74 Corum Watches

Inception of Corum Watches

After working for many years in various prestigious watchmaking companies of Swiss-origin, watchmaker and entrepreneur René Bannwart decided it was time to start his own company that could better realise his horological vision. Thus began the journey of Montres Corum Sàrl, founded by René Bannwart and his uncle Gaston Ries, in the year 1955. Now, while deciding on a name, Mr Bannwart zeroed in on Corum since he was fascinated by the term ‘quorum’. Generally used to denote the minimum number of people needed in a closed group or association to reach a decision, Bannwart altered the spelling to Corum.

Ever since its inception, Corum has been making timepieces that are truly modern and exquisite in design and manufacture. Located at the heart of Swiss watchmaking in the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the watchmaking motto of Corum loudly resonates with its models and collections: Risk Is The Reward!

For almost 45 years under the stewardship of René Bannwart and his son, Jean-René Bannwart, Corum produced classic and iconic timepieces such as the Admiral Collection and the Golden Bridge Collection. The turn of the new millennium saw the company change hands with new owner Severin Wunderman taking the reins. Under him, the company achieved new heights before his untimely death in 2008. Despite such a setback, Corum continued to make limited-edition high-quality watches. This led to the company being purchased in the year 2013 by the Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group. Along with Swiss watchmaker Eterna, this group runs the operations and manufacturing of Corum.

Corum Watch Campaign - Risk Is The Reward

As a company, Corum has always prided itself on taking risks and breaking new grounds when it comes to watch designs and manufacturing. This ideology had been embodied into their collection in the form of the Four Pillars of their heritage collection: the Admiral’s Cup Collection, the Romvlvs Collection, the Corum Bridges Collection which includes the legendary Golden Bridge model, and the Artisans Collection.

However, the dawn of the 21st century has compelled Corum to make some changes to its collections. The company has opened itself to contemporary and modern designs, keeping true to its heritage. This key decision to amalgamate the present with the past to create advanced designs for the future has worked leaps and bounds in cementing the status of Corum as an elite watch brand. While Admiral and Golden Bridge have been retained as part of the Five New Pillars, modern collections such as Bubble, Heritage and Lab have also been added to the mix. In the process, Corum has crafted watches that are a dream for every watch collector in the world.

Corum Watches - A Future In Risk-Taking

To examine what the future holds for Corum, we must take a look at their past. Watches like the Admiral’s Cup that were made in the 1960s are still in circulation with different models under the renamed pillar, Admiral. This testifies to Corum’s dedication to having watches that can stand the test of time. Patented pieces like the Golden Bridge watch, with its truly unique and magnificent transparent inner workings held together by a golden bridge, continues to bedazzle customers almost 40 years after its launch in 1980.

The newer watches and designs aren’t that far off in creating history. The groundbreaking design of the new 2020 Corum Lab 02 serves as an exemplary watch mixing superior craftsmanship with aesthetic and breathtaking designs. So much so, Lab 02 recently won the prestigious Tourbillon category Watch of the Year as conducted by L’Orologio, the renowned Italian horological magazine.

Thus, it is safe to say that Corum will continue to create collector’s watches that are the epitome of fine watchmaking and intricate designing while honouring the vision laid down by its founders.