Preview of the New Corum Deep Hull 48mm Limited Edition

This year, Corum celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the infamous Admiral's Cup. In order to commemorate the half century, the brand's designers decided to offer, for the first time, an Admiral's Cup diving watch. The Deep Hull is a limited edition and does not hide in the shadows. It is encased on a rugged, 48mm hunk of high-grade titanium.

The case of the Corum Deep Hull is carved out of titanium. It displays the well known 12-sided, polygonal shape and incorporates several details worth mentioning. In recent years, Corum Admiral's Cup watches have used faceted crystals. This simply means that the sapphire crystal is 12-sided like the case. This small change has been welcome by Corum fans. The bezel also displays the same shape, but it is specially engineered in order to rotate. As is required by diving watches, the bezel only rotates in one direction thanks to a ratcheted track that lies underneath it. The important water resistance rating is carved directly into the front of the watch on a protruding corner between nine and ten o'clock. The protrusion is caused by the presence of a helium escapement valve. On the other side of the case the massive, titanium crown screws down securely into its resting position. Two protective shoulder accompany the crown. A simple touch of high-gloss finish decorates the thick lugs and looks quite nice.

Corum has slowly moved away from highlighting the nautical pennants that identify their Admiral's Cup watches. On the dial of the Deep Hull 48, the pennants are monochromatic and placed on a slanted, inner bezel. The phosphorescent hour markers are slightly more noticeable. More phosphorescent paint is applied to the typically wide alpha hands.

The strap is made of black, vulcanized rubber which is boldly shaped and imprinted with the Corum name. A fantastic oversized, tang buckle with a wide tongue is there to secure the watch to your wrist. The buckle is made of titanium as the case. The use of titanium is well advised for watches that are this large, as it is considerably lighter than stainless steel. The distinctive smoky, grey tone that the substance offers is a welcome side effect of its use.

Only 500 of the Deep Hull 48 will be manufactured. It is the first Corum Admiral's Cup model to be expressly designed as a diving watch and consequently offers a water resistance rating of 1000 meters, a striking rotating bezel, and all the highly robust structural qualities necessary for withstanding massive pressure. Watch collectors who love large watches will not be disappointed with the luxurious 48mm Deep Hull.

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Ever since the seventies, when Gerald Genta gave the world the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus, less elegant watches made of non-precious metals have become accepted as luxury items. Never before as in the past decade, however, has traditional high-end horology been so intertwined with casual style. Manufacturers such as Bell & Ross, Roger Dubuis, Jaeger Lecoultre, and Corum have delighted watch enthusiasts with fantastic creations that blur the line that separates traditional elegant luxury and rugged functionality and style. Perfectly balanced between these two aspects of watchmaking is the runner up 2009 Watch of the Year, the limited edition Corum Ti-Bridge.

The CO 007 calibre that powers Corum's Ti-Bridge plays an important role in determining the style of the watch. It is the focus of the entire piece. The movement is a modernized version of the company's infamous Golden Bridge calibre. While delicate hand engraved decorations do not dance upon its elegant golden facade, the titanium bridge movement still demonstrates the traditional concept of beautiful watchmaking. The fine finish of all the parts and well balanced, streamlined components will impress. Once the mechanism is in motion the hypnotizing oscillation of the balance wheel, which runs at a frequency of 4hz, is clearly exposed for the wearer to see. The watch must be wound manually making the 3-day power reserve a welcome feature offered by the large, wonderfully finished mainspring barrel visible at three o'clock. An engraved titanium bridge is placed under the hands and partly covers the winding system and the minute and hour wheels. This Corum plate also acts as the closest thing to a dial on the Ti-Bridge.

As the name of the watch announces, titanium is the primary player in its structure. The very light and strong metal does a great job of modernizing the Bridge concept. Due to its strength and rigidity it is extremely hard to machine. It is a truly modern material that only entered the watchmaking field in 1980 when IWC painstakingly manufactured a titanium Chronograph for Porsche Design. Since then, improvements in technology and alchemy have brought about progress such as the ability to polish titanium to a glossy finish. Before its first horological use in 1980, it was thought impossible to polish the metal at all.

