Editor’s note: Like you, we are also excited for the 2022 novelties. Before we get to dive deep into them, here’s our preview & Gut Reaction Review (Grr…) of the new Corum Admiral 42. For our detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here. This is NOT a sponsored post.
The New Corum Admiral 42 In A Nutshell
After the Corum Admiral Collection update from Watches & Wonders 2021, Corum is following suit with six new references of its emblematic dodecagonal cased beauty.
The most striking feature about the new Corum Admiral 42 is the addition of their Grenadier fendu motif to the 42mm diameter Admiral family. This three-dimensional motif was designed in house in La Chaux-de-Fonds by the Corum team in 2019 and up until now was restricted to the 38mm and 45mm Admiral watches.
These six new references of the new Corum Admiral 42 are split into two dial colourways: Mediterranean sea blue and black. Each dial colour is presented with a stainless steel case, with the difference being of the strap or the bezel:
- Reference A395/04300 – Black dial with stainless steel case and 18-karat 5N rose gold bezel and crown with colour coordinated alligator leather strap retailing for 7’200 CHF
- Reference A395/04294 – Black dial with stainless steel case and bezel with colour coordinated alligator leather strap retailing for 4’200 CHF
- Reference A395/04292 – Black dial with stainless steel case, bezel and bracelet retailing for 4’400 CHF
- Reference A395/04299 – Blue dial with stainless steel case and 18-karat 5N rose gold bezel and crown with colour coordinated alligator leather strap retailing for 7’200 CHF
- Reference A395/04293 – Blue dial with stainless steel case and bezel with colour coordinated alligator leather strap retailing for 4’200 CHF
- Reference A395/04291 – Blue dial with stainless steel case, bezel and bracelet retailing for 4’400 CHF
The last reference is our pick of the lot, given it will tick a lot of boxes for a number of watch enthusiasts with that non-circular case design, a beautiful motif, a versatile blue dial, and the steel bracelet.
In other news from the brand, Corum has also introduced an ultra-light Admiral timepiece reference A297/04290 with a striking black carbon aesthetic combined with green SuperLuminova. The new Corum Admiral 45. Openworked Automatic features a 45 x 14.4mm carbon case and is available as a limited edition release of only 25 pieces. Featuring an impressive black brass dial with 3D applied rhodium-plated flags, it retails for 35’000 CHF.
Basic Specs Of The New Corum Admiral 42
All the new Corum Admiral 42 feature a 100m water-resistant 42mm diameter and 10.3mm thick stainless steel case with a lug-to-lug spacing of ~51mm and 21mm lug interhorn spacing.
Inside the new Corum Admiral 42 ticks the calibre CO 395 which is essentially the ETA 2895-2 which is the small seconds version of the tried-and-tested ETA 2892- A2. The CO 395 is an automatic-winding mechanical movement measuring 25.6mm in diameter and 4.35mm in thickness. It features 27 jewels, beats at the frequency of 4Hz, offers 42-hour power reserve, and features hacking seconds, quick date correction, a three-legged Glucydur balance, and Incabloc shock absorbers.
Quotable
“A tour around the dial of each watch showcases an outer chapter flange with the famed nautical pennants transferred in outlined format and minute indexes, applied hour markers and white Super-LumiNova coated Dauphine skeletonized hands, date at 3:00 via an aperture and subsidiary small seconds dial at 6:00”.
Press Release
Parting Thoughts On The New Corum Admiral 42
Since 1960 the Corum Admiral has been making waves, but the bigger splash came two decades later in 1980 when the then-square Admiral changed shape to transform into a 12-sided cased distance beauty.
And even personally, I have always had a soft spot for the Admiral collection, given it in my opinion is for those who want something a bit off the beaten track when it comes to both brand names and designs. As an architect I appreciate the strong sense of geometry, and as someone who reviews watches 24/7, I appreciate the slight quickness that sets it apart than other steel sports watches. I also like that despite being a sports watch, it also manages to walk the fine line between sports and dress watch with style.
To find out more about the new Corum Admiral 42 and their other watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise stated are courtesy are 2022 © CORUM Watches – All rights reserved. Make sure to check out our reviews of other 2022 novelties here.
