As the age-old saying goes, “True beauty is on the inside.” Not if you’re Corum, though – their newest unique piece is beautiful no matter how you look at it.
Corum isn’t your everyday watchmaker. If you’re familiar with their roster, and even if you just did a Google search, it’s fairly easy to tell that they don’t like to play by the rules of traditional watchmaking. This has resulted in a variety of releases, more often than not as successful as they are unconventional – As an experiment, I showed a few Corum watches to some of my non-watch friends. The replies I got back consisted of “That’s cool,” “I’m so confused,” and “Can I stick my finger through it?” However, the consensus remains the same: Corum’s designs, though certainly abstract, are staples of watchmaking and design.
Founded in 1955, Corum represents a niche of watchmaking comprised of only the most daring and creative individuals, often challenging the norms of the watch world with their technical and aesthetic prowess. Today, Corum remains a prominent figure in the avant-garde scene, capturing the imagination with collections like the Admiral, Bubble, Heritage, and their conceptual Lab pieces.
While these collections are all ingenious in their own right, Corum has opted to breathe new life into their iconic Golden Bridge Round collection, opening the door to a world of bespoke possibilities with the Golden Bridge Dragon. Elegant and ostentatious, the case has been constructed entirely out of 18kt white gold, as well as being carefully adorned with a mind-boggling 96 diamonds, totalling about 6.5 carats’ worth. However, the true highlight of the Corum Golden Dragon is the dial – or more accurately, lack thereof.
As is signature with all Golden Bridge collections, the dial is a transparent sapphire crystal, offering an unhindered view of the iconic in-line ‘baguette’ movement at the heart of the timepiece. I’ve always loved the minimalistic design and technical chops that go into creating Corum’s CO 113 movement, as the level of engineering required to fuse both form and function in the way that Corum has is nothing short of incredible. The lack of visual variety ironically makes it more mesmerising to look at, and cements the CO 113 as one of my favourite movements of all time. It’s the absence of a dial that accentuates the 18-carat gold dragon that winds itself around the engraved bridge.
Of course, in the world of haute horlogerie, there are no shortcuts. For Corum, the process of crafting this awesome centrepiece is wrought with painstaking effort and attention to detail. Starting with casting, Corum’s skilled craftsmen infuse the gold into a mould, laying the groundwork for the sculpture. From there, each piece is finished meticulously by hand, polished, coloured and also set with a pearl in the tail and two black diamonds for the eyes. Before reading on, watch the video of it being crafted below.
But creating the dragon is only half the battle – seamlessly integrating the thing into the Golden Bridge’s architecture is a different story. This involves a set of steady hands, a whole load of patience, and an understanding of the balance of space to fuse both form and function. The result is the Golden Dragon, whose 43mm figure encompasses not just the technical wonderment (and thinness!) of the CO 113 movement but also demonstrates Corum’s dedication to avant-garde artistry and aesthetics. Fear not, though, if the default design isn’t to your liking, Corum is only more than happy to offer a wide selection of Pantone™ colours for the Golden Dragon, which can either be galvanised or even realistically hand-painted to specifications.
Final Thoughts
I am a massive fan of Corum’s Golden Bridge collection, so the release of yet another timepiece with the iconic CO 113 is always cause for personal celebration. This time, they’ve taken it a step further by integrating an artistic masterpiece atop their iconic design, opening the door to an unprecedented level of creative expression for the consumer. Corum invites consumers to participate in the creative process, turning each Golden Dragon into an expression of individual style. Pieces like these are often sold as is, but the prospect of being able to interact with horology at the highest level is something that excites me, and I hope other watch companies are taking notes on how to further engage with their consumers.
Reference: GOLDEN BRIDGE ROUND 43
Specification
- Case: 43mm x 8.8mm Thickness
- Case Material: 18kt White Gold, 96 (6.5kt) Diamond Setting
- Dial: Transparent, 18kt Hand Sculpted Dragon with 2 Black Diamond Eyes and Pearl Set in Tail
- Hands: Faceted Baton, Rhodium Plated
- Crystal: Sapphire Crystal with Anti-Reflective Treatment
- Water resistance: 30m (3 Bar)
- Movement: Hand-Wound CO 113
- Movement Frequency: 4Hz (28,800bph)
- Power reserve: Approx 40 hours
- Bracelet: Alligator Leather with Triple Folding Clasp
