The history of Corum owes its birth to Rene Bannwart. With his strong business skills and watchmaking experience, gained from the most renowned watch manufacturers, he registered his trademark Corum back in 1955 together with his uncle Gaston Ries. Particularly drawn to the Latin term "quorum," which means the minimum number of people required to make informed decisions, Rene Bannwart simplified the spelling of his trademark to "Corum" and thus gave it even more individuality and uniqueness. From its very inception, the brand has shown a determination to position itself at the forefront of the Swiss watchmaking industry.
Launched in 2000, the "Bubble" series gave an additional boost to the brand's growing popularity with its characteristic and memorable distinctive features – a giant-sized domed sapphire and a variety of options for sizes, color schemes, and functions.
The series includes 3 case variants – Mini, Midsize, and XL, quartz and automatic movements, chronographs, GMT, and other complications. Undoubtedly very interesting (mainly for the boldness of their execution) are the special series: Royal Flush, Baron Samedi, Skeleton, Bats, Privateer, Casino, and Jolly Roger.
As Corum puts it, "Bubble watch isn’t about labels, it’s about style" – few words, much meaning. The model embodies both masculinity – with its size and giant magnifier, and elegance – with the simplicity of its design and the combination with a high-quality alligator strap. Corum was one of the first manufacturers to join the "bigger is better" trend in the industry – and they are perhaps one of the few who continue to produce large watches, despite the fact that in recent years the trend has been towards reducing case sizes. Despite the series' market success, it was discontinued in 2010, mainly due to Corum's decision to change the direction of their designs.
In 2015, CORUM resumed production of the series, but now in a new interpretation – with a larger 47 mm case and with the decision for all models to be limited editions, dedicated to certain personalities, events, or hobbies. A few years later, in 2020, a series of limited models was introduced – several models, with different combinations of cases and dials. Each of them is limited to just 88 pieces. In fact, the number of pieces in each series is 87, as the last, 88th one, is a separate limitation of the same model, but with a gold bezel.
The model presented to your attention today is the so-called "Stop" – and the reason for this name is clear – the dial features a red base made using an old technology for producing reflective road signs and a white "Stop" inscription in the center of the "sign".
The case is made of brushed steel, the crown and the case back are screw-down, and the latter is transparent, which provides a unique opportunity to enjoy the beautifully decorated Corum Calibre CO 082 movement – based on the automatic Soprod A10, with 21 jewels, a 42-hour power reserve, and operating at 28,800 vibrations. The strap has a synthetic front and a rubberized inner side, and the buckle is massive, with a standard fastening.
