After having come to Corum five years ago (following twelve years at Vendäme—which later became Richemont where he was directly involved with Panerai), Antonio Calce, now Corum’s CEO, seems to be legitimately proud of what he has accomplished at the brand.
The era of Wunderman was marked by a form of flamboyant ‘fashionization’ of the company, located in La Chaux de Fonds, and the famous and well-named Bubble—was tragically cut short by the death of Séverin Wunderman. (His son Michael, who headed up Corum’s distribution for North America, left the world of watches afterwards.)
Corum now belongs entirely to the foundation created by Séverin Wunderman before his passing, and Antonio Calce has been given a free hand to develop the brand’s strategy. Calce has also taken over the direct management of its North American operations.
The brand’s strategy is three-pronged: revitalization of Corum’s savoir-faire; re-establishment of favoured relationships with retailers; and an offer re-centred around the ’four pillars of the brand’—Golden Bridge, Admiral's Cup, Romulus, and the Artisans line.
The strategy went into effect right away, thus all the new products for 2010 were developed in-house regardless of the level of design, development, construction and final assembly (from now on realized 100 per cent in-house). On the commercial side, Antonio Calce (for whom Corum is “a niche brand that is fortunate enough to not be a single-product brand”) has fully made the paradigm shift that connects a brand like his with the retailer. On a market such as the USA, for example, now managed directly by Calce himself, Corum must change its distribution from a large ‘fashion’ type model to a relationship of long-term ‘partnerships’ with its retailers and developers “who understand the added value in our watches and who transmit our regained legitimacy.”
This remark is also meaningful in a greater sense because, like his former mentor Franco Cologni, Antonio Calce insists on the necessity—urgent in his mind—of more profound efforts in terms of education relating to watchmaking. For him, this is the only guarantee of having a long-lasting presence.




ADMIRAL’S CUP MINUTE REPEATER TOURBILLON 45


Double anniversary
As far as products go, the accent this year is on two of the brand’s pillars: the Admiral's Cup and the Golden Bridge. These models should strongly contribute to the “renaissance of the desire for Corum” by the consumer, whose interest in the brand is increasing, especially since the brand’s pricing policy is perfectly in line with the current economic situation and the changes in consumer behaviour.
Following the policy of launching products in a limited series (also a way of constantly revitalizing its relationship with retailers), Antonio Calce is taking advantage of the two anniversaries that are occurring this year—the thirtieth anniversary of the Golden Bridge and the fiftieth anniversary of the Admirals Cup—to propose not only unique commemorative models but also to enlarge these two families with new lines produced in a limited series.





Thus, we should no longer say ‘Golden Bridge’ because, with the remarkable ‘T-Bridge’ launched last year, this family has been entirely revisited and has taken on the generic name ‘Corum Bridge’. Other outstanding pieces are also in the pipeline. As a grand premiere, the Golden Bridge is getting a dial—quite surprising for a watch known for the absolute transparency of the case in which the baguette movement seems to float. This addition demonstrates that the timepiece has acquired the veritable status of an icon, whose unique feature is that it can transform while remaining true to itself. The baguette movement stands out magnificently against all sorts of very different dials—black, dark grey, light grey, golden, guilloché in a vertical or sunray pattern, and decorated with facetted appliqué indexes. On the back, an opening in the form of a lock exposes the movement while letting the light shine through.
Another new piece in this collection is the first ‘Miss Golden Bridge’ that showcases the baguette Calibre CO113 in a delicate and slender tonneau case, made of white or red gold. As for the T-Bridge, whose “sell-through is exceptional,” according to Antonio Calce, its increased strength is clear with, on one hand, a model edged with rubber that reinforces the modernity of the watch and, on the other hand, an exceptional T-Bridge with a flying tourbillon and double barrel that will be revealed at BaselWorld.
The second pillar, the Admirals Cup, will welcome an ultra-sleek new model to celebrate its 50 years. The crowning touch on this sporty line, the new watch is made of titanium, is water-resistant to 1,000 metres, and features a helium valve. The reliability of this new piece is assured by a rare Valjoux movement without its ‘chrono’ plate. (Besides Corum, only Panerai uses this configuration from Valjoux.)




GOLDEN BRIDGE



MISS GOLDEN BRIDGE


All of the design codes of the Admirals Cup have been strengthened by Antonio Calce and his team to create a very recognizable watch, typical of the line. One important point: in offering its famous flags tone-on-tone, the Admirals Cup opens itself to a wider audience, one less directly connected to the world of sailing. The various new pieces are distinctive and well thought out, each model offering something different with a precise function.
Thus, we find a 44-mm Admirals Cup with fly-back hand, a 48-mm foudroyante model, and a very interesting 44-mm single-pusher chronograph whose chronographic minute display is on the outside perimeter of the dial. We also must not forget the very lovely ladies’ chrono with a diamond-set dial.


Source: Europa Star April - May 2010 Magazine Issue