Corum brings an intriguing decorative touch to its Admiral collection this week for the Geneva spring watch shows. Four new models join the Admiral collection with an assortment of ornamental dials in grey and blue meteorite, green malachite and blue aventurine.
A Step Back in Time
Corum’s Admiral collection was first introduced in 1960 under the name of “The Admiral’s Cup” as an homage to the Admiral’s Cup race that was first held three years previously in 1957. The first watch was square, water resistant, and had a sailboat engraved on the case back. Since then, the collection has undergone a series of evolutions and iterations and is best recognised today in its dodecagonal form with its array of colourful nautical pennants on the dial. The collection has become a nautical icon in the watchmaking world and has never failed to delight watchmaking and sailing lovers alike.
Admiral 42 Meteorite
The first two timepieces being released for the Geneva spring watch fair come with meteorite dials – the first with a natural grey tone and the second with a blue tint. Meteorite is not new to Corum; it is believed to be the first watchmaker to have used the material as a watch dial with its Admiral Cup Legend 42 Meteorite Dual Time watch. This timepiece was unveiled in 1986 and featured a meteorite that was found in Greenland by the famous explorer Robert E. Peary. Meteorite appeared in many of the brand’s collections during the 1980s and ‘90s and vintage timepieces occasionally pop up at auction.
The two, one-of-a-kind meteorites adorning the new 2024 Corum Admiral models were discovered in Sweden and are estimated to be around four billion years old. They feature the typical “Widmanstätten” pattern that is created from long, interwoven, nickel-iron crystals. The name comes from Count Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten, who was director of the Imperial Porcelain works in Vienna around the turn of the 19th century, and was the first to notice the unusual pattern when he heated meteorite stones. Both timepieces are water-resistant to 100 metres and are powered by automatic movements with 40-hour power reserves.
Admiral 38
The next two new releases come in the Admiral 38 collection, which as the name would indicate, come in 38mm diameter cases of 18-karat rose gold. The two dial versions are a beautiful green malachite and an elegant deep blue aventurine. Both pieces are adorned with 72 brilliant-cut diamonds set around the bezel and include 10 diamonds on the dial. The timepieces are powered by automatic movements that can be admired through a sapphire crystal on the caseback.
These four new models bring fresh new looks to this iconic collection that has never stopped showing its creativity while continuing to pay respect to the brand’s rich watchmaking heritage. Stay tuned to WorldTempus for more new models from the brand coming over the following months.
