Wednesday, September 7, 2011

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.

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