ReviewIn Depth: The New Corum Ti Bridge – A Cult Comes to India

There is no Rolex or Omega out there that can rival this avant-garde watch, it’s that big a deal. Right from the depths of the Quartz Crisis, Corum’s very own master watchmaker Vincent Calabrese created the Golden Bridge in 1980 with one motive only: to change the general perception that watches were just showpieces and had nothing to do with the movement.

That very perception still exists in the minds of many. However Corum is going to change it again. With the Ti-Bridge, Corum re-created the Bridge only for those who appreciate the fine art of watchmaking and know what it takes to make a watch of such caliber. But if you don’t know much about the Golden Bridge and this watch, don’t worry. We’ll take you through why this watch is such a big deal around the world:

A watch born out of sheer passion for watchmaking:

The idea of the bridge was, in fact, instigated by the words of one of Mr. Calabrese’s customers. Back in the 70s, Vincent Calabrese was a young, independent watch maker and repairman. He was given to repair a Breguet minute repeater that was damaged from being run over by a car. When he quoted his restoration fee to the customer, the man asked him to only repair the case of the watch and not the movement. His reply being: “No one sees the movement anyway, so there is no need for any repair.”

Those very words hurt Mr. Calabrese, so much that on that very day he decided he would create a watch where the movement would be “The star of the watch and not the case or design.” In his words, it’s the “inner beauty that counts!”

He then devoted the next few years of his life attempting something that had never been done in the watchmaking world before. His idea? To strip the mechanism to its barest essentials, where the mechanical art would be the center of the watch. But who would’ve known he would mean that literally.

Mr. Calabrese’s core idea was an in-line baguette movement, which meant that every single component of the watch would be lined up in one row, visible from both sides of the watch, and be uncluttered. All forces that make the watch work would be at a single point. Impossible right? Of course, it was.

“If you put all the pieces in a row, you would have too long a movement which wouldn’t be wearable on the wrist, so I had to find a way to miniaturize the components.”

And so he did. His perseverance eventually paid off and he did pull off the impossible. Again we’re talking about a movement no other watchmaker in the world would’ve dared to attempt!

And so in the 1977 edition of the Geneva International Inventors’ Show, Mr. Calabrese presented his patented, 45-component watch. Corum immediately acquired the patent and collaborated with Calabrese to develop the movement further. After 3 years, the world’s first Golden Bridge was presented at the 1980 Basel fair, and even in the midst of the quartz crisis, the watch was a runaway success.

Behold, the New Ti-Bridge:

As the name suggests, ‘Ti’ or titanium is the primary material of this reborn watch. The light and strong metal does a great job in giving the legendary Bridge watch a more modern look. Titanium was obviously, also chosen for its strength and rigidity. In designing and developing the Ti-Bridge, Corum has paid the perfect tribute by keeping the watch as close to the original as possible.

One might assume the tonneau-shaped case measuring 42 x 52 to be chunky on the wrist but the Ti-Bridge is a lot slimmer than one would expect. Made of grade 5 titanium (the only titanium alloy that can be polished), the case fits nicely on the wrist courtesy it’s curvy design, and the titanium adds to the sturdy character to the watch. The crown, bearing the Corum key logo is also crafted out of titanium.

The Movement – Hero of the Ti-Bridge:

In Mr. Calabrese’s own words, the movement would be “The star of the watch and not the case or design”, which is exactly what the Ti-Bridge is all about. Corum’s new CO 207 is really an exhibition of Corum’s patented watchmaking expertise. All mechanical elements in one line and in sequence: from the 72-hour spring barrel at one end to the chattering escapement at the other.

This is one of those movements that will catch everyone’s attention, an instant ‘conversation starter’. In fact, the CO 207 movement is so simple and crystal clear it can also serve as an example for your child to explain the principals behind a mechanical movement, everything is put together so brilliantly. The sheer beauty of the skeletonized linear movement will drive many watch lovers back to the romance of a mechanical movement.

The Dual Winder system is what winds the Ti-Bridge, using not one, but two inline-mounted oscillating weights connected by a transmission arbor that makes it move in a parallel direction (both ways). The case back of the Ti-Bridge does give us a view of how the dual-winder system works, courtesy its rectangular see-through window.

A Cult Mechanical Timepiece:

Despite the display of avant-garde watchmaking, the Ti-Bridge is designed to be a versatile watch – formal enough to accompany a suit and hardy enough to wear on the weekend. And with a leather-stitched rubber strap, grade 5 titanium case, and 30m of water resistance, the Ti-Bridge is a versatile machine designed by Corum for daily use and casual handling.

For the watch lover, the Ti-Bridge is a visual treat because it perfectly displays the journey from the balance spring to the “tick-tock” that drives the hands, right from their wrist, courtesy its linear movement. For fans of traditional luxury watches, the Ti-Bridge is a “sacred article” and nothing less than a cult of a mechanical watch.

The Corum Ti-Bridge is limited to one watch only in India and is available exclusively at Ethos Watch Boutiques.