Crans-Montana, Switzerland:  Downhill skiing legend Didier Cuche was recently honored by Montres Corum (he is also an Ambassador for the brand) with a limited edition piece bearing his likeness.   This past week, Cuche won the Super-G on his home course as part of the World Cup circuit, his 21st career World Cup win and sixth in super-G.  Following the racing, Cuche and a select group of fans and friends joined Corum CEO Antonio Calce to present Cuche with a vivid Corum Admiral’s Cup Chronograph Centro fitted on a black vulcanized rubber strap with folding clasp.  Just 100 pieces will be produced, sure to be snapped up by Cuche’s most ardent fans.  Corum also put together a great 40-second video featuring Cuche and the watch — don’t miss his signature “propeller kick” trick at the end of the clip!

Corum Admiral’s Cup Didier Cuche Edition Watch

limited edition 100 pieces

44mm case, automatic mechanical movement (COSC), black/gray dial with tapestry of Didier Cuche head

VIDEO

Corum CEO Antonio Calce presents Dider Cuche with his new watch

Charity…

February 29, 2012, the “24 Ore Group” together with Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Belgrade will host a charity watch auction entitled, “24 Hours for Help Them” (nice grammar, by the way) in Milan.   All proceeds raised from this unique charity auction will be used to build schools for the children of Serbia, which is to be applauded.  While this auction certainly does not have the high profile of something like “Only Watch“, participation is broad with 25 leading brands contributing a watch to auction for charity, so hopefully they can raise some good money.  Participating brands include: Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Bell & Ross, Breitling, Cartier, Chronoswiss, Corum, De Grisogono, Eberhard, Erwin Sattler, Hamilton, Hermès, Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger LeCoultre, Longines, Louis Vuitton, Officine Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Porsche Design, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, TAG Heuer.  Browsing through the catalog I thought I would post a few of the pieces that caught my eye.  Thanks to Antiquorum, 24 Ore Group, and the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Belgrade for hosting the auction.  You can browse the full catalog HERE.

Bell & Ross BR 03 for Help Them Auction

Ref. BR 03-94-S-88888

Hamilton, “Jazzmaster Spirit of Liberty , Andrew Hamilton, Pennsylvania, Lancaster 1892”

Ref. H32.566.791. Made in a limited edition of 1892 examples in 2011

 Richard Mille “RM016”

Unique Piece Ref. RM016 AH WG/111

Corum Admiral’s Cup GMT 44

Ref. 01.005

Here’s a new and very sharp looking piece from Corum, the Grand Precis.  Watch collectors take note as this is actually a revival of a model which was first produced by Corum in 1957. While 1957 does not seem so old as watches go, recall that Corum was founded in 1955 — so naturally the Grand Precis was quite an important (not to mention classically styled timepiece) for the young Corum brand in 1957!  Now, here’s the awesome kicker — in reviving the Grand Precis, Corum dug into its watch closet and came up with some original components from the 1957 production and used them in the movement in this watch.  Yes, the manual-wind CO162 Calibre is built with some original parts (circa 1957) as well as hand finished bridges.  This makes the Grand Precis 2011 an even more meaningful re-edition to collectors and lovers of the Corum brand.  Well done, Corum!

Corum Grand Precis Watch

38.5mm white or rose gold case

manual-wind CO162 movement (note the extra large balance wheel) with parts from the original 1957 Grand Precis

here’s a look at the rose gold model:

My ONLY Watch 2011 coverage continues with a look at the Corum Golden Bridge Automatic in titanium case.  2011 saw the launch of the first automatic mechanical movement for Corum’s iconic Golden Bridge watch, featuring an innovative linear winding system (see video clip below).  Corum has take the watch to a new level for the special ONLY Watch event (soon upon us, Sept 2011) – the one-of-a-kind piece has a titanium case with a matte finish and provides great views of the movement from both the dial, case-back and sides of the watch. For more on ONLY Watch 2011, click here (all of my previews for ONLY Watch 2011 are listed).

Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Titanium for ONLY WATCH 2011

Unique Piece

51.8mm tall x 37.2mm wide titanium case, Corum automatic mechanical movement, fitted on a black croc strap with red stitching and titanium pin buckle

The back of the watch is specially engraved with the Corum logo and the “ONLY WATCH PIECE UNIQUE” inscription in red.

Video of the Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Movement in action:

You can check out all of my previews for ONLY Watch 2011 here.

