Haute horology meets conservation: The Jacob & Co Vantara for Anant Ambani

If Reliance scion Anant Ambani is well-known for his bespoke luxury watch collection, here is another one as the jewel in his crown, or his watch drawer with several ones inside. Jacob & Co, known well for its larger-than-life kind of luxury watches, recently unveiled another one called Vantara with Anant himself placed right in the middle of the dial. The watch costs around $1.5 million.

According to an Instagram post by the watch brand, the centre of the dial, with a hand-painted figurine of Anant Ambani, is surrounded by finely detailed depiction of a lion and a Bengal tiger. The brand used its skills to create foliage motifs using demantoid garnets, tsavorites, green sapphires, and white diamonds. 

Each stone was cut and set by hand creating depth, contrast and organic movement. The brand used in total about 397 gemstones reaching a combined weight of 21.98 carats. This edition of the watchmaker’s masterpiece was created as a tribute to Anant’s wildlife rescue and conservation initiative Vantara, tipped to be the world’s biggest such initiative. 

Known for its innovative complications and out of the box designs, Jacob & Co watches are worn by the elite and celebrities alike such as Elton John, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham, Pharrell Williams, Michael Jordan, and Salma Hayek, to mention a few.

The watchmaker has partnered with several celebrities in the past including Indian actor Salman Khan, celebrity football player Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil Abloh, FC Barcelona and had partnered with films such as The Godfather, Scarface, Batman and luxury automobile brand Bugatti. Such partnerships have resulted in special limited edition luxury watches.

Jacob & Co shot to fame for many reasons in the world of luxury. One of its most famous collections is Astronomia with its multi-axis tourbillons that create a “galaxy” on the wrist and are well-known for their gravitational pull, and three-dimensional celestial movements. 

Another well-known creation is the Bugatti Chiron tourbillon with high complications. 

Founded by Jacob Arabo--often called 'Jacob, the jeweller’ because of the extensive use of big stones on the watches--in New York in 1986, soon the brand became a huge hit among pop artists and later among film stars, sports stars, in films and among all luxury consumers. 

For Arabo, it’s always about creating something unique and never seen before. "I have to create. My dream has always been to invent things that haven’t been done before. It’s about making the impossible a reality," he has said. And the Vantara edition certainly is one such marvel, something that no one has seen before.

In bringing together haute horology, personal storytelling, and a powerful conservation message, the Vantara watch transcends its role as a luxury accessory. It stands as a rare example of how craftsmanship and conscience can coexist--where time is not only measured, but meaningfully celebrated.