Linear Luxury
Corum’s Golden Bridge Rectangle and Stream variations play with shapes and architectural elements without compromising on its art deco design codes, writes Lily Ong
A curation of character and horology combined with architectural sophistication is Corum’s Golden Bridge
There is plenty of reinvention in the pipeline by Corum for its iconic Golden Bridge watches—a cornerstone collection in the Swiss brand’s repertoire. Named after the golden bridge that forms the backbone of the watch, this spectacular movement was conceived by Vincent Calabrese in 1980. First unveiled in a barrelshaped case and last year in a round case, Corum introduces two more variations of the Golden Bridge this year, both in a new art deco rectangular case. The first is the Golden Bridge Rectangle, crafted by renowned designer Dino Modolo, who also added a personal touch of flair to the round version last year. Now, he enhanced the movement by adding a play of finely crafted geometry via 18-karat gold structures representing six Roman numerals that surround the iconic bridge calibre. Following the design codes of art deco, the Golden Bridge Rectangle is a sight to behold. The star is undoubtedly its movement, leading the eye along the path of Calibre CO113’S energy transfer from the spring barrel at 6 o’ clock to the escapement at 12 o’ clock. As always, the watch’s elaborate gold micro structures suspended between the panes of sapphire crystal are constructed to fit into the rectangular case seamlessly. Also unveiled this year is the Golden Bridge Stream, which incorporates an automatic movement. To create these delicate intersecting curves, Corum chose to draw inspiration from a major current look in contemporary architecture: streamlining. Spanning from the 1930s to the 1960s, it originated in the United States at the same time as objects began to be mass-produced. And the style is distinguished by its flowing, dynamic curves that draw the eyes. Made entirely from gold, the piece is powered by an automatic movement that is wound by two parallel linear weights. Spanning 42mm, the Stream presents carefully balanced lines around the movement to create a unique architecture. The case of the Golden Bridge Stream showcases a play on the tensions between clean-cut edges, sharp horns and a curved sapphire crystal. Two gold models from the Golden Bridge Stream— one of which showcases a red lacquered microstructure—are available as an exclusive edition, with only 88 pieces crafted. “The Golden Bridge is the capstone of Corum’s collections, an illustration of fine Swiss horology. We wanted to go further with the architecture of the watch itself, to create yet another classic edition of our signature haute horlogerie timepiece,” says CEO of Corum, David Traxler in reflection of what the future has in store for the brand’s flagship Golden Bridge creations.