Corum Saint Petersburg

A sophisticated art that exists uniquely through the work of men, patience and thorough know-how.
Each miniature hand-painted dial tells a unique story to its owner.

The story of a timeless technique.

In the 17th century, Geneva, Switzerland was recognized as the major center for watch dials painted in enamel. Watches dating back to the time of Louis XIV reflect some of the fine art emanating from this city. By the middle of the 19th century miniature enamel painting had reached its heyday only to become victim of the modern era.

As an exclusive brand, CORUM offers ranges of exceptional quality watches that are innovative, with a distinctive design and dedicated complications and intends to restore this art in watchmaking to its rightful distinction. Since its repositioning in 2005, the brand has been founded on four pillars (The Admiral’s Cup - The Romvlvs – The Golden Bridge – The Artisans).

As part of its history as a Swiss watchmaker that stays in the vanguard of designs, CORUM constantly researches new art techniques. CORUM mastered the watchmaking craftsmanship through different artistic techniques that are mainly dedicated to The Artisans and the Golden Bridge collections.

When CORUM met André Martinez, a miniaturist residing in Le Locle, Switzerland, this day marked the beginning of a rich relationship with creativity and passion.

The art of painting miniatures on a watch dial is similar to the technique used in painting on canvas. The artist works with indelible paints (lacquers) on which he can work over and over again. The colours are applied and mixed on the dial itself, under a microscope using extremely fine brushes. The dial is dried in an oven at 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) between each application, allowing the colours to achieve intense depth and detail. The production time can require from 25 to 30 hours of work depending on the motif.

With constant research and development of new art techniques, CORUM introduced to its collection mother-of-pearl dials that are engraved, hand-painted and lacquered. With up to six levels of engraving that produce an unusual relief effect, the procedure includes everal firings and repeated hand polishing. Then, using a very fine brush under a microscope the artisan painstakingly paints the dial that is finally lacquered and hardened. Each dial requires more than 50 hours of work and about 15 intermediate drying processes between the colors. The result becomes a truly magnificent piece of art.

Artistic techniques are timeless, stemming from a historical heritage. Each piece enhances a very unique know-how and a very exclusive artwork. If nature and animals are the major topics used in enamel design, the fine watch collectors and connoisseurs can also create their own dial design thus creating their own one-of-a-kind piece of art.

Corum Buckingham from the Artisan Collection

CORUM chose to express its vision of the art of miniature painting through five unique timepieces representing animals and nature. The themes of flowers and birds have always been known as a true challenge for our master craftsmen because of the various vivid colours and the difficulty of expressing their bright intensity.

The delicate luminosity of the wild life enhances the distinctiveness of the mother-of-pearl and creates mystifying timepieces. This meticulous painting is accentuated by the marvellous diamond set case.

REFERENCES

138.182.69/0084 AZA1 AZALEA 59’200CHF
138.182.69/0081 AZA2 AZALEA 59’200CHF

138.182.69/0088 PFL1 FLAMINGO 60’275CHF
138.182.69/0081 PFL3 FLAMINGO 60’275CHF

138.182.69/0081 MAND MANDARIN 60’275 CHF

UNIQUE PIECE 5 UNIQUE PIECES

MOVEMENT QUARTZ

CASE 18KT WHITE GOLD 3.30 CT DIAMONDS

DIAL HAND PAINTED MOTHER-OF-PEARL 0.64 CT DIAMONDS

STRAP CROCODILE

PICTURE FLAMINGO 138.182.69/0081 PFL3
AZALEA 138.182.69/0084 AZA1