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Corum Celebrates Four Decades of Golden Bridge

Corum pays tribute to its Golden Bridge with two new limited edition models, each celebrating the watch’s 40th anniversary. Corum has frequently revisited the Golden Bridge in the forty years since the watchmaker debuted its first watch with the linear-gear movement.

The first Golden Bridge,designed by Vincent Calebrese and launched by Corum in 1980.

The architecturally sublime caliber, initially designed by Vincent Calabrese, was re-engineered by Corum in 2011 and has been variously offered since then with manual winding or automatic winding.  While Corum usually places the in-line movement in a rectangular or tonneau case, Corum began offering the movement within round cases for the first time in 2016 with precious metal and gem-settings.

With these two anniversary Golden Bridge models, Corum returns to the original manual-wind caliber designs. In the Caliber CO113, the viewer’s eyes are drawn along the path following the movement’s energy transfer, starting at the spring barrel at 6 o’clock up to the escapement at 12 o’clock.

The new Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle 40th Anniversary in 18-karat white gold.

White gold or rose gold

With this commemorative offering, Corum emphasizes the Golden Bridge’s original rectangular case. Two 29.5mm by 42.2mm models, one in white gold and one with a rose gold case, celebrate not only the Golden Bridge’s anniversary, but also an aspect of Corum’s own history as a new watchmaking company, founded in 1955.

On the white gold Golden Bridge Rectangle 40th anniversary model, Corum hand-engraves flowers onto the case in reference to its ongoing collection of Haute Horlogerie models. The depictions of the acanthus and fern plants are a nod to a style created in Corum’s home of La Chaux-de-Fonds. These are the same engravings Corum has placed on all Golden Bridge baguette movements since the timepiece was launched in 1980.

The white gold Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle 40th Anniversary is limited to three pieces honoring Corum’s three co-founders.

The new Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle 40th Anniversary in 18-karat rose gold.

With the rose gold edition of the Golden Bridge Rectangle 40th Anniversary watch, Corum is also celebrating its own sixty-fifth birthday. This 18-karat rose gold version will be made as a limited edition of forty pieces, each engraved “Limited Edition 1 0f 40” inside the case at 3 o’clock. In addition, you’ll find the Corum key logo metallized in an eye-catching, light-diffusing pattern on a sapphire crystal caseback.

Prices: $39,800 (rose gold, limited edition of forty pieces), $42,800 (white gold, limited edition of three pieces).

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Hublot Adds Leather Bezel to Big Bang Unico Berluti

Hublot expanded the role Berluti leather on the latest edition of its co-branded Big Bang Unico with a new 100-piece limited edition called Big Bang Unico Berluti Cold Brown. In addition to boasting a very unusual leather dial, which matches the leather strap, the new version of this stylish watch also features a leather bezel.

The new Hublot Big Bang Unico Berluti Cold Brown, featuring a Berluti leather dial, strap and bezel.

In addition, Hublot and the famed Italian leather maker Berluti worked overtime to open the leather dial in the center, exposing gears, portions of the date wheel and even the chronograph’s column wheel.

Two-part bezel

Hublot and Berluti constructed the leather bezel in two parts. Artisans insert and glue one part of the bezel, measuring about 1mm thick, onto the second part, which is a lower black ceramic base. They then screw both layers, made rigid with a special resin, onto the 45mm black ceramic case.

The watch is also available with a black ceramic bracelet.

As with the leather strap, the bezel will also take on a patina over time. The dial, however, is encapsulated between two pieces of sapphire, which means the appearance of the dial remains frozen in time in its Cold Brown hue.

Berluti’s Cold Brown leather color is the end result of artisans applying a new glacé finish on top of a historical Berluti leather color. Inside Hublot has cast its impressive Unico manufacture chronograph movement with flyback function and a lengthy 72-hour power reserve.

Hublot is delivering each watch in this limited in a chest signed by Hublot and Berluti along with a Berluti shoehorn key ring and travel case. As noted, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Berluti Cold Brown will only be available in a limited edition of 100 pieces. Price: $26,200.

 

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Looking Back: A Rear View of the Krayon Anywhere

With Anywhere, the second debut from independent Swiss watchmaker Krayon, the wearer can see sunset and sunrise times for any single location indicated on the dial.

The watch, with its all-new C030 manual-wind caliber, streamlines the functions of the earlier Krayon Everywhere, on which (you guessed it) the wearer can see sunset and sunrise times across the globe. That watch was awarded the Innovation Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2018.

The back of the Krayon Anywhere, showing Manual-winding Cal. C030. The bridge edges echo the shape of one of the rivers that empties into Lake Neuchâtel.

Like the dial, the back of the newer celestial complication is also less encumbered, with large, expertly polished plates that hide the gears below. Watch engineer Rémi Maillat, who worked on so many of Cartier’s superb, complicated calibers prior to founding Krayon in 2017, places the hours, minutes and seconds beneath this larger plate.

A portion of the sunset and sunrise complication dominates the lower section of the movement. Framing a threaded and adjustable transverse screw is a dramatic two-level cam that rotates, pushing two racks to continuously transmit the information required to activate the dial’s sunset and sunrise displays.

Krayon will adjust two screws (visible within a set of rubies at each side of the visible cam) to account for longitudinal differences in sunset and sunrise.