1,000 meter dive watch…

Here’s a first-look at two new additions to the Admiral’s Cup Seafender lineup, both bigger and badder than the original Seafender that debuted earlier this year.  These are the Admiral’s Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive watches, rated to 1,000 meters and available in two versions — titanium + orange dial accents, or black PVD-finished titanium with red gold bezel and accents.  Full details are spelled out below, as well as a quick look back at Corum’s recent entry into the high performance dive watch segment.

Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive

Reference 947.950.04/0371 AN15

Limited Edition 200 pieces

48mm titanium case, decompression valve at 9:30, 1000 meter water resistance, automatic mechanical movement (COSC certified), black dial with luminous orange markers, rubber strap with titanium pin buckle

Created in 1960, the Corum Admiral’s Cup watch soon became a favorite for boating and sailing enthusiasts with a taste for luxury.  However the Admiral’s Cup’s appeal tended to stay “above water” until 2010, when Corum decided to move more directly into the high performance dive watch segment with the introduction of the Deep Hull 48 dive watch (rated to 1,000 meters).  It turned out to be a very wise move — the Deep Hull 48 was a real head-turner and an umistakable sign that Corum was serious about stepping up its dive watch game.  This year, Corum extended its focus in the high performance dive watch segment with the new Seafender line consisting of the “standard” Seafender and the Seafender Chrono dive.  The Seafender watches shared the bold ‘look’ of the Deep Hull while being slightly toned down in terms of size (46mm vs. Deep Hull 48mm) and water resistance (300m vs. Deep Hull 1,000m)….until now, that is.

Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive with red gold bezel

Reference 947.950.86/0371 AN16

Limited Edition 100 pieces

48mm PVD-finished titanium case, red gold bezel, decompression valve at 9:30, 1000 meter water resistance, automatic mechanical movement (COSC certified), black dial with luminous black/red gold markers, rubber strap with titanium pin buckle

Did You Know?

“Diver’s Watch”

The term “diver’s watch” is strictly governed by the corresponding ISO standards. The Admiral’s Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive meets all these essential criteria: its imposing case in grade 5 titanium, measuring 48 mm in diameter and 18.9 mm thick, is fitted with a screw-down crown and can withstand 100-bar pressure corresponding to a depth of 1,000 meters. This authentic diving instrument is also equipped with a decompression valve placed at 9.30 on the case, just below the inscription “1000M”. This device serves to vent the helium that may build up inside a watch during a prolonged stay in a hyperbaric chamber. Without this valve, the gas would be liable to expand and cause irreversible damage.

Nice looking Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 48 Chrono, created for the Bol d’Or regatta.   The pyramid-patterned dial is what caught my eye.  Literally translated, Bol d’Or means “Golden Bowl” i.e. trophy cup — the Regatta has been held in Switzerland annually since 1939, and for the past two years Corum has been a sponsor of the event.  This is one of many sailing events that Corum sponsors — the brand’s ties to the maritime world, sailing in particular, are well established.

Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 48 Chrono Bol d’Or Mirabaud

Limited Edition 30 Pieces

48mm titanium case with PVD finish, automatic mechanical movment (COSC certified), on black strap with blue stitching

Did You Know?

The Bol d’Or Marabaud

The route is designed to be as simple as possible: Geneva to Le Bouveret bac to Geneva. There is only one buoy marker, at the mid-way point (Le Bouveret).

The winner in real time of the Geneva -Le Bouveret -Geneva route wins the Bol d’Or, which is put up for grabs each year – unless it is won three times in five years by the same owner. Only three boats have achieved the latter feat in over 70 editions: Marie-José II belonging to Horace Julliard (1961, 1962 and 1963), Altaïr IX owned by Philippe Stern (1980, 1982 and 1984) and Ernesto
Bertarelli’s Alinghi (1997, 2000 and 2001).

The Bol de Vermeil rewards the first monohull to cross the finishing line. As with the Bol d’Or, it must be won three times in five years in order to be entitled to keep it.

“Only Watch” is a biennial charity auction of one-of-a-kind watches created by many of the most renowned watch brands in Switzerland.  This exceptional event is held every two years in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show and is under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II.   All the proceeds from Only Watch go to support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research which is why many of these watches go extraordinarily high prices.

