Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Watch

Baselworld 2011 had a large selection of watch you can wear from brands that normally make watches most people cannot afford. While the ultra-high end certainly had its place, many of the watches on my Baselworld Top 11 watches list were in the "I could feasibly save up for this" range. One of them was this surprise pieces from Corum called the Admiral's Cup Legend 42. It comes in Legend 42 and 38 styles - which refers to the size of the case. Of course the 42 is for me.

The case design is based on the iconic Admirals' Cup collection that Corum has been pushing lately. They have transformed the sport watch into a formal watch - and the metamorphosis feels natural. The case has that 12 sided shape and comes in steel or 18k rose gold. The bezel is polished while much of the rest of the case is brushed. There is just enough sport to the design to make it feel not boring, while much of it is taken from the other Admiral's Cup pieces. The 42mm wide size is smaller than the 44mm wide case that most of the AC watches come in. But the relatively thin bezel and clear face give the piece a good stature.

I love the dial and applaud Corum's ability to make it both decorative and legible. As a nod to the AC collection, the boat pennant flat images are in thin outlines around the side of the watch on the flange ring. The baton hour indicators are polished but don't blend in with the dial. The hands are lume covered and stick out for very good legibility. I think you'll really appreciate the engraved vertical texturing on the dial as well. Not that a few other dial styles are available, and more will come soon I am guessing.