Co. operates boutiques in Geneva, Dubai, Las Vegas, New York, and London. The Casino Tourbillon is a limited production piece; exact numbers are not disclosed but estimates place annual output at under 30 units. Direct purchase through the brand is the only route — buyers rarely sell, so secondary market examples are exceptionally scarce. Expect a waiting period of 6 to 18 months from initial enquiry to delivery. Customisation is available, including the option to engrave the movement's roulette numbers with specific combinations that hold personal significance. The brand's VIP relations team handles these conversations with admirable discretion.
- →Contact Jacob & Co. boutiques directly — no authorised dealer network for this model.
- →Request customisation early: engraving the lucky number sequence adds 3–4 months to lead time.
- →Ask about the exhibition caseback variant, which offers a superior view of the tourbillon cage.
