In the vast landscape of the Swiss watchmaking industry, it's easy to forget and lose track of some interesting brands. These are not quite large enough that their constant advertising make them a daily in your face experience. And they are not small enough to catch the collector buzz on Instagram, and other social media venues, which would result in free organic attention.
Montres Corum which started in 1955 in the famed La Chaux-de-Fond in Switzerland is one such brand. During COUTUREtime 2018 in Las Vegas I got an opportunity to visit and see the novelties of Corum, now own by Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewelry Group Limited. I want to briefly discuss and show original photography of three of the main lines novelties.
Corum Admiral Legend 42 Chronograph with blue wood dial
First is the flagship Admiral Legend collection. Coming in various sizes (47, 42, 38, and 32 mm) and with various complications and dial finishing. For 2018 one of the most interesting models for me are the ones with wooden dial. In particular, I really liked the the bronze case and natural brown dial Admiral Legend watch, which gives a cool old-school yacht feel. With its unique dodecagon case with 12 nautical pennants decorating its twelve-sided polygon case, this is a perfect watch for the yachting lifestyle or those who aspire to it.
Corum offers many variations of the Admiral Legend watch and for this year another model I liked was the AC-One 45 Squelette in black PVD titanium case with bright red skeletonized chapter ring date. It's not for everyone but the black and red work perfectly, and the yellow background at 6 o'clock is contrasty and surprisingly effective mix of color to help display the date.
The next collection is a modern version of the watch that originally attracted me to Corum. The new models of the Golden Bridge showcases the legendary linear movement into a round transparent case. The full view of the amazing seemingly squinched down in a baton movement is there for you to admire in rose gold while the watch and the outer bridges are in black PVD. The result is a timepiece that almost serves as a display case for the star of the show in the middle.
Corum is a master at reusing that Golden Bridge and creating variations. The last one I want to mention is my favorite of the bunch and it's the rectangular model. With a slightly domed sapphire case that seems to encircle the movement, it includes roman numeral numbers on the two sides that seem to serve as internal exoskeleton used to hold the whole thing together. It's a new distinctive addition to the classic rectangular case watch that will quickly find a place next to others in the genre like the Cartier Tank and Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso.
Finally, Corum showed me a series of novelties from its fun and hip bubble watch collection. If you have never seen one in person, I'd highly recommend to visit your local authorize dealer. These are 47 mm and 42 mm round watches that include a massive domed sapphire crystal which help create a magnifying glass effect on the dial. And of course, what makes these watches cool are the variety of fun and risqué dials underneath the bubble. There seems to be an infinite collection and variety of these, but all models are limited and some are unique collaborations with famous artists whose works are represented.
In a world full of choices for any kind of good we need, what's one more for the watch we wear? Well, not that simple of a question actually when you think, as is often discussed in watch circles and the smartphone generation, that no one really needs a watch. So if you are amongst the few of us still interested in these mechanical marvels and believe in mechanical craftsmanship and art, another choice from a brand with pedigree creating small collections of unique watches, is actually a welcome new choice. And that's exactly for me what Montres Corum offers. A wrist adornment that will be uncommon and provide satisfaction to the wearer by elevating their style to themselves, their activities, their hobbies, and no one else. corum-watches.com
The Tudor brand of watches is interesting. Not only because they are the watches from the “little sister” brand to the mighty Rolex, but because they have a design language onto themselves that many like and many don’t. While I don’t own a Tudor watch and not many of their models sing to my sensibilities and aesthetic, I always like to see what novelties they produce every year.
At the COUTUREtime show in Las Vegas, I had this exact opportunity. It’s not clear I left with a lust for any of their new watches, but what Tudor showed me was streamlined, strong, well priced, and overall desirable. Let’s take a closer look.