Corum (watchmakers)
Montres Corum Sàrl, commonly referred to as Corum, is a Swiss luxury brand and watch manufacturer established and based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Canton of Neuchâtel. Founded in 1955 by René Bannwart, Corum displays a determination to position itself at the forefront of the Swiss watch industry. Adopting creativity and boldness as its guiding principles, Corum is recognized for the aesthetic appeal of its models and its technical excellence.
 | |
| Industry | Watch, Luxury goods |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | René Bannwart |
| Headquarters | Rue du Petit-Château 1, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel , Switzerland |
Key people | Management Committee |
| Parent | Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Ltd |
| Website | www |
The company, managed by a management committee of three diverse leaders, is owned by Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited together with Ernest Borel and Eterna.
History
The adventure began with René Bannwart. With his strong entrepreneurial spirit and watchmaking experience acquired from the most prestigious watch manufacturers, he founded his brand and created Corum in 1955 with his uncle Gaston Ries and his niece Simone Ries in La Chaux-De-Fonds, also known as the capital of the watchmaking industry.
Corum was first located in the Rue Des Parcs. Today, Corum is located at Rue du Petit-Château.
Behind the many technical achievements (baguette movement of the Golden Bridge) and aesthetic achievements (Coin Watch, Feather, Bubble), Corum continues the tradition of high-quality watchmaking that is ahead of its time.
To offer unconventional watches that differ in design and quality, soon after its establishment, Corum introduced a watch made out of a $20 Double Eagle gold coin, which was an instant best-seller. This became one of its signature pieces.
Corum's current collections – Admiral, Golden Bridge, Heritage, Bubble, and LAB – feature innovative and distinctive designs and are equipped with sophisticated mechanical movements.
Founder
René Bannwart is a longtime fixture in the watch industry. He created the Corum brand in 1955, after having written major pages, firstly at Patek Philippe where he entered in 1933, then at Omega where he created and runs the first creation department, behind the iconic Constellation model. An adept at streamlining, he brings out other striking models under his own colors: the Sans Heures, a watch without index whereby only the position of the hands indicates the time; the Romvlvs, whereby the hours in Roman numerals are engraved on the bezel; in 1960, the Admiral’s Cup, the first water-resistant square watch which became dodecagonal in 1983, referring to the 12 water flames; finally, the Coin Watch, a watch without cover whereby the extra-flat movement is put in an authentic gold coin.
In January 2010 its founder René Bannwart, died at the age of 95.
Organization
In January 2000, Corum was acquired by a new owner and CEO, Severin Wunderman, who built up a multi-million dollar business in luxury watches.
Severin brought to Corum, his daring and innovative designs that would once again prove successful. Severin launched a new Bubble collection made up of original designs, by bringing his contemporary vision of the classic watchmaking universe. He also re-launched the legendary Admiral’s Cup and Romvlvs lines giving them new identities and purpose.
On 25 June 2008, Severin Wunderman died at the age of 69.
In April 2013, Corum was purchased by Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited (formerly China Haidian Holdings Limited Group).
Models
Admiral (formerly Admiral's Cup)
The Admiral's Cup, now referred to as Admiral was introduced in 1960 in homage to the Admiral's Cup race, first held in 1957. The Admiral embodies Corum's idea of maritime watchmaking. This first watch was square, water resistant, and had a sailboat engraved on the back. It had little resemblance to the current Corum Admiral watches with their twelve-sided (dodecagon) case design and nautical pennants as hour markers decorating the face.
Over the years, it has transformed to become a modern-day icon that embraces the lifestyle attitude made for today’s navigators and sailors of life.
Bubble
Created by the owner of the brand at the time, Severin Wunderman introduced the Bubble in 2000, which is a unique creation with a size and shape totally unprecedented in watchmaking. It had an unusual huge sapphire glass face, and the domed sapphire crystal gives the timepiece an interesting, oversized look, and a playful twist on proportions to give a wider view of the watch face. This iconic feature makes it one of the most recognizable watches of its time, and over the years, the collection continues to showcase the brand's creativity, and boldness in design and high watchmaking industry.
The line was available in various sizes but now is available in 47mm. It was produced from the beginning of the 2000s to the end of the decade. In 2015, this line was reintroduced with different materials.
Buckingham
Released in the 1960s, the model is still produced. Part of the "dress" line of the brand, the model currently features a square 37mm x 37mm case, equipped with either an alligator leather strap or stainless steel Corum-branded mesh integrated into the case. The model is available with either a quartz movement or a manually-wound ETA (Peseux) 7001 movement. Some older models are available with automatic movements. Dials use index markers or English/French wording.
