At Watches & Wonders, a $20M Watch Makes Its Debut
Jacob & Co.’s new “Billionaire” timepiece features more than 200 carats of yellow diamonds.

Unveiled at a special event on the first day of Watches & Wonders Geneva, happening now, the “Billionaire Timeless Treasure” features 216.89 carats of fancy yellow and fancy intense yellow Asscher-cut diamonds.
It took the company three-and-a-half years to acquire the stones necessary for the Billionaire Timeless Treasure. A total of 880 carats of rough yellow diamonds were cut to the nearly 217 carats utilized in the final product.
Even the skeleton tourbillion movement has some bling, with its 57 yellow baguette-cut diamonds.
“We browsed the entire world for three-and-a-half years in search of an unprecedented number of perfect gems,” Jacob & Co. CEO Benjamin Arabov said.
“We gathered them here, in our Geneva headquarters, where each one was scrutinized at rough stage, at cut stage, before and after setting. The incredible work done by our gem setters happened entirely here, in Geneva. We’ve combined our expertise in high jewelry with our skills in high watchmaking and used our drive to achieve what has never been done before.”
The Billionaire Timeless Treasure is the first Jacob & Co. “Billionaire” watch rendered in colored diamonds.
The style first launched in 2015 as a bespoke piece and, like its newest model, took years to produce.
Priced at $18 million, it featured 239 emerald-cut diamonds and Jacob & Co.’s signature skeleton tourbillon also utilized in the Billionaire Timeless Treasure.
Billionaire II featured 424 diamonds totaling 161 carats. For the first time, Jacob & Co. included baguette-cut diamonds on the movement, which is repeated in the Billionaire Timeless Treasure.
Another version of the Billionaire featured 714 white baguette-cut diamonds and was offered in a limited edition of 18 timepieces, while an additional style had 134 rubies set on the flange, movement, and crown.
In 2021, Jacob & Co. introduced Billionaire Ashoka, then Billionaire Ashoka Smaller, with a smaller case and bracelet but no shortage of diamonds. It featured 480 Ashoka-cut diamonds totaling more than 100 carats and was released in a limited edition of 18.
Jacob & Co. said the Billionaire Timeless Treasure required a team of 10 to acquire, sort, and cut the gemstones, with the largest diamonds in the final timepiece weighing as much as 2.5 carats.
An additional group of 15 people worked to craft the yellow gold watch structure, set the gems in an invisible style, and encase the watch movement.
“It all seemed impossible,” Head of Gemology Watch Production Seraina Wicht said.
“One, to lay our hands on so many gems of so rare a color and so large. Two, to have all gems meet our demands at the rough, pre-cut stage. Three, to maintain color consistence after cutting. And four, to cut every single one of them so they would fit into their designated place, their little bed of yellow gold. Jacob & Co. challenged itself like never before.”
Wicht said the rarity of yellow diamonds in comparison to white was part of the challenge, with parcels of only a few stones maximum trickling in at a time. Often the team went weeks without receiving a single diamond that was up to their standards.
Additionally, Asscher-cut diamonds have 57 facets and require larger rough diamonds than the average brilliant cut, Wicht noted.
Ultimately, the largest yellow diamonds went to the watch’s case, with 46 stones totaling 55.15 carats.
The large amount of waste from the 880 carats of rough diamonds was due to the need to precisely match each stone’s color, the company explained.
Adding to the colorful story is an array of 76 tsavorite garnets framing the clear dial that reveals the caliber JCAM39 skeleton movement.
The garnets were custom cut into emerald and kite shapes.
The Latest

Mark and Candy Udell of London Jewelers will receive the honor at the 24th annual Gem Awards next March.

While struggles continue at the mining and trading end of the pipeline, consumer demand for diamond jewelry is holding steady.

The “Fantasia” jewelry collection turns the intaglio animals from her “Close Encounters” collection into 3D characters.

As a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.

JSA has received reports of mobs swarming jewelry stores, driving cars into the storefront or smashing through the windows.


The “Kashmir” collection features centuries-old craft techniques made in collaboration with the region’s master papier-mâché artisans.

Creative Director Erica Bianchini shared why the jeweler is looking to expand into the U.S. and how it’s putting Canadian craftsmanship on the map.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

Two Los Angeles Fire Department stations plan to use the donations to upgrade their equipment and tools.

Next week, the auction house will kick off a selling exhibition of jewelry by British artist Hannah Martin and Coldplay’s Guy Berryman.

“Stolen: Heist of the Century” is based on “Flawless,” the book about the middle-of-the-night theft, and will debut on Netflix in August.

Emmanuel Raheb shares the top five gifting moments outside of major holidays that jewelers should build marketing campaigns around.

The wholesale trade show’s Luxury Lifestyle section will showcase established and emerging jewelry designers.

As demand for custom jewelry grows, the company is expanding its services to support retailers.

The mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers is slated for Aug. 9 to 10 on Zoom.

Graduated stones make for elevated tennis-style pieces and dramatic statement necklaces.

Nominations in the categories of Jewelry Design, Media Excellence, and Retail Innovation will be accepted through July 30.

He retired last month after 28 years traveling the world to source the very best gemstones for his family’s jewelry business, Oscar Heyman.

The charm necklace features six nautical charms of shells and coral that founder Christina Puchi collected on Florida’s beaches.

The organization elected its youngest vice president as it looks to draw in fresh talent.

Campbell joins the company as vice president of business development while Liebler is the new vice president of operations.

The medals feature a split-texture design highlighting the Games’ first time being hosted by two cities and the athletes’ journeys.

Sponsored by The INSTORE Jewelry Show 2025

Globally, travel and transportation brands reigned, while in the U.S., alcoholic beverage companies and a lingerie brand took the top spots.

The Brooklyn-based jewelry designer is remembered as a true artist and a rare talent.

Production at the mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories topped 1 million carats in Q2, the third consecutive quarter of growth.

A new slate of Learning Workshops will take place in Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Georgia.