At Basel 2012 this year Corum introduced the Admiral’s Cup Legend 38 Mystery Moon, a complication created just for women. Brands are starting to recognize that women appreciate mechanics too and are willing to pay for something special made just for them. Among many of the brands following this trend that we showed you are Patek Philippe, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier.

Corum chose to place the Mystery Moon in the Admiral’s Cup Legend pillar, a savvy choice since the brand has staked out territory in the yachting world since the 1960’s when they introduced the first Admiral’s Cup, a watch in a square, waterproof case with a sailing boat engraved on the back. In 1983, Corum officially sponsored the Champagne Mumm Admiral’s Cup at Cowes England by giving winners an Admiral’s Cup watch. Since then they have consistently sponsored ambassadors and teams such as Loick Peyron and the Energy Team for the America’s Cup.

The Mystery moon shows one of the best representations of the sun, moon and earth on a dial that I have ever seen. The beveled date disk at 2 o’clock provides the eye of the sun spreading its rays out to the moon and earth with twinkling diamonds in the sky. Subtle beauty is hard enough to capture but the Mystery Moon goes a playful step further. The mother-of-pearl dial completes one rotation every 31 days giving the impression that the sun/date is chasing the earth and moon. A kinetic interaction that gives life to the dial. All functions are easily adjustable through the single screw-lock crown.

Water resistant to 30 meters, the  38mm Mystery Moon is finished off with .58 carats around the bezel and a white or black satin strap with a triple folding clasp engraved with Corum’s key logo. Although the Admiral’s Cup case is Corum’s most successful and that’s probably why they chose it to highlight the Mystery Moon, I can imagine the beautiful dial in the men’s Precis case, a simple round case like the Grand Precis is in the Heritage collection.

So what makes this magical sun/moon/earth ballet coordinate? Inside ticks the mechanical automatic movement Caliber CO384 with a 42-hour power reserve that drives the time and jumping date and moonphase functions. The man behind the movement is innovative watchmaker Laurent Besse. It’s his patented module that sits atop the ETA 2893.  If you don’t recognize Besse’s name, you’ll certainly recognize his work. Prior to joining Corum full-time in 2011, he was the head of R&D at Zenith and the man responsible for the engines of the Revolution Rebellion and the MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt through his company Les Artisans Horlogers Sàrl before it went bankrupt. Incidentally, Les Artisans Horlogers Sàrl  counted Corum one of their clients, building a tourbillon movement for them.

With all these fantastical creations,  you can certainly see how Besse’s head wound up among the moon and stars.

Retail price for steel: $14,500 (circa £9,750) Retail price for rose gold: $31,600 (circa £20,000)

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Technical Details – Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 38 Mystery Moon

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