Corum makes good use of modern manufacturing technologies by applying alternating finishes on different parts of the watch case. The bezel and parts of the crown demonstrate a high-gloss polish, while the rest of the parts including the case back are brush finished and display various directions. Typical to Corum, each element of the watch displays immaculate machining and finish. The 42.5 mm case is not exceedingly large, but its square-like shape beefs up its appearance and can be considered slightly oversize. The large crown also enhances the shape and feel of the case, while making the watch very comfortable to wind. This is ideal for a hand-wound mechanism.

The design of the Ti-Bridge lives somewhere in between sporty and elegant. While it is not traditional in its elegance -- using modern non-precious materials and showing off structural components such as screws -- it does not venture completely into the casual, rugged world of sport watches. Combining delicate and watch making techniques and luxurious finishes, this is definitely a timepiece meant for elegant soirées or special events. The luscious, black alligator strap complements the refinement of the timepiece. What its light, large, and modern design enables the Ti-Bridge to do is substitute the use of very sporty luxury watches, such as a Royal Oak Offshore or a Rolex Daytona, in casual situations.

Corum's new C-007 in-house Bridge movement is housed in a respectively innovative and impressive watch. The Ti-Bridge, limited to 750 pieces, shows off the company's watchmaking abilities as well as their status as producers of contemporary and forward-looking designs.

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For over five years, Matt Baily has set itself apart from other watch stores in Montreal by bringing in exciting, new, up-and-coming brands. When looking at a possible new brand to carry, quality is the first prerequisite and is followed by value and potential. This is how we took up dealership of brands like Bell & Ross and U-Boat for which we were the first dealers in Canada. With this list, we highlight five watches from our collections that have swayed trends and turned the most heads.

#5. Alpina Avalanche Extreme Manufacture Regulator

The Avalanche Extreme Manufacture Regulator represents the future of mid-range luxury watches. It is a sporty watch; able to withstand the strain of outdoor activities with a water resistance rating of 200 meters and a rubber strap. Like many watches in its class, the elements of its case are almost as complex as those of its movement. Several different tones, wild shapes, and a multi-layered dial make up the head of the watch. With watch enthusiasts accepting mechanized manufacturing as an integral part of watchmaking, many modern watches portray the same attributes.

What makes the Manufacture Regulator special is its movement. The automatic-winding AL-925 calibre is manufactured in the company's Geneva factory. The reason that this is so important is due to the restricted supply of mechanical movements that will take effect in 2010 (more on ETA's change in supply in this past blog post). Alpina's in-house movement adds great value and uniqueness, yet the Manufacture Regulators are offered at prices comparative to those of watches equipped with ETA mechanisms. The Regulator attracts many collectors thanks to its traditional complication and fine finishes. It reinforces the notion that a rugged sport watch can portray many features of sophistication.

#4. Hamilton Jazzmaster Maestro.

Aside from being unusually large compared to other elegant watches, it's styling is not particularly unique; nor are its day, date, and chronograph functions. What sets the Hamilton Jazzmaster Maestro aside from other watches in its class is value. This is true for every Hamilton watch, making it difficult to choose one that has been most influential. It finally came down to choosing a watch that is amongst the best sellers and also captures Hamilton's long history.

The Maestro is an automatic-winding chronograph, with a sizable 44mm stainless steel case and a simple, classic look. The infamous 7750 calibre movement is what runs its functions and is also a major reason for its great value. ETA's 7750 is a proven, precision mechanism. Thousands of these have been certified by the COSC to be chronometers, a denomination symbolizing superior precision and quality. It is the movement of choice for many high-end automatic chronograph watches. The Portuguese Chronograph, Chronomat, and Daylight chrono are three examples of models that rely on the 7750. These three models are also priced between three and six times more then the Maestro.

Thanks to their extraordinary value, the Hamilton line of watches has enabled many watch lovers to purchase their first high-end, Swiss-made, automatic chronograph.

#3. Corum Golden Bridge

The Golden Bridge did not "change" how we see luxury watches as much as it "reminded" us how we should look at them.

Corum has always staid current with trends such as the large size of watch cases and extreme luxury for sporty watches. However, they never severed their strong relationship with the traditional methods of watchmaking. This is what makes the Golden Bridge such an important watch. While modernized in design, with a relatively large case and precise machining, it could not exist without the skilled hands of traditional watchmakers.

To manufacture the narrow, manual-winding CO113 movement that gives the watch its name, the skilled hands of watchmakers and artists are essential. Due to this labour intensive process, the production quantity is naturally limited to small numbers each year. A video produced by Corum captures some key aspects of manufacturing the Bridge movement like engraving, assembling, and finishing, which are all done by hand. Visit the Film Gallery in the Communication section of Corum.ch.

