Admiral's Cup 45 Minute Repeater Tourbillon

For half a century the Admiral’s Cup collection has paid tribute to marine and seaenthusiasts. 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, made from an alloy featuring a composition and thermal treatment that are a closely guarded secret, have been adjusted to strike the hours on an A note and the minutes on 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.

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 45 Minute Repeater Tourbillon. 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.

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 45 Minute Repeater Tourbillon 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 45 Minute Repeater Tourbillon will be manufactured in very small quantities: only ten pieces will be produced in our workshops through the end of 2010.