The cam, which the watchmaker can customize according to the owner’s chosen latitude, rotates fully once each year. Krayon will adjust two screws (visible within a set of rubies at each side of the cam) to account for longitudinal differences in sunset (left side) and sunrise (right side).

PERSONAL DÉCOR

A close-up of the back of the Krayon Anywhere, showing the movement’s expert hand-polished beveling.

Maillat’s wavy bridge décor is not simply eye-catching. It’s also personal. The manually beveled edges of the larger bridge echo the shape of one of the rivers that empties into Lake Neuchâtel, near Maillat’s home in Switzerland. The bridge’s waves trace the position of the watch’s cam during a Neuchâtel sunset, according to Krayon. All the bridges, and even the cam, feature perfectly mirror-polished anglage.

Thanks to a thin (5mm) movement, Krayon has managed to maintain a 9mm thick case for the Anywhere despite all this complexity. And at only 39mm in diameter the Krayon Anywhere may be among the smaller high-end designs offering a sunrise/sunset display. And with the obvious attention paid to its back view, it is certainly among the most beautiful.

The dial side of the Krayon Anywhere in rose gold.

 

 

 

The Essentials

Movement: Manual-winding Cal. C030 showing (on dial) hours and minutes, sunrise and sunset times, 24-hour display, simple calendar, month. Wave-décor on bridges with hand-polished beveling throughout. and Power reserve is 86 hours, 3 Hz frequency,  55 jewels,432 components.

Case: 39mm by 9.5mm white gold or rose gold with alligator strap and matching gold buckle. Price: 116,000 Swiss Francs (about $127,000)

This article first appears in the Fall 2020 edition of International Watch.

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Bell& Ross Expands Vintage Black Steel

Bell & Ross expands the raw sportiness of its Vintage collection this week as it adds the BR V3-94 Black Steel, a black-dialed, steel-cased chronograph measuring 43mm in diameter, which is a two-millimeter boost in case diameter for the popular Vintage series’ Black Steel edition.

The new Bell & Ross Vintage BR V3-94.

While the case size matches that of Vintage V3-94 models within the existing Bell & Ross Renault series, here the watch boasts a steel bezel set with a cleaner black aluminum 60-minute scale and without the Renault-yellow flange and accents.

The new case’s solid strap/bracelet attachment offers buyers a new option with its subtle cushion shape, marginally bolder than the classically round case of the 41mm Vintage BR V2-94 Black Steel.  

Of course, with more room on the dial, Bell & Ross moves from the smaller model’s two-register chronograph dial to a more contemporary three-subdial chronograph. Inside you’ll still find the watchmaker’s Caliber BR-CAL.301, an enhanced ETA-based chronograph movement, which Bell & Ross makes visible through a sapphire caseback. White numerals and indexes contrast nicely with the black dial.

Bell & Ross will offer the new BR V3-94 with a polished and satin-finished steel bracelet ($4,600) or with a black leather strap ($4,300).

 

Specifications: Bell & Ross Vintage BR V3-94

(Ref: BRV394-BL-ST/SST)

Movement: Calibre BR-CAL.301, and EA-based automatic caliber

Case: 43 mm satin-polished steel, bi-directional rotating steel bezel with anodized black aluminum ring and 60-minute scale. Screw-down crown, sapphire case back, curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, water-resistance to 100 meters.

Dial: Matte black, numerals and indexes coated in SuperLuminova, metal skeletonized SuperLuminova-filled hour and minute hands. Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock and date. Chronograph: 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, central chronograph seconds, tachymeter scale on the flange.

Strap: Black calfskin or satin-polished steel with folding satin-polished steel buckle.

 

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G-Shock Laser-Etches a Python Pattern

G-Shock has covered one of its MT-G models (the MTGB1000WLP1) with brown, black and gold python pattern as part of its latest collaboration with Wildlife Promising, a nonprofit organization dedicated to African wildlife preservation. 

The pattern, inspired by the African Rock Python, boasts a laser-etched band, case and bezel meant to mimic the skin of Africa’s largest python.

The G-Shock MTGB1000WLP1

The idea is of course to raise funds for the wildlife group. And the connection to the African Rock Python goes beyond the python’s skin pattern. The second hand on the dial sports a bright red color to match the color of the snake’s tongue, while the indicator hand at the 9 o’clock position emulates the triangular pattern found on the top of the python’s head.

In addition, the name of the organization, Wildlife Promising, can be seen on the watchband. On the back of the watch G-Shock has etched “Love The Sea And The Earth,” the organization’s tag line.

The watch’s technical specs remain intact, including all the features of the original MTGB1000 base model. This MTGB1000WLP1 retains its Bluetooth connectivity and time synchronization via the G-Shock Connected app and Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled timekeeping. Light powers the movement, which is protected by a sapphire crystal.

The limited-edition MTGB1000WLP1 also comes equipped with standard G-Shock technology, including Triple G Resist (shock, vibration and centrifugal force resistance), 200 meters of water resistance, an extra bright LED, a 24-hour stopwatch, a daily alarm, a countdown timer, automatic calendar and word timer.

The G-Shock MTGB1000WLP1 ($1,300) will be available in December at select G-SHOCK retailers, the G-SHOCK Soho Store, and gshock.com.

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