The Admiral’s Cup has been the flagship timepiece for Corum since its launch in 1960, easily recognisable with its 12-sided bezel decorated with nautical pennants. This identity has been preserved, and combined with modern mechanics and materials to create the AC-One 45 Squelette.
The AC-One 45 Squelette is set in an imposing 45mm titanium case and houses the skeleton calibre CO 082. Its open-worked bridges have been shaped into clean, geometric forms by precise spark erosion techniques and then covered in a dark grey plating for a striking contrast against the gilded wheels.
Shades of grey form the primary colour of the movement, complemented by visual depth created by careful layering of the dial. A high tech etching process is used to create the date disc, which has every single numeral skeletonised. Because the entire date disc is visible, it has the effect of a decorative perimeter framing the movement.
The hour markers are filled with Super-Luminova for vivid nighttime legibility. On the border of the dial is a anthracite-coloured flange with the 12 nautical pennants of the Admiral’s Cup finished in graduated tones of grey for a subtle reminder of the history of this timepiece.
And above it all floats the Corum logo, made of deposited metal alloy permanently bonded to the underside of the scratch-resistant sapphire glass. The crystal is coated with an anti-reflective layer that renders it nearly invisible, creating a panoramic window into the movement.
A titanium bezel with 12 facets echoe the 12 nautical flags on the dial flange. Both the bezel and case have contrasting satin- and mirror-finished surfaces, requiring skilled masking and polishing techniques to achieve.
Stamped from a block of titanium and then milled into shape, the case has black PVD coated inlays to create tonal contrast against the grade 5 titanium alloy. This space-age alloy is used for the entire case, from the bezel to back, and even the screw-down crown.
A sapphire crystal porthole on the back reveals the reverse of the movement, equipped with a ruthenium-coated oscillating weight decorated with an open-worked Corum key logo.
Glare-proofed and crystal clear, the case back is sealed hermetically against the case, guaranteeing water-resistance to 300 m.
The AC-One 45 Squelette is secured by a push-button, double-fold clasp in titanium, fitted to a black crocodile strap featuring a sculpted lug insert allowing it to conform to any wrist.