Starting today Perpetuelle will begin its coverage of Only Watch 2011.  Stay tuned in because over the next few months, you will get to see awesome “piece unique” watches from each of the participating brands for the 2011 event:

Click through to see our in-depth preview of each watch:

• Harry Winston Midnight GMT Tourbillon
• Patek Philippe Ref 3939A Minute Repeater
• Urwerk UR-103 “Phoenix”
• Romain Jerome “Rock the Rock”
• Hublot Oceanographic 4000m dive watch
• MB&F HM-4 “Flying Panda”
• TAG Heuer “Monaco Mikrograph”
• Bell & Ross Pink Gold “Casino”
• Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver Chronograph
• Blancpain Villeret Grand Decoration
• Piaget Altiplano Skeleton
• Breguet Reveil Musical Watch
• Audemars Piguet Gstaad Classic
• Jaquet Droz Petit Heure Minute
• Van Cleef & Arpel “From the Earth to the Moon” Watch
• Girard-Perregaux ww.TC
• Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Titanium
  
• Vulcain Anniversary Heart Watch
• Chanel J12 Marine Watch
• Franck Muller “Totally Switzerland”
• Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo
• Vacheron Constantin “Dove” Watch (M.C. Escher-inspired)
  
• Zenith El Primero “Destro” watches
• Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph
• Ikepod Red Hourglass by Marc Newson
• Bovet Fleurier, Celsius, Chaumet, Chopard, De Bethune, Delacour, De Witt, Frédérique Constant, Hermès, Laurent Ferrier, Maurice Lacroix, Richard Mille
  

Only Watch 2011 will be held September 24, 2011 and managed by watch auction house Antiquorum.  But you don’t have to wait this long — because part of the excitement leading up to the September 24, 2011 event is the release of each participating brand’s special edition watch.

ONLY WATCH 2009

If you are interested in looking back, I covered the Only Watch 2009 auction extensively including blogging about several of my favorites inlcluding:  Piaget Emperador Coussin, MB&F Sage Vaughn HM-2, Bovet 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch, Tourneau Jump Hour, Louis Vuitton Tambour, Chanel J12 Joallerie with pink sapphire, and Blancpain 500 Fathoms.   You can see all 34 “Only Watch 2009″ watches here on the Perpeuelle World Watch Forum.  The Only Watch 2009 auction was hosted by Patrizzi & Co.

Baselworld 2011 – Corum unveils the latest in its popular Ti-Bridge series (a modern reinterpretation of Corum’s famous Golden Bridge watches), the Ti Bridge Power Reserve (and that’s “Ti” as in “titanium”, by the way).  While the actual power reserve is not spectacular by any means (a mere 3 days), the linear Power Reserve display — aligned on the right edge of the dial as seen below — is a Corum “first” for this particular model and reflects a thoughtful design approach.  The Corum Ti Bridge will be produced in a limited, numbered edition of 700.

Corum Ti Bridge Power Reserve

52.5 x 42.5mm titanium case, manual wind Caliber CO107 with 3-day power reserve and linear power reserve display, black vulcanized rubber strap with titanium folding clasp

close-up of the dial

Seafender Dive and Seafender Chrono Dive…

Last week I showed you the new Corum Seafender Dive, one of two new Seafender watches Corum is launching in 2011.  The short story on the new Corum Seafender watches is that Corum knows it hit a huge homerun in 2010 with the intro of the Deep Hull 48 and the brand sees a real opportunity to be a new player in the 300m+ dive watch category.  And thus the Seafender Dive and this Seafender Chrono Dive can bee looked at as two more bricks in the foundation of Corum’s new push into the serious dive watch arena.  The Seafender Chrono Dive sports a 46mm diameter titanium case which provides 300 meter water resistance for the COSC-certified automatic chrono movement.  And you know what?  These are some badass watches.  Period.  Go Corum.

Corum Seafender Chrono Dive

Corum Looking Strong

Last year, Swiss watchmaker Corum turned a lot of heads with its launch of the limited edition Deep Hull 48, the brand’s first extreme dive watch and one with an imposing look and impressive 1,000 meter water resistance. This year, Corum is releasing two more models in the range — and wow am I excited — these watches look great.  Today I’m going to show you the new Corum Seafender 46 — think of it as a slightly less imposing version of the Deep Hull 48.  Toned down (albeit slightly) are the case size — 46mm, and the water resistance — 300 meters.  The titanium case, matching titanium buckle (on the vulcanized rubber strap), and other features remain intact.  These changes will not only make the watch more wearable, but also more affordable (at ~$7,800 the Deep Hull was already very competitively priced).  The second watch I alluded to is the same except it is a chronograph.  We’ll take a look at it in coming days.

Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 46

Ref. 947.401.04/0371 AN12

46mm titanium case, COSC-certified automatic mechanical movement, unidirectional rotating bezel, 300m water resistance

Must SEE:  Perpetuelle.com Official Baselworld 2011 news feed (March 24-31, 2011).

***