Last year, the Swiss brand Corum, based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, was sold to Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited (formerly known as China Haidian Holdings Limited), and the new owners got an exclusive opportunity to indulge in a wild and wonderful concept. This year it unveiled it, in the form of a limited edition Golden Dragon timepiece featuring a symbolic pearl, which complements the iconic Golden Bridge collection:
One of the watches Corum is famous for is the Golden Bridge. We covered a review of the classical Golden Bridge here and a ladies perspective on the ladies version here. We found it to be a charming watch, full of character. The Corum Golden Bridge 43 Dragon follows the form of the movement with a tonneau shaped case with sapphire glass on all sides. They did a foray into a round case with a limited edition run of 75 pieces in 2010, but have kept the tonneau shape. Till Baselworld 2016, where they launched the Golden Bridge Round, with inspiration from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The classical Corum Golden Bridge 43 Dragon is housed in a tonneau shaped case. The movement is the iconic design of Vincent Calabrese in the early 1980s. Corum has been producing the watch in its various case materials since. But always the timeless movement is encased in sapphire glass all round for all to admire. While this may not be a technical feat these days, some 35 years ago, when it first burst into the scene, it was considered a technical marvel to be able to showcase the movement like that. The design seem to be able to transcend the technical side of watchmaking and bring it together with the artistic.

In 2010, Corum made a special 75 piece Limited Edition of the iconic C0113 baguette movement in a round case. This was encased in a round rose gold case, and was retailed for US$25,000. The case size was then 41mm, and a black dial with vertical guilloché. The new 2016 Round Corum Golden Bridge has the movement inside a scaffold design which is inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
The Corum Golden Bridge 43 Dragon features a symbolic pairing and fulfills one of the main plots of the Taoist philosophy. On one side, the dragon, symbol of success in business, and on the other, an elusive pearl, symbol of spiritual and material wealth. By combining these two elements, the Corum Golden Bridge Dragon is not just a watch, but becomes a magical amulet, intended to make its owner rich and happy, by fulfilling his life with harmony. However, collectors better have a combination of those qualities before owning this watch, as its price will be steep. The case is built like a show-window into the watch, with sides, face and case-back all secured by a sapphire crystal. There is no dial, which makes it appear lighter despite the material of the watch. Through it, you can take a glimpse into the watch’s main treasure, Corum’s exclusive linear or ‘baguette’ movement. The hand-wound CO 113 mechanism boasts a 40 hours power reserve and is beautifully finished. The bridge, on which the wheels and release lever are mounted, is also made out of gold and decorated with an engraving of the Corum logo. The Corum Golden Bridge Dragon also comes in two jewelry versions with diamonds: the red gold model is decorated with round-cut gems, while the version in white gold is adorned with baguette-cut diamonds. The Dragon figurine is also an exclusive. It’s made of gold, and it takes two weeks from the engraver to assemble this meticulous work. From the backside, the tail of the dragon in a frame of satin gold can be seen.