Corum Golden Bridge round watch hands-on

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Like many modern watchmakers, Corum copy Watch has had an interesting time in the past few years. Brands around 2016 have experienced ups and downs, are rediscovering themselves and recalling some of the personalities that make modern brands interesting. In terms of the way people wear modern timepieces, ancient Corum watches (such as 10-15 years ago) are true innovators in style and fashion. For example, Bubble (come back this year) is a real proof that high-end watches can also be very interesting. Golden Bridge easily becomes one of Corum’s most unique movement and timepiece concepts, but although the visual presentation is very interesting, it is difficult to attract Western men.

In 2016, Corum Watch may find new highlights in the new Corum Golden Bridge Wheel series of the Golden Bridge series. This is the first time Corum has designed a round case for its linear movement, and the result is very interesting. The Golden Bridge movement (here, the CO 113 movement) is an interesting mechanical device designed to stack all the parts into a cylindrical shape (Corum calls it a “straight rectangular” movement). The splints that hold all the movement parts together are made of 18k rose gold and decorated with some attractive traditional hand engravings. Despite the compact size of the movement, it still runs at 4 Hz and has a power reserve of 40 hours-which is not bad. The CO 113 movement only indicates time in hours and minutes.

For the Golden Bridge Round, Corum placed the movement vertically in the round case, leaving some space on both sides of the movement for decoration or other purposes. Corum wanted to get a sense of architecture here, so the bridge work (literally) on both sides of the movement in the hollow case was taken from the design of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. So yes, the Golden Bridge watch got some inspiration from another Golden Bridge… I think it’s very interesting. In fact, the Golden Gate Bridge is red, but when the light shines on it correctly, the bridge seems to emit a golden light. I will notice that when I live near the Golden Gate Bridge, the sun does not often shine on it (through clouds and fog).

The last time Corum ventured to make a more masculine version of the Golden Bridge was in the Ti-Bridge series (experience for yourself here). Corum Ti-Bridge puts the movement in a horizontal position, turning the timepiece into a modern sports style watch. It is expensive and does not have a clear target audience. I believe that Ti-Bridge will become a favorite of collectors in the future, but during its release, due to the general perception of the concept and competition at this price, it is difficult to find a recipient.

For the Corum Golden Bridge Round, I think luxury Corum has given up a bit, admitting that “yes, a round case may be needed” to allow Golden Bridge to be used as a men’s watch. I know that in some parts of the world, tonneau-shaped Golden Bridge watches are sold to men, but in many ways, so far, the design of the series is more feminine by Western standards. Having said that, the Corum Golden Bridge round watch can capture the exquisite and delicate essence represented by the Golden Bridge concept, but it also gives it a strong sense of art. I think this sensibility is finally masculine enough and has a wider appeal.

The Corum Golden Bridge Round watch is made of 18k rose gold (and 18k white gold watch with diamonds), 43 mm wide and only 8.8 mm thick, sandwiched between two pieces of sapphire crystal coated with antireflection coating. In addition, the side of the case is inlaid with curved sapphire crystal glass, allowing people to once again catch a glimpse of the “bridge work” of the internal parts of the case decorated on the side of the movement. The bottom of the case is the crown of the movement, which is a good symmetrical position, so that there is no crown on the side of the Corum Golden Bridge round case.

The hands and flange ring are made of yellow-gold brass, creating a slight contrast. There is a full hour mark on the flange ring, but according to my standards, this watch is not very clear-although it is not bad for a more sophisticated watch. The Corum Golden Bridge round case comes with a glossy reddish brown alligator leather strap, which matches well with the two golds on the case and dial. If your shoes are the right color, this strap will look beautiful.

43mm wide, it is undoubtedly a bold timepiece, but thin and delicate, the result is more solemn and artistic than impetuous. Is this the new golden age of Jinqiao? I don’t know this, but Corum does offer a compelling new argument for those who like the movement concept but have not designed a proper Golden Bridge swiss watches for their wrist until now.