Corum has announced a new stage of its Corum Academy programme. The idea: push the boundaries not only of creativity, but of distribution, communication and customer experience.

“For an exceptional product, exceptional presentation”, explains Jérôme Biard, CEO of Corum. “Corum has a very strong creative culture, inherited from René Bannwart and largely developed by Severin Wunderman. The idea behind Corum Academy is to perpetuate this dynamic by widening the watch’s environment: the place of sale, the customer experience, and communication. An exceptional creation cannot settle for a classic distribution. Thus, Corum Academy creates highly prospective limited series which are accompanied by an innovative package.”
 

This programme first came into being through a collaboration with the Bamford Watch Department in June 2018 (a limited series of two pieces). On 15 November, it will be rolled out again in an exceptional Palace: the famous Hôtel de Crillon, which next year will celebrate 110 years since its opening to the public in the Place de la Concorde.
 

On this occasion, Corum will unveil a very exclusive limited series of eight pieces with an unusual partner from outside the world of watchmaking (The Cabinet de Curiosités), and at an exceptional location, the Hôtel de Crillon – a stunning setting for its introduction.

An Admiral Legend 42 Automatic featuring an entirely blue dial, case, and bracelet was chosen as a starting point. This capsule collection named “Le Cabinet de Curiosités de l’Hôtel de Crillon par Thomas Erber” will only be available at the event. It was created in collaboration with Thomas Erber. Since 2010, with his Cabinet de Curiosités, he has been creating an international network of designers, artists and brands aimed at an audience curious about rare, luxury objects, specifically watches.
 

The piece is directly inspired by a creation from the 1980s and was relaunched last September for the Japanese market.
 

Today, the piece is decorated with the 12 iconic nautical flags of the Admiral, alongside a monogram made of the “C” from Hôtel de “Crillon” at 6 o’clock that appears twice, in a direct reference to Thomas Erber’s “Cabinet de Curiosités”. The piece brings together blue and gold tones present on the crown and the hands as a reminder of the piece’s dual purpose, created both for navigation and the elegance of the marinas and palaces like the Hôtel de Crillon.