Corum launched the Admiral’s Cup collection in 1960 and the watches were easily identified by their distinctive design: twelve-sided case architecture and nautical flags in place of numerals have been the characteristic markers of this line throughout its history.

In particular, the singular nautical pennants formed an unmistakable signature element in this collection – a flagship, so to speak. Rooted in Corum founder René Bannwart’s fondness for sailing and regattas, its original name derived from an annual series of yacht races off the southern coast of England until 2003.

In recent years, the Admiral’s Cup collection has gone through some minor design changes that nonetheless retain the design codes that originally set it apart. Now generally smaller, lighter looking, and somewhat softer in its angular duodenary shape, the Admiral’s Cup has also slightly changed names to become the Admiral collection.

Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon

Corum Admiral 2022 standout: Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon

In 2022, Corum releases several new Admiral timepieces, including six new Admiral 42 models, one of which offers an interesting “grenadier fendu” pattern that was entirely designed in-house at Corum in 2019. But the pinnacle of these new additions is the novel Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon.

Let’s start with the design – and specifically the case as the dynamic high-tech material used here represents something new for Corum. Crafted in layers of ultra-light black carbon fiber, this case reveals a secret at night: inclusions in the carbon that glow like hundreds of little fireflies.

Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon at night

To achieve this aesthetic, the case’s carbon fiber was combined with green Super-LumiNova elements. Both materials are melted together under high pressure and temperature, a process that sees the individual carbon fibers take on different shapes, thereby making every timepiece unique.

The dial adheres to the overall color scheme, though it is the steely rhodium-plated look of the displays, hands, framework, and implied pennants as hour markers that dominate this watch by day. At night, the pennant-shaped hour markers give way to the real star of the show: the wildly luminescent case!

Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon

Held in place by technical-looking bridges in keeping with the design’s overall flow, functions added to the hour and minute include a power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock and a three-minute counter at 9 o’clock.

Unobtrusive hands coated with black Super-LumiNova proudly point to the time, which does seem somewhat secondary on this imposing timepiece.

Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon: movement

Corum’s Caliber CO 297 boasts a special functional element: the three-minute counter. Inspired by the symbolism of the three founders of Corum (René Bannwart, Gaston Ries, and Simone Ries), the playful idea of the three-minute counter takes its position on the dial where the small seconds would usually be. Corum’s technicians had to recalculate the seconds gearing so that the counter shows 180 instead of 60.

Though the movement is openworked, not everything is visible from the front, just the escapement at 6 o’clock, the spring barrel at 12 o’clock, and some of the gear train, which is mainly visible on top of the black plate in the center of the watch.

Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon

Not skeletonizing (and showing) the entirety of the movement is a great compromise as the watch highlights the desired technical elements but doesn’t make an already busy watch even busier.

The openworked movement is also visible on the back where some components can be seen, including bridges designed to mirror the geometric shape of the watch’s dodecagonal bezel.

But who’s looking back there when you have this cool, glow-in-the dark case on your wrist?

For more information, please visit www.corum-watches.com/collections/admiral.

Quick Facts Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Luminescent Carbon
Case: 45 x 14.4 mm, carbon fiber with green Super-LumiNova, black PVD-coated titanium crown, 100-meter water resistance
Movement: automatic Caliber CO 297, 48-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes; power reserve indication, three-minute counter (hacking)
Limitation: 25 pieces
Price: CHF 35,000

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