Ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year – the year of the snake that begins on January 29, 2025 – Corum has announced a stunning one-of-a-kind snake-themed edition of its iconic Golden Bridge.
The Golden Bridge Serpent unique piece features a remarkable hand-engraved and hand-painted gold snake entwined around the watch’s linear movement, surrounded by a three-dimensional micro-sculpture of lush foliage. The ensemble is all wonderfully framed by a 18k rose gold tonneau case with sapphire crystal front, sides and display back.
A Golden Legacy
First introduced in 1977, the Corum Golden Bridge revolutionised watchmaking with its pioneering in-line movement, conceived by renowned independent watchmaker Vincent Calabrese.
Corum recognised the potential of this groundbreaking design and acquired the patent for the baguette-shaped calibre, mounted in a straight line and housed within a highly transparent tonneau-shaped case that showcased its intricate mechanics.
Over the decades, the Golden Bridge has evolved from its original hand-wound form to embrace new complications and materials while preserving its iconic architecture.
Key milestones include the 2010 Golden Bridge Tourbillon, which housed the world’s smallest tourbillon with a silicon escapement, and the 2011 Golden Bridge Automatic, which introduced a linear oscillating weight for added convenience. The collection further evolved in 2016 with the Golden Bridge Round featuring a circular case and in 2017 with the futuristic Golden Bridge Stream.
Along the way, Corum has endowed the Golden Bridge with high-tech materials such as titanium and carbon fibre, while also releasing artistic renditions like the Golden Bridge Dragon which showcased intricate hand-engraving.
Throughout its evolution, the Golden Bridge has remained a testament to Corum’s commitment to innovation and craftsmanship in haute horlogerie.
Serpent-Inspired Artistry
Similar to the Golden Bridge Dragon from a decade ago, Corum has once again used the Golden Bridge’s linear movement as a canvas for artistic expression.
This time, a detailed 18K gold micro-sculpture of a snake, complete with hand-engraved scales, coils sinuously around the mechanics. Flanking the snake are three-dimensional depictions of leaves and vines, also in 18K gold. Both the reptile and foliage are hand-painted to create a vivid, jungle-inspired scene.
According to Corum, bringing this stunning creation to life required nearly a hundred hours of painstaking work – from design and micro-engraving to micro-sculpting and miniature hand-painting.
A Showcase of Mastery
The snake wraps around the Calibre CO 113, whose bridges and plates are made from 18K gold. The balance wheel at 12 o’clock beats at a frequency of 4Hz, while a manually wound single barrel – operated via the distinctive 6 o’clock crown – provides 40 hours of autonomy.
Above the mechanics, gilded, faceted and skeletonised baton hands indicate the hours and minutes, though timekeeping takes on a secondary role in such a métiers d’art masterpiece.
The 34mm by 51mm 5N rose gold case features four glare-proof sapphire crystals on the front, back and sides, allowing light to flood in and highlight the sculptural scene from every angle.
The Golden Bridge Serpent unique piece is paired with a brown alligator leather strap that has a rose-gold triple-blade folding clasp. To find out more, please visit the Corum website.