Once completed the Golden Bridge watch embodies all the aspects of what luxury watches represent. Value, technological innovation, precision, and the artist's touch that is unreproducible by any machine. I don't think I have ever heard a negative comment about the Golden bridge watches, and their value is obvious to first-time watch buyers and ardent collectors alike. The Golden Bridge is in this list because it re-sparked our fascination with the storied trade of watchmaking.

#2. U-Boat Italo Fontana Classico

U-Boat watches are definitely buzz worthy. Amongst all the articles that I have posted on mattbaily.ca and other sites, the ones that receive the most tweets, clicks, and visitors, are almost always about U-Boat watches. This is not to say that everyone that reads these articles is a fan, but they are certainly interested. This visibility is what accounts for the inclusion of U-Boat Classico watches in this list.

When Matt Baily discovered U-Boat watches and was the first to bring them to Canada, they almost all worked on quartz movements. Italo Fontana decided to improve the quality of those original, fashion-oriented watches and equip them with high-end Swiss mechanical movements. The prices naturally increased and many were sceptical of U-Boat#39;s breaking the higher end, luxury market. Instead it was the market that was drawn towards the new and improved U-Boat Classicos.

U-Boat does very little advertising. The vast majority of the U-Boat Classicos that we sell are discovered in our window or on the wrists of friends and family. They are watches that you just fall in love with. What we learn from their success is that the style of a watch - if backed by quality - is still its most important attribute. U-Boat watches also show that if the product is valuable, then advertising and branding is of lesser importance.

#1. Bell & Ross BR-01 92

When this watch was released by Bell & Ross, the company was already steadily growing thanks to its high quality, value, and brand image. While it was obvious from the start, that the "Instruments" would be a success, it was less evident how profoundly they would affect the company's popularity.

When the BR-01 92 was released, many people seeing it for the first time reacted as if they had never seen a square watch before. It is arguable that before this point, square watches were a niche that went largely unnoticed. Judging from the amount of square, military-style models that were released after the advent of the Instruments, it is safe to say that they have had a strong, positive impact on the watch making industry.

Since the BR-01 92 and 94, Bell & Ross has greatly expanded the Instrument collection including extremely complicated watches such as the BR Tourbillon and the more fashion oriented BR-S Ceramics. While this article is meant to feature only watches amongst those we carry at Matt Baily, the BR Instrument would surely figure on any list of top influential timepieces of the past ten years.

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While all these watches have had an impact on the luxury watch industry as a whole, we chose pieces from our brands only, so it is likely that many watches that you may consider more influential are not present.

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If you are out of gift ideas for this holiday season, Corum is suggesting several new models that will make even the most discerning recipient ecstatic. The company' award-winning bridge movements are - as always - in the spotlight showcased in models like the Ti-Bridge, Golden Bridge, and the new golden Bridge Lady.

The Bridge-bearing watches that will be available for the Holidays will all be limited editions. The Black Ti-Bridge, based on the second place finisher for Watch of the Year 2009 the Ti-Bridge, is made of black titanium inside and out. The Corum CO 007 calibre movement is constructed using black titanium plates and bridges. Only 250 of these 43mm, minimalistic, masterpieces will be produced in total.

For the woman who appreciates intricate watchmaking as well as high-end joellerie, the Golden Bridge Lady will capture her fascination. The 18 karat red gold case of the watch is hand-set with 180 full-cut natural diamonds of top quality, and the golden Bridge movement is visible through two sapphire crystals on the front and back of the watch.

Two new versions of the Golden Bridge are now also available, albeit in limited quantities, encased in titanium. The Golden Bridge Titanium and Golden Bridge Black Titanium fluently combine titanium with the elegance of the Golden Bridge design. Both pieces are rare with tiny production numbers. Anyone who receives this gift will surely feel loved.

Image left: Bridge Black Titanium, right Golden Bridge Lady

We recently received an email from Ms. Lori Poznansky containing a warm thank you note and pictures of her husband unveiling his surprise gift at their wedding. Although the Corum Golden Bridge is featured in the photos, it is the gorgeous bride that steals the show. Congratulations!

Ms. Poznansky's note reads:

We would like to reciprocate with our thanks and wish the couple a joyful future together.

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