WristWatch Magazine #19 | Page 37

Admiral’s cup chronograph 44 Corum’s Admiral’s Cup Sails Full Speed Ahead O f all the timepieces brandishing the Corum logo, the Admiral’s Cup likely ranks as the best known. The refined nautical watch may not register as bold as the Corum’s Bubble watch, as patriotic as the former Coin watch or as nostalgic as the Heritage or as complicated as the Golden Bridge—but it consolidates all four virtues into one emblematic flagship timepiece. That alone deserves a respectful salute. The Corum Admiral’s Cup is distinguished by its hallmark twelve-sided bezel emblazoned with twelve colorful nautical pennants representing the maritime International Code of Signals. The Admiral’s Cup collection is versatile—defining time, dates, worldtime, intervals, tides and even sailing champions via automatic or complicated movements such as chronographs, tourbillons, and, on several models, a minute-repeater. In recent years, Corum has been a company in transition and keeping an unusually low profile for a brand accustomed to attracting eyeballs and turning heads. Yes the Admiral’s Cup has been Corum’s steady force—always diversifying itself with new complications, materials and colors while representing the brand’s passion for the sea. History The Admiral’s Cup model dropped anchor in 1960, unfathomably launched as the world’s first water-resistant square timepiece—a sports watch with a sailboat hand-inscribed on its case back. This daring timepiece was inspired by the biennial Admiral’s Cup sailing regatta, the unofficial international championship of offshore yacht racing, launched in 1957 by members of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The race showcased national teams (England, United States, France, Australia, among others) competing against one another with three yachts each over six legs—three Olympic triangles, a coastal route, and finally two challenging sea races, the Channel Race and the Fastnet. The legendary Admiral’s Cup race correlated to tennis’ patriotic 2016 | Wristwatch 37