ReviewA Skeleton Watch Unlike Any Other You’ve Ever Seen⁠—The Corum Admiral’s Cup Squelette

Fine-watchmaking has always been Corum’s forte, especially with the Admiral’s Cup. The watch itself has come a long way from being a cultivated, slightly eccentric dress watch, to a complete sports watch for over 50 years. Today, it’s not hard to single out an Admiral’s Cup in a crowd, courtesy Corum’s signature dodecagonal case (Corum’s unique 12-sided case). The Admiral’s Cup has always sailed in a class of its own, with a design that nobody will every mistake for something else. That itself is quite an accomplishment for Corum.

But the ‘case’, that has kept the designers at Corum HQ inspired for so many years, is now going to immerse you into the heart of its intricate horological workings, with the AC-One 45 Squelette. A skeleton watch unlike any other you’ve ever seen. Excited? Let’s tell you more:

But first, what is the “Admiral’s Cup”?

The core of Corum’s universe, the Admiral’s Cup is in fact, named after one of Britain’s premier sailing competitions, which is also 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. In tribute to this legendary competition and to the oceans, Corum launched the Admiral’s Cup collection of sports watches in 1960. It was inspired by the courageous men at sea and the world of sailing. It used a 12 sided case and nautical flags to represent the numerals, and was a runaway success. The rest is history.

The DNA of the Corum Admiral’s Cup collection was established with the iconic 12-sided Dodecagonal case and by the flags on its dials. Now you might ask why they did 12 sides and not ten! Because the Admiral’s Cup was a sailing competition (after all), and the hour markers housed all 12 flags of the international code of naval signals. 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. Corum’s usage of these flags in its ocean-inspired collection was appreciated around the world by design and watch aficionados.

Over the years, the world has seen numerous evolutions of the model, built around the iconic case and their in-house complications, and till date, the collection remains a favourite among connoisseurs around the world. The Squelette, however, seems to be their most daring take on one of their most loved watches, and we’ll explain why as we go further.

A unique three-dimensional skeleton dial:

The purpose of any skeleton watch is to show the entire movement in all its glory, and this is where Corum’s expertise in design is on full display. What makes the Squelette interesting is its multi-layered skeletonized dial that gives the watch real depth, done in a way that it elegantly exposes the mechanical movement – its intricacies as well as the expertly-executed finishing. Overall, the visual appeal of the three-dimensional composition of the hands, the date ring, and movement is very effective and the finishing is exceptional – something we’d expect from a brand like Corum.

The Corum logo, done in a steel grey tone to complement the colour scheme of the watch, is not applied on the dial but cleverly placed on the inner side of the sapphire crystal. This of course, gives more visual depth to the dial from one’s wrist. Adding to the overall three-dimensional look are the baton-shaped hour markers with luminescent markings, which originate from the chapter ring and rest above the date disc. The relatively large, skeleton, faceted-hands too have luminescent tips, lending the Squelette great legibility. The expert craftsmanship of the watch lies in the details. The slender seconds hand for example, bears the Corum “key” logo – workmanship that is not so simple to achieve (any watch enthusiast would know). If you notice carefully, the Corum Admiral’s Cup Squelette also houses the signature maritime pennants on the inner flange of the dial. A subtle nod to the core DNA and design code of the Admiral’s Cup collection.

An ingenious date display:

Although the movement is fun and intriguing to look at from the dial, it’s the skeletonized date ring that really draws the most attention. Corum has cleverly taken advantage of the slopes of the dodecagonal case by giving us an over exposed date indication at 6 o’clock. The window is marked by a large rectangular shaped polished frame with a silvery white plate background that displays the date.

The date ring allows large numerals to fill the space between the movement and the hour indicators, adding to the illusion of the skeletonized watch, while at the same time fulfilling an essential function of delivering an extremely legible date display.

45mm case made of Grade 5 Titanium:

At the end of it all, it is a 45mm watch, and one would assume the Squelette to be extremely heavy! But Corum, once again, tackled this by using grade 5 titanium which makes the watch lighter and stronger than steel. The satin finish with the mysterious grey mirror polishing, alternating with brushed surfaces, adds to its overall enigma. Moreover, the Corum logo engraved crown is attractively encased between crown protectors that also aid in adjusting the crown easily. With a 13.3mm thickness, the Squelette is not as thick as one might expect either.

The Squelette is finished to perfection with a black crocodile leather strap, with a triple folding clasp that bears the Corum logo.

An Accomplished Self-Winding Mechanical Movement:

What powers this unique Admiral’s Cup is an accomplished movement made entirely in Switzerland – the self-winding Calibre CO 9000 that has a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz). It is visible through the dial and wonderfully showcased through the sapphire crystal case back.

Equipped with a power reserve of 42 hours, the Squelette is also water resistant to a depth of 300 metres, which is unusual considering skeleton watches are never an ideal choice for dives! But maybe this makes the watch ready for an adventure it’s not dressed for. After all, James Bond usually has his best action scenes while wearing a tuxedo, doesn’t he?

Price and Availability:

The Corum AC-One 45 Squelette is a masterpiece of fine watchmaking, and this is evident in every spec of the watch. Every detail is done to perfection and the result is a watch that is particularly appreciated by collectors worldwide. For its price tag, it gives you far more value than what you pay for. And if one comes to comparisons, you would definitely pay through the roof for such a unique display of technical finesse offered by any of the other biggies in luxury watch segment. The Squelette is available in India exclusively at Ethos Watch Boutiques.

You can reserve your watch here.

About the Brand:

Corum is a brand that has been contributing to perpetuating the time-honoured values and expertise of Fine Watchmaking since 1955. Acknowledged both for the aesthetic appeal of its timepieces and technical excellence, the brand has always strived to pursue the path of creativity and boldness. While staying true to the guiding principles of the founders and loyal to the iconic collections, Corum also believes in enriching its timepieces with a powerful modern touch, bearing the hallmark of innovation and technical breakthroughs. Located at La Chaux-de-Fonds, a Swiss town located in the Jura mountains, Corum firmly established its dedication to continuity and longevity with the Admiral’s Cup sailing the ocean for 50 years and the Bridges collection making its mark on watchmaking history for over 30 years. History is definitely in the making at Corum.

Attention to detail is everything at Corum Headquarters. Every watch undergoes six crucial stages before it receives the stamp of approval to leave the Manufacture’s facilities in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Quality and excellence are therefore, synonymous with all Corum watches.

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