WATCHES & STYLE

A Bright Future Ahead with Corum's Concept Watch

by Charmian Leong
06 Nov 2023

Corum’s playful Concept Watch is packed with possibilities.

Concept watches are fun. Not only do they brazenly deviate from the expected norms of a brand’s design identity, they serve as a teaser for what might be possible in future releases. Indeed, when looking at this model’s starry base plate and exposed, seemingly floating movement, it would be easy to mistake Corum’s latest experiment for something out of Jacob & Co’s ateliers.

But anyone who understands Corum’s history of avant-garde designs — from the linearity of the Golden Bridge series to the endearingly bulbous crystals of the Bubble collection — will know that the Concept Watch is still very much in line with the brand’s philosophy of innovative design.

First revealed at Geneva Watch Days, the Corum Concept Watch introduces a fresh narrative with a recycled titanium case in a whole new shape featuring protruding “wings” on all four sides of the case — bringing the total width of the watch to 39.5mm. Mounted on an aventurine base plate is the stacked C0374 movement that is supported by a sapphire crystal plate and bridges, creating the illusion of the gear train, hands and one-minute tourbillon suspended in space.


(Related: These novelties from Grand Seiko are inspired by nature)

The caseback features an exhibition window that is only big enough to see the movement, while the rest of the real estate is taken up by charming annotations pointing to the watch’s various features and functions. That Omega and H. Moser have recently done something similar with their Seamaster Ultra Deep “Summer Blue” and Perpetual Calendar for Dummies respectively points to a potential trend of high-end brands wanting to show off their more playful sides.

Slightly confounding is the choice of a recycled textile strap for a timepiece of this caliber, but it is at least consistent in its sustainability message given the watch’s case material. It also comes with a novel adjustment system to ensure a perfect and comfortable fit.

The Corum Concept Watch is, understandably, a one-off piece, but we can’t wait to see which of these elements will make its way into the next generation of Corum watches.

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