10.01.2021
There was a time when you were wondering why there’s ever a demand for wristwatches depicting famous landmarks on planet earth. Well, now you know. Travelling has been temporarily halted for most folks and there’s little sign that we’d be visiting new (or fave) haunts in 2021. Perhaps these wristwatches are all we have at the moment as a reminder of those fond memories of being somewhere else. Watchmakers likely first made these as a souvenir of sorts, giving tourists new reasons to take home something that isn’t another snow globe or fridge magnet. Often depicted on the dial using a high-level of enamelling or engraving, these art dials are the fanciest memories that money can buy. Whether it is a painting of Lake Geneva in Switzerland or the Wat Arun in Thailand, watchmakers have found reasons to honour some of the most beautiful sceneries that we have perhaps taken for granted. But what’s possibly the craziest version you can pay top dollar for? Jacob & Co. unveiled what it calls Astronomia Art in which it sets hand-engraved and hand-painted miniature world landmarks on the dial like it is a Monopoly board. This scenery supports its double-axis tourbillon movement that might not even be the showiest part of the wristwatch. Jacob & Co. touts this as a unique piece and builds each one according to the specifications of the owner. Well, for some this could be a way of expensing all of your annual travelling budget.