Jacob & Co. H24 Five Time Zone, 2010s

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

If you’re a constant traveler, a dual-time watch is one of the handiest pieces of kit you can keep on your person. But if two time zones are handy, then five would be positively life-altering, no? Well, there’s one way to find out: Strap on the Jacob & Co. H24, which does, in fact, display the time in five separate locations simultaneously — with a mechanical movement! When Jacob Arabo came to the U.S.A. from the U.S.S.R, his father gifted him a timepiece that displayed two time zones against a gold-plated map of the world. Thus, the idea of the Five Time Zone was born, which Arabo ultimately learned to execute following hard work apprenticing in jewelry design and watchmaking. Originally a quartz watch — the Swiss initially refused to work with him — Arabo eventually found suppliers and began making a mechanical version. This particular H24 Five Time Zone is indeed a Swiss-made marvel: Housed in an imposing 47mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a polished bezel, and five (!) signed crowns, it features a handsome, sunburst blue dial with applied ‘Roman’ indices, a date window at 3 o’clock, and four subdials displaying the time in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Tokyo, each of which is calibrated in 24-hour time. A bright red “feuille” handset rounds out the dial, ensuring good legibility despite the multitude of time-telling displays. Powering this incredible ensemble of time-tellers is an automatic ETA A07.111 movement adjusted to display five time zones. Paired to a blue alligator leather strap with a signed, stainless steel deployant clasp and dating to the 2010s, it’s the type of watch that’s going to spark questions from passersby, so be prepared!