Over 30 years ago, Corum turned the tide of history towards the twelve-sided shape with its Admiral’s Cup model, a unique watch evoking the world of sailing. The latest addition

to the Legend line, the Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Annual Calendar pays tribute to the excellence of classical watchmaking and provides an authentic lesson in elegance. The watch is clearly dedicated to the finest possible purpose: celebrating the passion of time.

In 1956, British members of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) launched a challenge off the Isle of Wight which would become one of the world’s finest sailing races: the Admiral’s Cup. A few years latter, an eponymous square watch was introduced by Corum. The company designers later redesigned its contours and adorned it with what was to be its signature feature: a twelve-sided bezel adorned with 12 nautical pennants from the International Maritime Signals Code. The Admiral’s Cup legend was taking shape.

Because it bears within it the spirit of its illustrious predecessor, the new Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Annual Calendar is pursuing the myth. In thus creating a model faithful in all respects to the original aesthetic attributes – distinctive shape, pennants on the bezel ring – as well as asserting itself through a pure design, softer lines and a beveled case, Corum is enriching its Legend line with a stellar new model.

Opting for elegance

The Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Annual Calendar stems first and foremost from a desire to offer a model with a powerful visual identity. Crafted in red gold or steel, with a silver-toned or anthracite dial, the watch is distinguished by pure lines and a philosophy firmly focused on essentials. The various calendar functions are displayed clearly and harmoniously on the dial. In addition to the hours, minutes and seconds, the watch indicates the date around the dial circumference by means of an openworked hand, and the months through a snailed aperture at 6 o’clock. Representing a remarkable and eminently useful horological complication, the annual calendar automatically takes account of 30- and 31-day months, thus requiring just one adjustment per year, at the end of February. The time indications are provided by three semi-openworked hands, faceted and enriched with a white luminescent substance that makes them stand out in the dark. The date hand with its Corum key symbol counterweight sets a final precious touch to this charming picture.

The dial is also characterized by its elegant aesthetic featuring 11 applied hour-markers and the figure 60 instead of the usual 12; a vertical guilloché motif for steel models, and a barleycorn guilloché pattern for the red gold versions.

175 watches for 2012

Water-resistant to 30 meters, the 42 mm-diameter case of the Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Annual Calendar houses the mechanical automatic Corum CO503 movement, endowed with a 42-hour power reserve. On the reverse side of the watch, a sapphire caseback reveals the heart of the movement and its oscillating weight personalized with the brand logo. The leather strap comes fitted with a folding clasp for the steel version and with a pin buckle for the gold variation. The Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Annual Calendar is issued in a limited annual production run of 25 in red gold and 150 in steel.