BASELWORLD 2017: Golden Bridge Stream – Corum’s vision of architecture

BASELWORLD 2017: Golden Bridge Stream – Corum’s vision of architecture

The Golden Bridge is being reinvented in 2017 to pay homage to the ‘bridge’ that crosses it. As in architecture, the structure stands out by virtue of both its linear design and its curves and arches. The new Golden Bridge Stream adopts the Art Deco codes of the Rectangle model and incorporates an automatic movement.

To create these delicate intersecting curves, Corum chose to draw inspiration from a major current in contemporary architecture: streamlining. Spanning the 1930s to the 1960s, it originated in the United States at the same time as objects began to be mass-produced. The style is distinguished by its flowing, extremely dynamic curves.

The Golden Bridge Stream draws on this parallel today. After it was first presented in 1980, the Golden Bridge also dictated a new style. The watchmaking world was gripped by an aesthetic shift very similar to the spirit of streamlining: the ultimate fusion of shape and substance, where every last component becomes a determining part of the piece’s overall style.

Combining cutting-edge micromechanics and monumental architecture, its automatic baguette- shaped movement forms a symbolic bridge featuring decoration inspired by San Francisco's famous Golden Gate Bridge. The clear sapphire crystal reveals meticulous craftsmanship: a perfect miniaturisation of the structure of the Californian suspension bridge. Two gold models – one of which showcases a red lacquered microstructure – are available as very exclusive editions of 88 pieces.

With the Golden Bridge Stream, Corum is completing an ultimate exercise in style that is historically and aesthetically relevant. Made entirely from gold, the piece is powered by an automatic movement that is wound by two parallel linear weights. Spanning 42 mm, it presents carefully considered and balanced lines, be they straight or curved, long or broken, to create a unique architecture. The case of the Golden Bridge Stream highlights this balance by playing with the tensions between clean-cut edges, sharp horns and a curved sapphire crystal.