The Jacob & Co The Godfather II, a Spectacular Double Melody Musical Timepiece

Jacob & Co has followed a truly extraordinary trajectory within the Swiss watchmaking landscape, standing apart through the very nature of its creations. The brand is renowned for pieces that are strikingly expressive in their design yet equally arresting for their technical sophistication and complexity. Among the many remarkable creations unveiled by the brand, one holds particular significance: the Godfather. First released in 1972, Francis Ford Coppola’s crime family saga is considered one of the greatest and most influential movies of all time. The epic cinematic portrait of the Corleones is an absolute masterpiece, crowned by three Oscars and seven Golden Globes. Inspired by a memorable line from The Godfather film, “I believe in America”, often associated with ambition and destiny, it resonated deeply with Jacob Arabo upon his arrival in the United States and became a symbolic foundation for this timepiece… Although movie sequels are often disappointing, Coppola’s Godfather Part II lived up to – and in many eyes, even surpassed – the original. Now, just days before the Geneva Watch Week, Jacob and Co introduces a new interpretation of its Godfather watch, which, much like its predecessor, is both surprising and truly arresting – a word that feels entirely appropriate to describe its blend of visual spectacle… and musical performance.

“When I first came to the USA from Uzbekistan in 1979, I was 14 years old, didn’t speak the language, and my family didn’t have a penny to its name. So we went to work really hard. It took me two years to earn the time and money to go to the movies. The Godfather was being released again; it was the first movie I saw in a theatre.” Jacob Arabo.

The new version of the Jacob Godfather reinterprets the themes of the original edition – you can check, for instance, the version unveiled in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of the film’s release. Much like that earlier piece, this creation combines a spectacular movement regulated by a tourbillon with an integrated musical function. The look is yet radically different with smaller dimensions (still substantial at 42mm x 44mm which does not come as a surprise given the complexity of its movement) and a sleek, curved, rectangular case rather than a round one. Under the hood, instead of a triple-axis tourbillon, you get a flying tourbillon… but the Godfather II can play not one but two melodies. It can now sound not only “The Godfather Love Theme” but also “The Godfather’s Waltz”, the two world-famous compositions created by Nino Rota for Coppola’s masterpiece. 

Wristwatches incorporating musical mechanisms are already rare. Those capable of playing two distinct melodies, however, are truly exceptional. Another rare example was the Opera III watch by Girard-Perregaux (made with Christophe Claret), which likewise offered the ability to play two melodies. More recently, the Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie was the first watch to chime the time with two different melodies… Inside the Jacob and Co Godfather II’s JCAM62 calibre lies a sophisticated miniature music box, engineered with a precision-tuned steel comb and a pin-studded brass cylinder. The comb features 18 distinct teeth that vibrate to create specific notes based on their varying lengths. To switch between the two programmed melodies, a selector mechanism shifts the cylinder laterally by less than a millimetre. When the music is activated, a small lid lifts on the dial side. It reveals the drum rolling and playing the melody, creating a particularly captivating display.

To bring this rather astonishing spectacle to life, the rose gold case is fitted with two push pieces. The pusher at 8 o’clock activates the melody that play for 15-20 seconds. The pusher at 10 o’clock is a selector allowing to switch from one melody to the other while the active tune is indicated in a rectangular cut out in the black lacquer dial.

The crown features spiral grooves inspired by a gun barrel, the case band is richly engraved with Don Corleone’s rose motif. Under the curved, dome sapphire crystal, the ink-black lacquer dial is emblazoned with a portrait of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone as well as the movie’s signature puppet strings. The back of the watch is engraved with bullet holes and features a piano-shaped sapphire opening that allows you to discover the music box comb inside as well as a plate engraved with The Godfather Love Theme’s actual score.

Comprising no fewer than 510 parts (excluding the music drum pins), the hand-wound JCAM62 is a rectangular movement measuring 36mm x 37mm. It is regulated by a flying tourbillon ticking at 21,600vph. The movement incorporates two barrels, one for time indication with 72 hours of power reserve and one for the music box with 8 to 10 activations of the melodies. Each is wound in a different direction via the crown. The end of their respective power reserve is signalled through two round openings at 4 o’clock for the movement (gear symbol/blinds) and 8 o’clock for the melody (rose/music note).

The Jacob and Co Godfather II comes on a black alligator leather strap. It is secured to the wrist by a rose gold folding buckle, released by a pair of pushers. This tourbillon – twin melody musical watch is released in a limited edition of 74 pieces, a nod the release year of the Godfather II movie. It retails for USD 440,000. For more details, please visit www.jacobandco.com