Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Two Limited Edition Corum Bubble for the Year of the Dragon
The radically domed crystal of the Bubble watch magnifies the mythological dragon heralding the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Corum’s launch of the Bubble watch in 2000 took the watch world by surprise. Well before the onslaught of XXL watches, the Bubble exploded on the scene with a massive 44mm case and, even more startling, a towering domed sapphire crystal magnifying and producing crazy distortions on the dial. Inspired by an experimental deep-sea dive watch from the 1960s, Severin Wunderman’s radical concept for the Corum Bubble watch proved a tempting canvas for artists and expanded to even larger dimensions with a 47mm case size coupled with an 8mm thick crystal in 2015. Jumping on the Chinese New Year bandwagon, Corum animates the dial of two limited-edition Bubble models with this year’s star of the Chinese Zodiac, the dragon.
Bubble 47 Dragon
An iconographic creature in Chinese mythology, the dragon was originally a symbol of the divine power of emperors. Unlike the fire-spewing dragons of Western folklore, Chinese dragons are benevolent creatures associated with intelligence, strength and good luck. Here, the golden dragon’s head and torso are applied to the upper half of the black dial, with its powerful claws resting on the moon at 9 o’clock. Realistically depicted, the mother-of-pearl moon features darker areas representing the uneven, craterous surface of the Moon. Clouds, crafted in black lacquer with golden frames, are applied to the dial to suggest the night sky, while the dragon’s serpentine tail swishes into the scenery of the lower half of the dial.
Bubble 47 Dragon Eye
The second model is dramatic and zooms in on the dragon’s glaring red eye. Using metal casting, the eye reveals a series of reliefs that can only be achieved by hand, adding a vivid sense of texture. The reptilian scales, designed to protect the dragon from harm, are realistically depicted and picked out in brown, golden and black tones. Like a cat’s eye, the large bloodshot iris has a vertical pupil. Viewing pleasure is magnified by the pronounced domed sapphire crystal.
While the two models feature different dials, they share the same 47mm black PVD-coated stainless steel case with a thickness of 18.50mm. The extremely domed sapphire crystal protruding over the dial has an anti-reflective treatment, and the screwed-in caseback has a glareproof crystal without jeopardising the 100m water-resistance. Matching the black vulcanised rubber strap, the crown dons a black rubber ring. Another common feature that does not detract from the artwork is the use of leaf-shaped black lacquered skeletonised hour and minute hands.
The Bubble Dragon and Bubble Dragon Eye are equipped with the CO 082 automatic calibre (base ETA 2892-A2). Beating at 28,800vph, the movement delivers a 42-hour power reserve and can be viewed through the sapphire caseback.
Availability & Price
The Corum Bubble Dragon and Bubble Dragon Eye are limited editions of 88 pieces each and retail for CHF 6,900. For more information, please visit corum-watches.com.
