Corum releases a new collection: called “La Grande Vie”, it is a classic, elegant, time only watch available in a selection of dial colours.
Corum La Grande Vie
“We wanted to have a
collection with an elegant, classic design.
It complements, following our customers’
demand, our most daring pieces”, explains
Jérôme Biard, CEO of Corum.
The press release rhetoric angles the new La Grande Vie (French for “The Great Life”) as adopting all the Corum codes into classic, elegant watches which are targetted at first time buyers.
At launch, three pieces are available. The case is 42mm titanium and the movement is the Selitta SW300, which is visible through the sapphire case back.
Their dials will probably attract the most attention, with a shimmering sunray finish in blue, red and green tones. From the centre to the flange, this sunray finish gives the piece a radiant look. Baton hour markers are stretched out on
the dials, which Corum wanted to be more elongated and thin than average, accentuating the “sunray” effect reflected by La Grande Vie. They come with “Dauphine” hands.
At noon, the 12:00 hour marker is replaced by a large key – an oversized Corum logo – to leave the brand’s mark. Indeed, in the absence of the brand name on the dial, watch enthusiasts will only know the identity of the brand that created La Grande Vie through this key logo.
Corum La Grande Vie Specifications
MOVEMENT
CO 082 – Automatic
42 hours power-reserve
Functions: Hour, minute
Frequency: 4 Hz, 28,800 vph
Dimension: 12½’’’
CASE
Dimension: 42.00 mm
Thickness: 9.05 mm
Material: Titanium grade 2
Double antireflective sapphire crystal
Sapphire case back
Water-resistance: 50 meters / 5 ATM
DIAL
Material: Brass
Colour: Brown, blue or green, sunbrushed with black gradation
Hands: Dauphine, openworked, rhodium-plated
STRAP / BRACELET
Material: Calf leather, imitation alligator
Pin buckle in stainless steel
4 Comments
They cost about 3600 EUR (https://shop.corum.ch/la-grande-vie-536114194).
Article says nothing about the price of the watch. Obviously it’s going after the niche market created by the retro-inspired Glashutte Original Senator Sixties, which is available in similar colors. The Corum of course doesn’t have anywhere near the pedigree if the Sixties. And there are a lot of missteps here, which is typical of a Swiss brand acquired by China Haidian (which includes Corum and Eterna). The case size, at 42mm, is too big for the unisex market segment they’re apparently targeting. The size thus dictates that this is a men’s watch, but the writing on the dial and the oversized and almost “heart-shaped” logo at the 12:00 marker is simply too frivolous for a dress watch, or a watch any man would wear.
China Haidian may have saved Corum and Eterna from financial collapse, but they’re keeping these brands at most on life support with these ill-conceived releases.
What is the price???
It looks a lot like Seiko’s cocktail time watches.