CORUM Admiral’s Cup Minute Repeater Tourbillon 45

An exceptional timepiece for the 50th anniversary of an iconic collection

For half a century the Admiral’s Cup collection has paid tribute to marine and sea enthusiasts. To celebrate this legendary model’s fiftieth anniversary, Corum has chosen to associate to this eminently sporty watch with an exceptional movement combining two of the most prestigious horological complications: The tourbillon and the minute repeater.

The use of a minute repeater in a watch with marine connotation is not a common feature, however this complication concentrates the strength of two universes, as life on a boat is governed by night and day with ringing bells. From ‘action stations’ in the morning to the evening ring, and even during attention to colors, it is a sailor’s life that is punctuated by these ringing tones. Integrating a minute repeater in an Admiral’s Cup is therefore a way for Corum to pay tribute to the universal connection to this iconic watch.

Another way to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary with great dignity is to propose a new horological achievement: the CO 010 caliber. The development and adjustment of this exceptional movement took two entire years for which Corum required the participation of a dozen of its best watch-making craftsmen.

Each of the components were conceived and developed to guarantee the precision and beauty of the tone by considering its « power » (expressed in decibels), its « precision» (note correctness), its richness (expressed in number of partials) and its «reverberation » (duration of each note). The minutes-rack, placed at the heart of the ringing mechanism, is inverted compared to traditional minute repeaters in order to bring strength and precision to each note. It has also been enlarged to permit a wider lift angle to each tooth, extending the time between notes. The racks hitting the gongs are made out of ultra resistant and hardened steel. Fixed to these racks, countersprings have been specially conceived to find the best balance of the hitting strength and speed.

During the ringing, the rhythm is regulated through the rotation of an inertial flywheel, visible on the movement’s back. The gongs, manufactured from an alloy featuring a composition and thermal treatment that are a closely guarded secret, have been adjusted to strike the hours with an A note and minutes with a C sharp note. These two notes have not been chosen randomly, their specific sequence forms a major third (two tones) with a more cheerful harmony than a minor third (one and a half tones). The precision of the whole mechanism is guaranteed through a Tourbillon with Silicium escapement and pallets offering reliability and durability.

Visible complexity

The result of these intense years of craftsmanship is a micromechanical masterpiece of 14¼’’’ – with a diameter of 32 mm – and a thickness of only 5.35 mm, which ensures a hand-wound power reserve of 72 hours. The finishing was also the object of attention: each surface has been finished by hand; circular-grained components, black polished steels – in particular the strike-hammers and Tourbillon Bridge – circular-grained decoration of the plate and Côtes de Genève finish of the bottom bridges.

The creativity and care which have prevailed over the conception of the caliber CO 010 are again found in the external design of this Admiral’s Cup Minute Repeater Tourbillon 45. In order to specifically highlight the movement behind it, Corum replaced the dial with a smoked PVD treated sapphire glass allowing the wearer to admire the extreme complexity of the minute repeater and Tourbillon mechanisms. Its grey colored treatment, outlined with monochromatic nautical flags on the fitted flange, confers elegant sobriety to this timepiece. On that same sapphire glass engraved in golden writing are «Corum », « Minute Repeater » and « Tourbillon » as well as golden index chevrons and minute numbers. The 45 mm diameter case in 18kt red gold is immediately recognizable thanks to its legendary polished and satin finished twelve-sided bezel.

Ingenious winding

This jubilee model has a bezel containing a hidden winding function. For such a sporty model it was indeed too risky to have the minute repeater’s push-piece extending out which might get caught and potentially damage the mechanism. The Admiral’s Cup Minute Repeater Tourbillon 45 has therefore been manufactured with a specific bezel which winds the minute repeater function by rotating the bezel 27 degrees clockwise. Keeping the pureness of the case line and the integrity of the ringing mechanism, this ingenious system offers water-resistance up to 3 atm. Knowing that more than 140 hours are necessary for a Master Watch-Maker to assemble the movement’s 319 components, with an additional 10 hours to ensure perfect sound and notes, there is no need to specify that this Admiral’s Cup Minute Repeater Tourbillon 45 will be manufactured in very small quantities: only ten pieces will be produced in our workshops through the end of 2010.

CORUM Admiral's Cup Minute Repeater Tourbillon 45 movement Drawing by Atelier XJC

Technical Specifications

Reference
010.101.55/0001 A012

Limited Production
10 pieces

Movement
CO 010, Manual-winding movement with minute repeater and tourbillon
Tourbillon escapement and pallets in Silicium
Frequency 3 Hz, 21,600 vibrations per hour
29 jewels
Special CORUM high-end finish, Côtes de Genève finish on bottom bridges
Power reserve of 72 hours

Functions
Hours, minutes, minute repeater, tourbillon
Ingenious mechanism to activate the minute repeater function by rotating
the bezel

Case
45mm diameter
Typical twelve-sided 18kt red gold 5N case, satin-finish case with polished horns
18kt red gold 5N bezel, satin and polished finish
18kt red gold 5N crown protector
Crown in 18kt red gold 5N, engraved with CORUM key
18kt red gold 5N 4-screw open back cover with anti-reflective treatment

Dial
Sapphire crystal dial with gray PVD coating, opening on the tourbillon cage at 5 o’clock
Red gold 5N coated minutes and minute chevrons
Monochrome nautical pennants representing the hours on the black fitted flange
CORUM logo, Minute Repeater and Tourbillon transferred on the dial
Red gold 5N coated faceted hour and minute hands with white Superluminova

Glass
Cambered twelve-sided sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating

Strap
Black crocodile leather strap, width 22/20 mm

Buckle
18kt red gold 5N tongue buckle, engraved with CORUM logo

Water Resistance
3 atmospheres (99 feet / 30 meters)