Bubble watches, blending creative energy and rebellious spirit, allow Corum Toboggan Watch to break the rules of luxury watchmaking and create a language that is unique to the range. From this perspective, the brand gives free rein to artists coming from very varied backgrounds (art, photography, sport or even music) to reinterpret a collection in their own image. After Matteo Ceccarini, Matt Barnes, Juliette Jourdain, Booba, Dani Olivier and Elisabetta Fantone, to name but a few, the Maison now chose American artist Nelson De La Nuez, the King of Pop Art, to re-imagine his own models and create his own exclusive collection.
Nelson De La Nuez © Corum
Upon closer inspection, one might wonder why the partnership between Corum and Nelson De La Nuez hadn’t occurred earlier, as it seems inevitable that their two worlds would meet, something that struck Jérôme Biard, CEO of Corum, while visiting an art gallery: “Nelson De La Nuez is one of those artists who doesn’t follow trends, who creates his own universe by gathering inspiration from his surroundings and always manages to be innovative”.
This version bears the strongest resemblance to the original from 1964, but with the inclusion of an interior bezel in matching gold round the coin to rise the dial diameter to a more contemporary 43mm. This in turn provided space for your business branding to be etched near 12 o’clock without altering the coin face itself, omitting the floating logo used on the other versions in this year’s Corum Heritage Artisans Coin Watches lineup. The hour indices are stretched from the outer bezel into the gold interior bezel, which makes this the most legible of this three models.The gold model is also notable for utilizing 3N or 22ct yellow gold, which is unusual for a watch case. This caliber of gold is 91.6% pure, instead of the more prevalent 18ct grade which uses 75% gold and 25 percent alloying metals. The crown is similarly made of 22ct gold and is set with a 0.17 carat diamond. Gem-setting in this a gentle metal could prove somewhat lumpy, and I’d avoid heavy use of the crown to avoid deforming the alloy and possibly losing the diamond.The hour and minute hands on this watch are lean, baton-shaped, and black lacquered, giving good legibility without obscuring the opinion of the coin face. The fitting black alligator leather strap completes the appealing black-on-gold classic aesthetic, and includes a more durable 18ct yellow gold tongue buckle. All three watches feature a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective therapy along with a thin 7.60mm instance, which makes them searchable for dress watch duties. The cases are rated to 1 ATM / 10m water-resistance, so wearers should take care to prevent any exposure to water outside a mild sprinkle.The next version in the Corum Heritage Artisans Coin Watches lineup is your silver reference C082/03059, which includes a classic Silver Eagle one-dollar coin. The coin depicts a heraldic eagle with shield on the watch face and a walking Statue of Liberty on the caseback. The coin and observe case are made of 925 sterling silver, another unusual material in watchmaking because of silver’s tendency to tarnish over time. Maybe the sapphire crystal over the dial will offer a sufficient seal to protect against the watch face from darkening, or at least reduce the rate of oxidization satisfactorily to keep it legible between providers.
© Corum
By entrusting the King of Pop Art with the keys to create this new collection, Corum once again sets itself apart by not simply absorbing works of art but by allowing its Bubble watches to become art. Currently in the making, the complete Corum Bubble collection by Nelson De La Nuez will be revealed to the public at Art Basel Miami in December 2017. In the meantime, watch the video below to have a glimpse of the artist’s style.
