Corum Admiral Cup Seafender 47 Tourbillon GMT

Corum combines supreme elegance & intriguing complications in its latest edition to the iconic Admiral Cup Collection.   This model is quite a far cry from previous Admiral Cup models featuring loud and brightly colored nautical flags emblazoned beneath the bezel.  Keeping with the Admiral Cup tradition, nautical flags are featured beneath the bezel; however quite a bit more discrete.  This down playing of the nautical flags seems to be the newer Admiral Cup trend, perhaps because the actual Admiral Cup international sailing regatta has been a no show for almost a decade.  All due respect to Corum, this is one of the finest Admiral Cup Timepieces I have ever seen.  The iconic twelve sided of the bezel has been softened slightly and crafted from glowing rose gold.  The 47mm dial is spacious sporting an exquisite tourbillon complication and a dual time zone.  The key of Corum is incorporated in the tourbillon movement and seems to unlock time with the rotation of the tourbillon within the signature key cage. The diagonal lines across the dial provide the perception of space on a dial which otherwise may seem cluttered.
Since this is a nautical timepiece, a second time zone is a critical especially if one is traveling across longitudes.  A handy pusher at the 4 'o' clock sets the second time zone, which is visible on a sub dial at the 6 'o'clock position, and just in case one is holed in the bowels of a ship, a day night indicator provides clues to the outside. At the 3 'o' clock position, the day of the month is perfectly placed.
Some say the see through case back is as alluring as the dial, since an exceptional large Corum caliber  CO397 automatic movement is entirely visible via a scratch resistant sapphire crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating. 
A power reserve of 50 hours ensures the watch remains ticking off the wrist for at least 50 hours.  The timepiece is water resistant to 50 meters thanks to gaskets and a screw in case back, however 50 meters does limits its uses around too much water; however for $70,000 I would be quite careful where and when I wear the watch.
This watch is also available in aluminum for $47,000 in a  truly handsome  matt black.

Corum's Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive to 1000 Feet

Corum adds a watch to the long list of diver's watches which can dive far deeper than man can venture beneath the ocean.  However, venture or not, the new Corum's Admiral Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive is a impressive Diver's watch equipped with all the necessary diving functions.
  In all serious diving watches I always look for a Helium Valve.  In this case the Corum has one.  A helium valve is crucial in scuba diving scenarios. A helium valve enables divers who operate at great depths and spend prolonged hours under extreme pressure breathing a mix like trimix containing gases such as helium (tiny molecules) or hydrogen (smallest molecules found in nature) to release the helium molecules that have worked their way through the o-rings or other seals. The helium and hydrogen molecules cause no damage when the watch is at great depths under pressure but as soon as the diver resurfaces, a pressure difference occurs between the trapped gas(es) inside the watch case and the surrounding air. This can cause the crystal to pop off damaging the watch thus the helium valve is a crucial edition to diving watches enabling the diver to release the gas build up and restore equilibrium.

Other properties of the Corum Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 deep Dive which makes it a hard core Diver's Watch.  The watch adheres to the strict ISO 6425  guidelines relating to Diver's Watches, which is defined as: "A watch designed to withstand diving in water at depths of at least 100 m and possessing a system to control the time"
The testing of Diving Watches occurs in still water under 125% of rated water pressure.  In other words, a watch claiming a 200 meter water resistance rating has been tested in still water at a depth of 250 meters.
Diving watches are tested in static or still water under 125% of the rated (water)pressure, thus a watch with a 200 meter rating will be water resistant if it is stationary and under 250 meters of static water.
Corum has met the criteria by crafting the watch with a Grade 5 titanium case.  Grade 5 titanium is considered an alloy as it consists of 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium, 0.25% iron, 0.2%  Oxygen and the remaining percentage titanium.  Titanium Grade 5 is utilized extensively in Aerospace, Medical, Marine, and Chemical Processing as it is stronger than commercially pure titanium while maintaining its stiffness and thermal properties. Titanium Grade 5 is heat treatable, strong & corrosion resistance.
Corum has crafted the 48mm case with a thickness of 18.9mm and a screw down crown. An automatic Caliber CO947 with a power reserve of 42 hours is a certified Chronometer as certified by the COSC.

Nautical Flags fly just below the unidirectional rotating bezel- a signature of all Admiral Cup Corum Watches.  Another crucial aspect of a Diver's Watch is the readout in murky conditions.  Depending on the version, this watch is available in two, the hands and hour markers are coated in either highly luminescent bi-light orange coating (watch image above) or black superluminova.  The dial read out is clear as a result of the bold markings.  Central hours and minutes as well as a small seconds at the 9'o'clock and day and date at the 3 'o'clock provide crucial time tracking. 
The Corum Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive is available in two versions, the first which I have described above in bright orange is available in a limited edition of 200 and a PVD blackened version with a Grade 5 titanium case sports a 18 carat gold bezel, which is available in a limited edition of 100.
For a diver serious about diving, a Corum Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive, won't leave you high and dry.

Corum's Admiral Cup Collection at THE WATCHERY

The Watchery has a large selection of great watch buys for the holidays with rock bottom prices.

A personal favorite of mine is Corum's Admiral Cup Collection. Back in 2008, I blogged about the remarkable popularity of this particular collection - see post; and since then Corum's Admiral Cup popularity has soared even higher. I am sure you may wonder from whence came the name?

The Admiral's Cup is an international yachting regatta occurring every odd year. It was organized in 1957 by the Royal Ocean Racing Club based at Cowes, on the Isle of Wright in England. In 2003 the Reggatta was held in Australia between different yacht clubs. 2003 was the last race; although, there is some talk in the works for 2011.

Corum's name is derived from the word “quorum” which means “the minimum number of persons present, required to enable a meeting, to hold discussions and take valid decisions”.

Looking at the dial of a Admiral Cup Luxury Watch, visible are 12 nautical flags just beyond the bezel and above minute indexes. Admiral Cup Luxury Watch have no hour markers, baring rather minutes scaled in 5 minute increments. Corum's signature key on the seconds hand counter-weight unlocks the future with each passing second.

Corum Admiral Cup Luxury Watches are a great pick for the Holidays. Buy a Luxury Watch at The Watchery for Unbeatable Low Prices.