CORUM - HISTORY IN THE MAKING SINCE 1955

FOUNDED IN 1955, Corum represents creative and daring watchmaking. The adventure began with René Bannwart. With his strong entrepreneurial spirit and watchmaking experience acquired from the most prestigious watch manufacturers, he founded his own brand and created CORUM with his uncle Gaston Ries in La Chauxde-Fonds.

Particularly fascinated by the word “quorum” which means the minimum number of persons present and necessary to hold discussions and make valid decisions, Bannwart nonetheless simplified the spelling to CORUM.

Since the time of its creation in 1955, CORUM displayed a determination to position itself at the forefront of the Swiss watch industry.

The emblem, a key pointing skywards, is a symbol of the mystery to be fathomed, the enigma to be resolved, of new territories to be explored, and of innovation. It also alludes to the inventiveness, tenacity and bold spirit required to attain the total mastery of time.

In 1956 the first CORUM watches appeared on the market, and the brand launched a veritable cascade of new ideas with great success. It was even recognized by its peers as one of the most creative in the industry.

In 1966 Jean-René Bannwart, the son of the founding father, joined the w a t c h m a k i n g company.

Together, father, and son created the models that became Corum’s trademark, in particular the Admiral’s Cup model. Other noteworthy models were the Rolls-Royce Corum Rolls-Royce (1976)

watch (1976), which once again underscored the avant-garde nature of the brand, since it represented the first ever partnership of this kind with a prestigious automobile manufacturer; the Golden Bridge (1980) with its delicately handengraved baguette movement revealed behind a perfectly transparent sapphire crystal case; and the 1986 Meteorite model, which featured a dial cut from an authentic meteorite discovered in Greenland by famous explorer Robert E. Peary.

In 2000, the Bubble watch was introduced. Fitted with an 11mm thick sapphire crystal, it created a magnifying glass effect which became the model’s signature feature.

Several exceptional models and movements were introduced over the last 15 years, writing watchmaking history.

Corum Meteorite Peary (1986)

Corum is currently based on four collections that embody its vision of 21st-century watchmaking:

Created in 1960, the Admiral collection draws its original inspiration from nautical sports, and its timepieces are now considered iconic sporty chic watches. Influenced by teak wood and jet set evenings, the Admiral goes from the deck to dinner without compromising its contemporary elegance. Over 60 years, the piece has established itself as a creation for aesthetes seeking tasteful casualness, in between work and leisure, city and nature. Independent, creative, audacious, it is undeniably a Corum creation.

The collection combines the aspirations of the modern gentleman with the early Legend line featuring a classic sport design, and the robust and sophisticated AC-One line which was designed for extreme sports enthusiasts.

THE GOLDEN BRIDGE COLLECTION

Launched by Corum in 1980, the Golden Bridge model remains a unique construction in watchmaking, an original creation where the linear movement forms both the calibre and most of the piece’s dial. Sculptural, technical and of rare aesthetic audacity, the baguette movement of the Golden Bridge is unrivalled in the world of Fine Watchmaking.

More than 30 years after it was first created, the Golden Bridge Collection has now been enhanced with a round case. This delicate calibre is a physical expression of the technical feat of combining its vertical movement with a round shape. Rectangular and circular, and micro and macro come together in this model, designed to be a bridge between two fields of excellence – watchmaking and architecture.

The Heritage Collection pays tribute to traditional watchmaking reinterpreted by Corum. For more than half a century, Corum has greatly enriched the technical and aesthetic language of the rather conservative realm of watchmaking. The “ Heritage ” title of this collection is a way for Corum to demonstrate the importance of its roots but at the same time going beyond its history and renewing it.

The Coin Watch, the dial and movement of which are encased within a coin, is itself the most timeless illustration of the boldness it has held within for almost forty years. The Tourbillon and the Minute Repeater are also classic timepieces that Corum is revisiting in depth.

First created in late 2018, two of the 2020 Corum Lab 01 models have distinctive barrel-shaped cases in Damascus steel - a first for the brand. Instantly recognizable by its wavy pattern, Damascus steel is a type of alloy well-known to knife and sword makers for its exceptional hardness and resistance to shatter. Two other models are offered in titanium. Driven by the caliber CO 410, the signature Corum micro-rotor is visible beneath the sapphire crystal and has been finished with a contemporary spiral effect. The Lab 01 offers a 50-hour power reserve and is limited to 99 pieces per colour.

THE BUBBLE COLLECTION

In 2000, the emblematic Bubble watch was introduced. Twenty years after the dazzling success, Corum continues to celebrate this icon with several limited editions that are independent, impertinent and irreverent. From the threehand or no-hand Bubble watch to the Bubble Tourbillon or unique pieces, Corum explores a boundless creative universe for enthusiasts of uninhibited and avant-garde watchmaking.

www.corum-watches.com