Golden Bridge
Introduced in 1980, the Golden Bridge collection is a testament to the beautiful coexistence of mechanics and art. The Golden Bridge is Corum's flagship complication model and remains a benchmark with its unique baguette movement placed in the centre of a transparent sapphire crystal case.
In the first release, the Golden Bridge has four sapphire sides which offer a view of the linear movement, which appears to be floating in mid-air, held only by the gold bridge that names this watch.
Heritage
Every timepiece in the Heritage collection has a story to tell, and pays tribute to traditional watchmaking reinterpreted by Corum. The timepieces under the Heritage collection include the Coin Watch and Romvlvs.
Romvlvs
The Romvlvs timepiece was created by accident. In 1966, when CORUM received the dials for its new creation Romvlvs in the run-up to the Baselworld show, the hour markers were missing. The supplier had forgotten to add them.
René Bannwart decided to go ahead with the Basel launch anyway. As an emergency measure, he had the hour markers engraved directly on the bezel. Thus the Romvlvs was born, and it would go on to become one of the brand’s greatest successes.
Coin Watch
This Collection blends history, and a strong design to Swiss watchmaking quality and innovation.
The first Corum Coin timepiece created in 1964 with a historic American Coin, the famous $20 Double Eagle stamped with the seal of liberty immediately became a milestone of the brand.
Six American Presidents and even Andy Warhol to name a few all chose this wristwatch as their timekeeper.
Corum has produced coin watches for over fifty years, with automatic, manual wind or quartz movements. They are available with a $20 Double eagle, $10 or $5 “Liberty” coin for a dial.
Tourbillon and Classical
The Corum Tourbillon and Classical collection comprise the Corum Classical Billionaire Tourbillon, a diamond and sapphire-covered watch, the Corum Golden Tourbillon Panoramique with a tourbillon movement floating between sapphire bridges, and the skeleton-dialed Corum Classical Skylight Skeleton.
Artisan Timepieces
The Corum Artisan watch line is defined by dials depicting wild animals, exotic locales, or historic scenes. These are limited edition watches produced by craftsmen who are familiar with the time-consuming techniques used in these watches.
Milestones
- 1957 - Launch of the Golden Tube model, a tube of gold in which the movement is inserted. The case of the watch could slide on the strap to better fit on the wrist, hence a more comfortable watch.
- 1960 - The first interpretation of the Admiral’s Cup model with a square case was developed. On the back of the case, a sailboat was engraved by hand with the name: Admiral’s Cup.
- 1964 - The Coin Watch without a back cover was created with an ultra-thin movement that is set in an authentic gold coin, a $20 Double Eagle Coin. A model worn by numerous U.S. Presidents and prominent personalities including Nobel Prizes laureates.
- 1965 - The first appearance of large-sized watches with the Buckingham model, which asserted itself through its oversized proportions that were extremely innovative at the time.
- 1966 - The Romvlvs watch was unveiled, featuring the hour numerals engraved not on the dial, but on the bezel.
- 1970 - CORUM introduces the Feather watch composed of genuine bird feathers. This artistic and technical feat called for great expertise.
- 1976 - CORUM introduces the Rolls-Royce watch, the first ever partnership of with a prestigious automobile manufacturer which once again underscored the avant-garde nature of the brand.
- 1980 - The Golden Bridge with its delicately hand-engraved baguette movement revealed behind the perfectly transparent sapphire crystal case embodied the pinnacle of technical and horological mastery.
- 1983 - The famous Admiral’s Cup design was reinterpreted in a version with nautical pennants corresponding to the international maritime code and serving as hour-markers on a twelve-sided bezel.
- 1986 - The Meteorite model featured a dial cut from an authentic meteorite discovered in Greenland by famous explorer Robert E. Peary.
- 1991 - The Admiral’s Cup adventure continued with the victory of the CORUM team in the legendary sailing race after which the line is named.
- 1993 - The Admiral’s Cup Tides watch was launched. Fitted with an exclusive CORUM movement CO277, it indicates vital information such as the lunar cycle and the time of the tides, as well as the strength of the tide, an estimation of water levels and the strength of the currents.
- 1997 - CORUM files a patent for a new invention showcased in the Tabogan watch, equipped with an ingenious mechanism allowing the watch case to be positioned upright, and thus transforming the wristwatch into a table clock.
- 2000 - The Bubble watch was introduced. Fitted with an 11 mm thick sapphire crystal, it created a magnifying-glass effect which became the model’s signature feature.
- 2001 - CORUM creates the Trapèze watch, a new style evoking subtle grace. Its name evocative of its shape and large size gave a truly timeless design.
- 2005 - In celebration of CORUM's 50th Anniversary, the Golden Bridge was reinterpreted in a contemporary vein, imbuing the original 1980s model with the spirit of the 21st century. CORUM launched the Classical Vanitas series which marked the world premiere of marquetry-work as applied to watch dials. The stone and marble parts were meticulously cut to fit together like a mosaic.
