"One of those rare sequels as strong as the original" : Jacob & Co unveils The Godfather II

If you know the brand Jacob & Co, there's a good chance you know it for The Godfather. A watch dedicated to the 1972 film of the same name, the model became iconic for its construction, which featured a three-axis tourbillon, a music box which played the theme from the movie, and a miniaturised figure of Don Corleone sitting on his chair.

But any fan of that movie will know its sequel was just as impressive. Now, so to is Jacob & Co's, as The Godfather II is unveiled. Redesigned from the ground up, the new model is designed to pack all of the impressive complication into a more wearable case.

That's a rectangular shape, with gentle curves inspired by the Art Deco movement. But while the outside looks more conventional, what sits within is anything but.

Quite literally doubling down on what made the original piece such a hit, the model plays two different pieces of music from the same music box. That's chosen via a pusher at the ten o'clock position, and activated with one sitting at the eight o'clock position.

Each of the melodies plays for 15-20 seconds, and can be repeated up to ten times on a single wind. Speaking about the design, Chairman and Founder of Jacob & Co, Jacob Arabo, said, "We’ve put so much thought and creativity into this second opus that we believe it’s a worthy sequel. We designed a refined, 1930s-inspired case and spent three years developing a movement that could play two melodies while remaining wearable."

For me, that's the best bit here. I've seen and worn some of the magnificent pieces the brand has to offer, and while they're always impressive, they're rarely what you'd call 'wearable'.

This seems much more astute in that way – it's not far removed from the footprint of an Apple Watch, which is seriously impressive given what's going on internally. It's a real win for the brand, and hopefully signals the dawn of a new era, where impressive complications can be married with wearable cases – the best of both worlds!

Priced at US$440,000 (approx. £326,800 / €375,900 / AU$623,800) and limited to just 74 pieces worldwide – a nod to the 1974 release date of the sequel – these are going to be tough to get hold of.