Look! This watch has a Bugatti W16 engine inside

Bugatti has teamed up with Jacob & Co. to reproduce the iconic Bugatti W16 engine in a timepiece. While automobiles and watches have always shared a special link, what the two companies have done here is attempt to capture the feel, energy, and power of a high-performance car engine within a watch case.

It took almost a full year of development before Jacob & Co. completed the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, designed to honour the Chiron1 and its legendary 16-cylinder engine in a timepiece. The case is inspired by the flowing lines of the Chiron, and the movement, or “engine block,” intended to duplicate the Bugatti engine, is placed under a massive sapphire crystal.

Pushing the right-hand crown of the timepiece, the engine comes to life – the crankshaft turns and the pistons pump up and down, just like a true internal combustion engine. Two “turbochargers” (down from four in the actual Chiron engine) on the side of the engine block spin while the engine runs.

The movement is comprised of 578 components, amounting to a very high level of complication for the development team. The flying tourbillon movement is a completely clean-sheet design. The crankshaft driving the ‘W16’ is one of the smallest and most complicated watch parts ever manufactured, made out of one solid steel piece. The movement is completely suspended in four places, with what looks like the actual shocks from the Chiron. Framing the engine block are two “exhausts,” completing the engine theme of the design.

Beyond the flying tourbillon with the Jacob & Co. logo, the only other branding anywhere on the front of the watch is the subtle EB logo on the engine compartment, where the crankshaft holds 16 pistons. The Jacob & Co. x Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon is a true engine on the wrist.

Bugatti and Jacob & Co. signed a partnership last year to create unique timepieces. To inaugurate this partnership led by performance, two timepieces were created. These watches, based on the Twin Turbo Furious and the Epic X Chrono, were directly inspired by the unique design and spirit of Bugatti hypercars. This year, Bugatti and Jacob & Co. are introducing new watches in the Twin Turbo Furious collection, as well as now the Bugatti Chiron, a completely new line.