- 2006 - The renewal of the Admiral's Cup model which offers a more contemporary, boldly designed collection, whilst keeping the collection's essential aesthetic characteristics: the famous twelve- sided case and the nautical pennants.
- 2007 - The legendary Romvlvs was reborn with an elegant and contemporary spirit, interpreting the classical codes of the brand. Its new design perpetuates the distinctive nature of its Roman numerals engraved on the bezel and is distinguished both by its double-curving case creating an elliptical effect on the bezel, and by its domed sapphire crystal. Corum was also the maker of the World Series of Poker watches that accompanied the World Series of Poker bracelet in 2007 and became the maker of the bracelets themselves in 2007.
- 2009 - CORUM writes a major new chapter in its history by presenting its second in-house movement, revealing the brand's inexhaustible creativity. Designed, developed and assembled within the brand’s workshops, the Ti-Bridge is the first model to house the new CO 007 caliber.
- 2010 - CORUM celebrates its 55th anniversary, a half century of the Admiral’s Cup and 30 years of the Golden Bridge. Legitimacy and a pioneering spirit are rewarded.
- 2011 - CORUM launches its exceptional baguette movement in an automatic version – with linear winding. It heralded a new era in the legend of this unique movement.
- 2012 - CORUM presents the Admiral’s Cup Legend 46 Minute Repeater Acoustica, never before had a minute repeater marked off time by chords. Dressed in the timeless features of the Legend line, this timepiece is the perfect balance between elegance and technical expertise.
- 2013 - The launch of the Ti-Bridge Automatic Dual Winder brings the first self-winding movement to the Ti-Bridge line. This new winding system – designed, developed and patented by CORUM – derives its energy from two interconnected in-line oscillating weights.
- 2014 - CORUM marks the evolution of an icon among sea-lovers in a reworked design: the Admiral’s Cup AC-One 45 Tides watch. 21 years after its launch, this model with its mechanical movement, remains a truly unique complication in the Fine Watchmaking world. Its exclusive nature forcefully reaffirms Corum’s longstanding, solid nautical anchorage.
- 2015 - CORUM celebrates its 60th anniversary by creating the Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Flying Tourbillon – a timepiece that reimagines the iconic haute horlogerie complication in a profound yet practical manner. Transparency plays a key role in this timepiece featuring a sapphire dial offering full view on the mechanism.
- 2016 - The Bubble watch was relaunched. Fitted with a domed double antireflective sapphire, to have a magnifying-glass effect, the symbol of this collection. A new round case of 43 mm was introduced with the Golden Bridge line. The emblematic baguette movement was created with bridges, baseplate and decorative elements in 18K gold, for this collection.
- 2017 - CORUM introduces a rectangular case, with bridges and plate in 18kt gold for the Golden Bridge Rectangular movement, and polished bridges and plate with mechanic and rectilinear engraving for the Golden Bridge Stream movement.
- 2018 - CORUM introduces the LAB 01 watch with a racing, sculptural, technical, modern spirit and which will only be available as limited editions featuring a barrel-shaped case.
- 2019 - CORUM presents the Admiral 45 Openworked Automatic, which introduces a new movement that was developed by Corum in-house specifically for this model. For aficionados who prefer something more complicated and gravity-defying, Corum has created the Admiral 45 Openworked Tourbillon.
- 2020 - CORUM celebrates its 65th anniversary by creating the LAB 02 watch. In its creation, CORUM’s development team’s members challenged themselves to offer not only a flying tourbillon but also a flying gear train of sorts.
- 2021 - CORUM presents the Admiral 45 Automatic Openworked Flying Tourbillon Carbon & Gold. The dynamic 45mm watch is crafted in fluctuating layers of ultra-light carbon mixed with 18-karat gold glitter. Additionally, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the automatic in-line movement, CORUM releases the new Golden Bridge Automatic. The tonneau-shaped case offers a dramatic view of the movement thanks to the panoramic sapphire crystal and case back in a larger size.
Corum Concept Watch - 2023 - CORUM introduces the Corum Concept Watch at Geneva Watch Days, a groundbreaking timepiece that pushes the boundaries of design and technology, and inches toward sustainability. The design team focused on every minute detail from the front to back. The case, crafted from recycled titanium grade 5, is inspired by organic shapes and features rounded corners and soft smooth forms, and the case back is intricately etched with a unique design that surrounds the uniquely shaped window that highlights the movement. At its core lies a remarkable flying tourbillon movement that beats at 3 Hz (21,600 a/H), and the in-house CO 374 calibre’s energy source provides an exceptional power reserve of 90 hours.