What began as a sailboat inscription has developed into a distinguished nautical collection.
Of all the timepieces brandishing the Corum logo, the Admiral’s Cup likely ranks as the best known. The refined nautical watch may not register as bold as the Corum’s Bubble watch, as patriotic as the former Coin watch or as nostalgic as the Heritage or as complicated as the Golden Bridge—but it consolidates all four virtues into one emblematic flagship timepiece. That alone deserves a respectful salute.
The Corum Admiral’s Cup is distinguished by its hallmark twelve-sided bezel emblazoned with twelve colorful nautical pennants representing the maritime International Code of Signals. The Admiral’s Cup collection is versatile—defining time, dates, worldtime, intervals, tides and even sailing champions via automatic or complicated movements such as chronographs, tourbillons, and, on several models, a minute-repeater.
In recent years, Corum has been a company in transition and keeping an unusually low profile for a brand accustomed to attracting eyeballs and turning heads. Yes the Admiral’s Cup has been Corum’s steady force—always diversifying itself with new complications, materials and colors while representing the brand’s passion for the sea.
History
The Admiral’s Cup model dropped anchor in 1960, unfathomably launched as the world’s first water-resistant square timepiece—a sports watch with a sailboat hand-inscribed on its case back.
This daring timepiece was inspired by the biennial Admiral’s Cup sailing regatta, the unofficial international championship of offshore yacht racing, launched in 1957 by members of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The race showcased national teams (England, United States, France, Australia, among others) competing against one another with three yachts each over six legs—three Olympic triangles, a coastal route, and finally two challenging sea races, the Channel Race and the Fastnet.
The legendary Admiral’s Cup race correlated to tennis’ patriotic Davis Cup. The challenging regatta (from which the Admiral’s Cup watch earned its patriotic stripes) was raced off England’s southern coast in unpredictable choppy seas where calculating tides was critical, even life or death. This is where the Admiral’s Cup watch merited its maritime instrument bona fides
The watches
However, like a sail without wind, this yachting regatta lost momentum and was suspended in 2003. The race itself may have ceased but thankfully the Admiral’s Cup timepiece remains afloat. Admiral’s Cup continues its association with major sailing events, notably accompanying Frenchman Loïck Peyron and Britain’s Ben Ainslie in various races around the world.
“[Admiral’s Cup] is the foundation of Corum's spirit,” says Gustavo Calzadilla, managing director of CWJ Brands, Corum’s new U.S. distributor, based in California.
“Sailing has been part of Corum history and today the company still develops new models taking into account its roots,” he explains. “One of these examples is the AC 45 Tide’s watch, which can measure tides coefficient and timing of the next low and high tides plus current strength and tidal process on a mechanical movement.”
What began as a sailboat inscription has developed into a distinguished franchise. Worthy of its title, Admiral’s Cup still ranks as one of the enduring watches in modern history, representing 30% of Corum’s sales.
The latest models
The collection ranges $2,500 for an Admiral’s Cup automatic 32mm to $200,000 for an AC-ONE 45 Double Tourbillon. Recently, the $7,700 Admiral’s Cup 45mm Chronograph Wood Dial has been the collection’s best- selling timepiece, according to the Corum. Take your pick. Either way, you’re cutting edge.
In 2016, Admiral’s Cup presents three in-house movements (an automatic, a flyback chronograph and a 47mm world timer) aboard its Legend series. These include models in a range of maritime tones: steel, steel and rose gold or 47mm lightweight titanium. There’s also an improved 42mm collection with a thinner elegant case. New models (or “stylish vessels”) restore the iconic multicolored nautical flags against 12-sided blue, white or black dials—with transparent casebacks water resistant to fifty meters.
Corum offers new Admiral Legend 42 mm automatics (in steel or steel and rose gold) on a blue or white dial. Meanwhile the Admiral Legend 42 Chronograph offers a discreet complication—an automatic movement with hour, minute, small second, chronograph and date displays float on a blue or black dial with sweeping luminescent hands and a 42-hour power reserve.
The Admiral Legend Automatic line swims in a sea of tropical colors on flawless white or mother-of-pearl dials decorated with twelve nautical flag motifs—in 38mm (indicating date, hour, minute, seconds) and 32mm (indicating hour and minutes) respectively. These feminine models (in steel or steel and rose gold) boast curved lines and an alabaster display.
“It’s a global evolution of the design,” says Calzadilla, referring to the new collection.
“It’s like the design in the car industry with the original Fiat 500 and the new version: bigger, more colors but still recognizable,” he adds.
Since its inception in 1960, the world has traveled warp-speed through watch styles, trends and technology—space-age geometric watches, digital watches and now smart watches. Collections (and even regattas) have come and gone, but Corum’s Admiral’s Cup line has tacked along through smooth and troubled watch waters. What else would we expect of a watch inspired by sailing?
Rare models
In recent years, Corum has expanded the Admiral’s Cup line in a period of inspired innovation. In 2012, Corum launched an Admiral’s Cup Legend Minute Repeater Acoustica, which marks off time by chords. In 2014, Corum introduced a reimagined Admiral’s Cup AC-One 45 Tides Watch for seafarers. This features a mechanical movement and nautical dial, but without a multi-colored flag pennants. In 2015, Corum celebrated the collection’s 60th anniversary, crafting the Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Flying Tourbillon—a transparent timepiece showcasing the reimagined complicated mechanism through the sapphire dial.
Still, Corum was veering a few degrees off course. Consumer red flags would eventually steer the brand toward a necessary course correction.
Steady as she goes
The Admiral’s Cup collection navigated through its share of riptides—the Admiral’s Cup race suspension; removing colored flags from Admiral’s Cup dials; and, three years ago, new corporate ownership. In 2013, Montres Corum was sold to Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group (formerly China Haidian Holdings)—the first high-end Swiss watchmaker to be acquired by a Chinese conglomerate.
Under Switzerland CEO Davide Traxler’s leadership, Corum steadied the ship, reorganized the core strategy, and returned to the brand’s roots—unleashing its wilder side, in solidarity with client wishes. This included reviving Corum Bubble with thirty-five new models, an online Bubble fan design contest, and producer/DJ Steve Aoki's Bubble Limited Edition timepiece. Also Corum launched round Golden Bridge and hoisted the multicolored flags on the Admiral’s Cup dial once more.
A three-tiered re-boot—a revived Bubble, the prestige collection Golden Bridge and the empowered flagship Admiral’s Cup, together have restored Corum’s Identity.
With the new team as its color guard, Admiral’s Cup is back on course, full steam ahead.
“While the Admiral’s Cup race is certainly not active anymore, the event left a lasting impact on the brand and has given its name to one of Corum’s collections,” says Calzadilla. “And with this name comes a responsibility to maintain the heritage of manufacturing unique and exceptional sailing timepieces. We listen to our markets and customers and therefore decided to return the colored flags on dials again.”
Admiral’s Cup customers are fiercely loyal and as versatile as the collection itself—active and craving a special watch with “distinctive, daring designs that are unique, limited and dynamic,” he adds. “Watch lovers choose Corum as we stay true to these principles.”
Can the actual Admiral’s Cup yacht race follow Corum’s lead to re-invent itself? We’ll see, but there is an effort among sailors to revive the competition. In the meantime, the skippers can again choose from a wide array of refashioned Corum Admiral’s Cup watches to help them while at the helm.