The America’s Cup World Series and Corum Set a New Direction.

The America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) resumes in San Francisco tomorrow, August 21. Mid-way through the competition with the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup (semi-final) and the America’s Cup Final, the yachts will have nearly doubled in size, offering the latest in technology and speed. 

In the blink of eye, in the shift of the wind, everything is new. We shared with you earlier news of Corum’s secretive Regatta Movement, and now we explore Corum’s emerging dominance with the Energy Team’s AC72 yacht and the woman’s Admiral Cup 38 Mystery Moon. Corum is poised for victory.

Meet the new AC72 yacht, the 72-foot behemoth that will replace the AC45. It is a bit like meeting an F/A 18 after flying a Cessna 152 – there is no comparison. The AC72 with wingsail and gennaker combined has 580 square meters of sail area, providing the wind enough sail area to catapult the yachts through the water; the previous AC45 had a mere 133 square meters. Instead of a cloth mainsail, these catamarans use a fixed carbon fiber wingsail. The larger wing on its mast will tower 40m/131ft over the deck. When you consider that a Boeing 747’s wing measures 31m/102ft, then you have a sense of scale, not to mention the difficulties such size poses for handling. It is time for some serious racing.

The AC45 retires at the ACWS race’s conclusion, and with the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup Match, the AC72 heralds a new era.  Because of the time needed to build the AC72s, the AC45s were always an intermediate stepping-stone, giving the teams an opportunity to familiarize themselves with a new multi-hull design. In San Francisco, the training wheels come off.  This is a huge step up with more than 50,000 design hours represented.  The defending champion of the America’s Cup, Team Oracle USA, is the team to beat.  Corum and their Energy Team proved seaworthiness with a victory in Venice, and they are ready for the competition.  The race’s state-of-the-art technology, new design and competition find its parallel in Corum’s watch development. Keep one eye on San Francisco September 2013 and another on Corum’s La Chaux-de-Fonds headquarters.

When it comes to sailing, Energy Team’s Loick Peyron is the secret weapon. For Corum’s watch production, that man is Laurent Besse. When Besse’s company, Les Artisans Horologers, filed for bankruptcy in January 2011, it was a coup for Corum. Les Artisans had worked quietly to develop intricate movements for leading brands, and they understood complicated design. Les Artisans Horologers and Laurent Besse were the brains behind the MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt‘s impressive and complex movement.

Corum’s CEO Antonio Calce hired varsity design specialists by sweeping up Laurent Besse and much of Les Artisans Horologers’ design talent. Corum has culled some serious watchmakers. Though Corum has avoided exposure to Swatch’s supply restrictions with its flagship Bridge models, they can now pursue vertical integration across all their models. Comparing the stodgy old Corum with the unfolding new Corum is reminiscent of comparing the AC45 with the AC72.

The woman’s Admiral’s Cup Legend 38 Mystery Moon is the first watch movement designed by Laurent Besse, movement CO384. Introduced at Baselworld 2012, this watch reflects the brand’s new found potential. The mother of pearl dial rotates along the date wheel, giving an orbital representation between the sun and the moon. The moon phases are visible in the window of a starry sky sub-dial, and the sunburst emanating from the date window covers the dial.

Powered by self-winding Caliber CO384 (base caliber ETA 2893 with Corum patented module ontop) endowed with a 42-hour power reserve, this watch drives the hour, minute, jumping date and jumping moon-phase functions.  Galileo would be proud. The traditional twelve-sided case reveals the nautical pennants along the chapter ring, which epitomize the Admiral’s Cup line. The Mystery Moon enchants like a mermaid from the deep, and its jewel encrusted, feminine charm waits to adorn a coquettish wrist. Glamour, seduction, and haute horology define the Mystery Moon. Corum is set for a break out performance.

Specifications

• Mechanical Self-winding movement caliber CO384 – ETA 2893 with Corum patented module – Frequency 4 Hz (28’800 vibrations/hour) – 30 jewels – Power reserve of 42 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, date, moonphase
• Spinning dial, rotates 360° in 31 days – Jumping date – Jumping moonphase
• Twelve-sided steel case – Diameter 38 mm Bezel set with 72 diamonds (0.58ct) – Screwed crown engraved with CORUM key – Screwed open back cover – Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
• Dial Black or white mother-of-pearl from Indonesia – Disc decorated with six diamonds – Moon in mother-of-pearl – 12 monochromatic nautical pennants representing the hours transferred on the fitted flange – Faceted skeleton hour and minute hand with superluminova
• Glass Twelve-sided sapphire crystal, with anti-reflective treatment
• Water-resistance 99 feet/30 meters

Retail price for steel: $14,500
Retail price for rose gold: $31,600

This article is written by Max E. Reddick, contributing editor for Monochrome Watches.

EDIT: In the original article, the August 2012 San Francisco race was mistakenly referenced as the September 2013 San Francisco Cup Match – the article has been corrected accordingly.