Above: Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 47 Tourbillon Chronograph in red gold with black dial and black crocodile leather

Much as we hate to admit it, watch aficionados seldom are the most sociable people in the room. But the blame can definitely be pinned on our beloved watches, for (traditionally) the best examples of haute horlogerie are beautifully made but for the eyes only; they’re certainly not designed to withstand everyday turmoils of the real world. Few can fault watch owners for being precious about their watches and paranoid about errant door knobs, table edges and – the worst of them all – other watch wearers who can’t have a conversation without wild gesticulations. You know who you are…

Thankfully, watch manufactures like Corum have worked out a solution for this quandary. Enter the Admiral’s Cup Seafender 47 Tourbillon Chronograph, a high complication timepiece that blends performance with prestige. Necessarily so, because the Admiral’s Cup collection is Corum’s de facto sports watch line. Thus, even high complication Admiral’s Cup models have to be beefed up for extreme conditions.

Several elements make this watch a rare find in haute horlogerie’s upper echelons. Firstly, the watch is powered by a self-winding movement, Calibre CO 398, where most tourbillon watches are manually wound. Secondly, its movement offers top notch precision with a balance wheel that oscillates at 28,800vph (4Hz), where it is more common to find tourbillon watches oscillating at a slower frequency of 3Hz, or 21,600vph. Thirdly, the chronograph mechanism is completely integrated into the movement. Controlled by a column wheel, the functions engage and disengage via a cam-type mechanism that’s more complex than, and hence an improvement of, the traditional construct. Noticeably, Corum has chosen the cam-lever system to stay closer horological tradition.

Each component of the movement is hand-polished and chamfered, with particular attention paid to micro-millimetric proportions. The parts are made just microns larger so that when they’re polished and chamfered down to perfection, they will measure exactly the right dimensions.

Above: Hand-chamfering is done for the components of Calibre CO 398

Above: Satin-brushing of the bezel for the diamond-set model

Three variations of the Admiral’s Cup Seafender 47 Tourbillon Chronograph are available: red gold with baguette- and brilliant-cut diamonds on the case, red gold without diamond setting, and a very sexy aluminium case with charcoal grey ceramisation treatment. Done using a micro-arc oxidation technique, the aluminium case is immersed in a water bath where it underwent a complex stage of electrical, physical and chemical transformation. This patented method is ecological and lengthens the lifespan of the material and renders it harder than steel. It is also anti-abrasive and corrosion resistant, yet creates a chic, industrial finish. 

Above: Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 47 Tourbillon Chronograph in aluminium with charcoal grey ceramisation, grey dial and black crocodile leather 

Strap options for the Admiral’s Cup Seafender 47 Tourbillon Chronograph include black crocodile leather, a rubber-look leather for the non-gemset models, and brown crocodile leather for the diamond-set model. Prices start from S$89,559 for the aluminium model. The red gold model is priced at S$138,030 (without diamonds) and S$396,649 (with diamonds).

Above: Corum Admiral’s Cup Seafender 47 Tourbillon Chronograph in red gold with 60 baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel, 36 round diamonds, and black dial with black crocodile leather