Corum Admiral Legend 38 Lady

Corum’s signature Admiral’s Cup now comes forward to shine in the glow of contemporary watchmaking for the feminine wrist. Retaining the design codes that originally set it apart, the duodenary architecture of its case has now been made smaller, lighter and decidedly softer to form an elegant, yet distinct, frame for artistic dials certain to please the discerning female.

Since the Admiral’s Cup joined Corum’s collection in 1960, it has been one of the brand’s most recognizable timepieces. In the original, the twelve-sided case shape embellished with distinctive nautical pennants has always formed an unmistakable signature for the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based brand: a flagship, so to speak. The Admiral’s Cup line is rooted in founder René Bannwart’s fondness for sailing and regattas, who derived its name from an annual series of yacht races that took place off the southern coast of England until 2003.

The duodenary architecture of the Admiral’s Cup has always appealed equally as well to the fairer sex as to its male counterpart. And now Corum is delighted to introduce timepieces proportionately designed just for female wrists with the well-known case’s twelve points scantly softened.

The sporty, seafaring Admiral’s Cup watches’ original functions included indicating the tides and providing a regatta countdown. Its dial was – and remains – inimitable thanks to the nautical signal flags generally placed against the backdrop of a cream-colored dial or at times even on the bezel surrounding the dial. Flags are used in lieu of numerals on the Admiral’s Cup timepieces, which are more often than not printed in color combinations of the international semaphore alphabet. The stylized flags function as a component of the International Code of Signals on the dial of the Admiral’s Cup, each representing a number according to the ICS.

The brand-new Admiral’s Cup Legend line is neatly split into two categories to suit the needs and wants of each woman’s personality. Housed in a fashionable 32 mm case, the most petite of the two is a perfect companion to both day and night wear and does not need winding thanks to a highly precise, Swiss, quartz movement. This version is available in four different variations to further offer the type of playful versatility that women desire.

Reference A020/02582, for example, retains the original look of the Admiral’s Cup while updating and feminizing it. A stainless steel case crowned by an 18-karat red gold bezel frames the precious, shimmering mother-of-pearl dial that forms the background. Prominently located on this precious sliver of nature are the 12 stylized flags that form the numerals, unmistakably connecting this model to its illustrious heritage. It is elegantly completed by a white satin strap that turns this ticking legend into wearable jewelry.

Reference A020/02580 and A020/02581 are characterized by the chic sparkle of semi-precious gemstones housed within either the stainless steel of the two-tone stainless steel and red gold 32 mm case: the time shown on Reference A020/02581 sparkles mysteriously with the addition of 12 blazing-red topazes as hour markers, while the time is pointed out on Reference A020/02580 by faceted blue topaz stones. The latter shines with extra brilliance as the topaz stones are also set into the bezel, framing the mother-of-pearl dial. On both models, the dial has been intricately engraved with a wave pattern in six alternating sections, adding a touch of elegance that the difficulty of this technical feat hardly displays. Engraving a sliver of the fragile organic material, which is less than 0.4 mm thick, requires extreme patience and the steadiest of hands. Red and blue satin straps complete the cultivated look of these exquisite beauties.

Reference A020/02579 will satisfy any woman’s craving for the sparkle of diamonds. The 12 sections of this dial are set with three alternating double rows of brilliant-cut diamonds in VS quality to form a fanciful, fashionable geometric pattern (1.2 ct.) More sparkle comes from the 32 mm stainless steel case, whose bezel is fully set with a row of the scintillating, precious stones. A white alligator-skin strap is a sumptuous way to secure this jeweled timepiece to the wrist.

A second version of this feminine theme is available in a 38 mm case powered by a precise, Swiss quartz movement. Reference A020/02586 in a stainless steel case likewise offers the line’s typical dial containing stylized flags in place of numerals, while the two-tone 38 mm case offer champagne-colored guilloche pattern as the backdrop. A soft white satin strap completes the elegant looks.

Each of the cases bears Corum’s gold key logo in three different places: on the dial, on the crown, and on the case back in the place of honor. All cases are water-resistant to 5 atmospheres / 50 meters.