Corum (watchmakers)

Montres Corum Sàrl

Corum stainless steel "Bubble Baron Samedi", with watch box
Industry	Watch manufacturing
Founded	1955
Headquarters	La Chaux-de-Fonds , Switzerland
Key people	Management Committee
Website	www.corum.ch

Montres Corum Sàrl, commonly referred to as Corum, is a Swiss watchmaker based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Canton of Neuchâtel. Founded in 1955, it makes high-price watches, many of which are limited editions. The benchmark watch series for Corum is its "Admiral's Cup" series. The company is owned by Hong Kong–based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited together with Eterna. Both of these Swiss watch companies are managed by a management committee composed of Yeznig Magdhessian, Soon Boon Chong & Maxime Ranzoni.

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.

History

Corum was founded in 1955 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, by Gaston Ries and his nephew, René Bannwart. The first Corum watches were produced one year later.

Soon after its establishment,Corum introduced a watch made out of a $20 gold coin, which was an instant best-seller. This became one of its signature pieces. Corum is also known for its "World Premiers". Each year, it has produced a limited number of limited edition pieces.

In January 2000, Corum was acquired by a new owner and President, Severin Wunderman.

On 25 June 2008, Severin Wunderman died at the age of 69.

In January 2010 its founder René Bannwart, died aged 95.

In April 2013, Corum was purchased by the "China Haidian Holdings Limited group" (HKEX listed code 256.HK), which the group was later rebranded to "Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group" in year 2014.

Models

Admiral's Cup

The Corum Admiral's Cup watch was introduced in 1960 in homage to the Admiral's Cup race, first held in 1957. This first watch was square, water resistant, and had a sailboat engraved on the back. It had little resemblance to the current Corum Admiral's Cup watches with their twelve-sided (Dodecagon) case design and brightly colored nautical pennants decorating the face.

Bubble

Created by the owner of the brand at the time, Severin Wunderman, the Bubble had an unusual huge sapphire glass face. The line was available in three sizes - mini, midsize and XXL. It was produced from the beginning of the 2000s to the end of the decade. In 2015 this line was reintroduced with different materials.

The XXL had limited edition versions including Lucifer, Baron Samedi, Bats, Joker and Royal Flush.

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.

Romulus

Created in 1966, the Corum Romulus was the first Corum watch to display the hour numerals on the bezel. It sports a sapphire case back engraved with a laurel crown in honor of Romulus, the founder of ancient Rome. It is available in stainless steel, white or yellow gold and a dual time version in either yellow or white gold. The modern models are available in 40 mm or, more recently, 42 mm cases and leather straps or steel bracelets.

Golden Bridge

The Corum 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. The Corum Golden Bridge is offered in 18k gold or platinum, and is also available with diamond work.

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.

Coin Watch

Corum Double eagle coin watch.

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. They are also available with a diamond bezel.

Artisan Timepieces

The Corum Artisan watch line is defined by dials depicting wild animals, exotic locales, or historic scenes. These are limited edition watches.

External links

• The company story