The Corum luxury watch brand have released many distinctive and eye catching timepieces. Regarded by many in the watch industry to be innovators of design, Corum watches have often produced unconventional, extravagant models but in the portfolio of this luxury brand you will also discover intricate and captivating artistic pieces, highly collectable and undeniably charming. Founded in 1955 in La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland, the first Corum watch, the Charge D'Affaires was presented in 1956.
One collection in the brand's portfolio has become synonymous with the brand, the now iconic Corum Admiral's Cup. First released in 1960 its beautifully crafted square "Caree" case form bears no resemblance to the shape of the modern day Admiral's Cup watch. The watch was named Admiral's Cup as a reference to its water resistance - an innovative feature in a square watch case design.
In the early 1980's the Corum Admiral's Cup watch was to shed its gold Caree skin as part of a radical new design when it became commercial sponsors of yacht racing. As a celebration of the Admiral's Cup Regatta Offshore Yacht Race (a biannual international event considered by many to be the pinnacle of offshore yacht racing) the Corum brand re-launched the collection. The re-birth of the piece featured a rounded 12 sided case with brightly coloured nautical pennants decorating the bezel.
The watch became a Corum classic - an instantly recognised piece of jewellery which needs no introduction. The Admiral's Cup has been updated over the years producing some highly functional, intelligently designed models. One of these, the astonishing Admiral's Cup Marrees (tides) featured high and low tides function along with current strengths and lunar cycle - complications which stay true to its ocean-going offshore racing heritage. It also contained the first in-house Caliber CO277 movement. The Admiral's Cup Tides 44 Regatta is a highly collectable piece in the collection. Limited to 250 pieces and featuring hours, minutes, sweep seconds, date, moon phase, tides and strengths of tides, the watch is not only functional but a timelessly classical piece of jewellery. The 44mm case is crafted in rose gold which contrasts beautifully with those famous coloured nautical pennants. An exhibition caseback reveals its movement the remarkable CO277 and it is a certified chronometer (C.O.S.C.) meaning that it is an extremely accurate watch, one with a deviation of no more than 5 seconds a day. The watch band, a tactile combination of rose gold and rubber completes this impressive timepiece.
The Admiral's Cup Regatta Yacht Race has been of recent years a much missed event and at the time of writing, the Royal Ocean Racing Club are hoping to revive the event for 2011. Its name-sake jewellery equivalent - the Admiral's Cup watch has remained a core part of the Corum brand and hopefully there will be many more incarnations of this special piece to come in the future.
Great prices on luxury watches can be found at Chronolux.com and if you enjoyed this brief overview of the brand, then I would recommend that you visit the The WatchPress for more historical features and Corum watch reviews.
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