ReviewIn Depth: Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 & Legend 42 Chronograph

First introduced to the world in 1960, the Admiral’s Cup collection paved the way for Corum’s success, and has since become one of the brand’s three key pillars / trademark collections. The Admiral’s Cup collection is inspired by the oceans, men at sea and the grand sport of sailing. It gets its name from the international sailing regatta known as the Admiral’s Cup. For many years it was known as the unofficial world championship of water based races.

Corum’s Admiral’s Cup is characterized by its twelve-sided case and by the flags on its dials. The flags and the dodecagonal case have established a legendary status over the past 50 years. The flags are the numerical symbols of the international semaphore alphabet. This alphabet is also used by ships in the forms of flags or nautical pennants as a way of visual communication between ships. Corum’s usage of these flags in its ocean-inspired collection was appreciated around the world by design and watch aficionados. Let’s take a closer look at the 2016 editions of the beloved Admiral’s Cup:

A Masterpiece: The Dial

The dial is the pièce de résistance of the collection. Inspired by the world famous international yachting regatta championship, the Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 features Corum’s famous colored flags on the dial, marking each of the 12 hours with a flag. The Admiral’s Cup Collection has always used flags instead of numerals. The flags represent the first 12 numbers of the international semaphore alphabet. The semaphore alphabet is used in nautical pennants or flags by men at sea as a visual communication method between ships.

The Legend 42 uses large flags while the Legend 42 Chronograph balances the extra chrono rings by using smaller flags on the dial. The brand has managed to create immense depth on the dial through a highly aesthetic representation using different levels. The raised portion houses the iconic nautical flags. The central part of the dial which houses the logo is lower than the flags which helps in highlighting the flags. A set of beautiful concentric lines run between the flags. The detailing is gorgeous. The Legend 42 is available in blue and white dials. It has a large seconds counter placed over the flags at 5,6 and 7 o’clock. The date window is interestingly placed deep within the flag at 3 o’clock.

The Legend 42 Chronograph is available in steel in a blue dial and in steel & gold in a black dial option. It has a small seconds counter to accommodate the chronograph and the date window is between the 4 and 5-hour flags.

Beautiful luminescent hands

Providing legibility to the watch are the broad half-skeleton rhodium plated or 5N gold-toned hands (the steel and gold Legend 42 Chronograph uses gold hands) filled with SuperLuminova. The chronograph’s seconds hand has the key of Corum (the Corum logo) forged on one end. Every time it moves, it shows off the craftsmanship and ability of the watchmakers at Corum. Inside the chrono-counters are the hands which are also compass shaped and have SuperLuminova to ensure legibility at all times.

42mm dodecagonal case

Both the Legend 42 and the Legend 42 Chronograph use a 42MM case with 12 sides. The 12 sided case, also known as the Dodecagonal case, is the signature case of the Admiral’s Cup collection. The outer and inner bezels are also dodecagonal bezels. The dial is protected by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The screw down case is flanked by two lugs that protect the screw down crown. The crown has a deep groove running through the middle with two lines running parallel on the crown. The face of the crown has the beautiful key logo of Corum. In the chronographs, the long and sleek Chrono pushers have been placed at the intersection of the crown lugs and the case. Apart from that, both the Legend 42 and the Legend 42 Chronograph have a sapphire crystal case back and are water resistant to 3 ATM and 5 ATM respectively.

In the case of the steel and gold variant (black dial) – the outer dodecagonal bezel, chrono pushers, and the crown are made of 18 K rose gold. The hands and inner chrono rings are also made of rose gold.

In-house manufacture movement

Both variations (Legend 42 & Legend 42 Chronograph) in this series are equipped with in-house automatic movements developed by Corum at the Corum Atelier in La Chaux de Fonds.

Legend 42:

The back of the steel case gives a view of the automatic movement with its beautifully engraved rotor. Oscillating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, with a power reserve of 42 hours, the complications of the calibre CO395 comprise of the hour, minute, small second and date display. The date display is neatly ensconced within the nautical flag at 3 o’clock. The seconds are displayed over the flags at 5, 6 and 7 o clock.

Legend 42 Chronograph:

The Admiral Legend 42 Chronograph matches it’s twelve brightly coloured nautical flags with the discreet expression of its complicated functions. The elegant lines of the twelve-sided case in steel or steel and rose gold conceal the automatic movement with hour, minute, small second, chronograph and date displays. All this with a power reserve of 42 hours. The functions of the calibre CO984, oscillating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, are displayed on the blue or black dial.

Alligator leather straps with triple blade clasps

The Corum Legend 42 watches use high-quality alligator leather straps which comes in blue, black and brown colours. The colour depends on the dial colour that you choose. White dial with brown leather, blue dial with blue leather and black dial (available in steel and gold case only) with black leather. The triple-blade folding clasp in stainless steel ensures that the watch stays strapped on to your wrist, however, harsh the situations might get, just like an anchor.

About the Admiral’s Cup – History and inspiration

Initiated in 1957 by members of the British sailing club, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), the Admiral’s Cup is amongst the most legendary ocean races in the world. Over the course of its 23 events, it became the Holy Grail in this category and may be compared to what the Davis Cup represents for tennis.

Contested by teams of three yachts from the same nation, the event takes place in six legs: three Olympic triangles, a coastal route and two races at sea, the Channel Race and the Fastnet. The latter takes place between Cowes and Plymouth via Fastnet Rock in the Irish Sea and is undoubtedly amongst the most difficult sailing competitions. Bad weather is frequent and the ocean can be particularly fierce in this region, even in summer. During the 1979 event, no fewer than six sailors lost their lives during an exceptional storm. Before opening up to other nations, the Admiral’s Cup was contested between the United States and the United Kingdom. To date, the latter holds the record number of victories with eight trophies won between 1957 and 1989.

It is amusing to note that British Prime Minister Edward Heath skippered one of the winning boats at the 1971 event. The United States holds three victories (1961, 1969 and 1997), while France won the 1991 event against seven other nations with Corum’s three boats: Saphir, Rubis, and Diamant. A feat that represents one of the highlights of the historic association between the brand from La Chaux-de-Fonds and the sailing world. In its heyday, the event took place every two years. In the second half of the 1970s, it attracted up to 19 teams from all over the world.

The competition became a race between sailing clubs, with each team composed of two boats instead of three. Due to an insufficient number of participants, the 2005 event had to be canceled. An official ocean racing world championship was nevertheless held in the Solent – a stretch of water between the Isle of Wight and the south of England, as well as in the Channel.

The Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 and Legend 42 Chronograph are available in India at Ethos Watch Boutiques.