Author Archives: Timmy Tan

Corum Chargé d’Affaires: Recharged

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Corum’s Chargé d’Affaires of 1956 was created by Corum co-founder René Bannwart. It features a manual-winding movement with an alarm system. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

Corum’s Chargé d’Affaires of 1956 was created by Corum co-founder René Bannwart. It features a manual-winding movement with an alarm system. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

What Corum watch model was launched one year after its founding in 1955?

[Corum was founded in 1955 by watchmaker Gaston Ries, his daughter, Simone Ries and his nephew, René Bannwart in La-Chaux-de-Fonds.]

It was the 1956 alarm wristwatch known as the Chargé d’Affaires. The French word Chargé d’Affaires means “head of mission” when translated to English.

In 2012, Corum brought its Chargé d’Affaires back to life with a re-edition, under its Heritage collection, using the same calibre of 1956. Now termed the CO 286 manual-winding movement, it has two barrels, each one having a dedicated winding crown, one for the time, the other for the alarm.

Corum Heritage Chargé d’Affaires, the re-edition of the Chargé d’Affaires of 1956, was launched in 2012. Photo: © Corum

Corum Heritage Chargé d’Affairs, the re-edition of the Chargé d’Affaires of 1956, was launched in 2012. Photo: © Corum

The alarm is set using the baton hand with red arrowhead and strikes for more than 12 seconds.

As compared with the original of 1956, the 2012 re-edition Chargé d’Affaires, limited to 200 pieces, is slightly larger with its diameter of 38mm.

The movement used in the vintage Chargé d’Affaires is the AS 1475 manual-winding movement, which Michael Philip Horlbeck, author of The Alarm Wristwatch, states in his book as “… probably the most successful alarm calibre of all time.”

Note: Another article from timewerke.com featuring an alarm watch, notably Vulcain’s Cricket of 1947, is: Charles Eames and the Herman Miller Philosophy

 

Franck Muller Gothique: Got it?

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The Franck Muller Gothique features clever design elements. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Geneva 2013

The Franck Muller Gothique features clever design elements. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Geneva 2013

Does the Franck Muller Gothique look familiar? Perhaps, especially if you had liked the one-of-a-kind Franck Muller PSY watch seen in an earlier article: “싸이 Psy keeping watch “Gangnam Style”.

The stretched Roman numeral elements are there and the skull is replaced by the caricature of Psy. Another difference is the date display which is found on the Gothique but not on the PSY watch.

The Franck Muller Gothique is not a limited edition timepiece and is therefore for those who appreciate the style and design similar to the PSY watch. Besides the versions set with diamonds and in white gold, there is also a black PVD-treated stainless steel model.

Franck Muller’s Gothique is highly intriguing; why did the brand use Roman numerals rather than the characteristic stretched Arabic numerals?

Perhaps the answer is design-related, especially with the clever use of the Roman numeral “IX”. The skull symbol will be obvious to many but do take note of how the crossbones are represented by “X”. That is its X factor. Now that is cool.