Corum Coin Watch Revived for 250 Years of US Independence

The Coin Watch is a timeless classic and was first invented in 1925 By Patek Philippe, yet Corum adopted the design and created their first Corum Coin Watch in 1964, and the design became part of the brand's identity, and one of their most-well known pieces, using the $20 Double Eagle Gold Coin.

This Iconic Corum Coin Watch has been closely linked to the USA and it's historical figures, having been on Richard Nixon's Wrist, as well as Ronald Reagan when he appeared on the front cover of the TIME magazine in 1981, and Henry Kissinger was also known for wearing the Corum Coin Watch, likely due to the previous embossed-patterns being United States due to using the $20 Coin's original design as the dial pattern.

On this new celebratory Corum Coin Watch, it doesn't use the original $20 Face anymore, but an anniversary engraving on the 22K Gold Dial of the 250 Years of American Independence, and on the caseback, a personalised engraving of each state, and a significant chapter of that area's history, for example, an iconic landmark or recognised animal, allowing the wearer of the watch to be reminded of home.

Given the nature of the materials being 18K and 22K gold, and the novelty of the pieces, there are only 250 total watches. Therefore being 50 states, there are only 5 watches made with each state's engravings into the gold. This makes these watches potentially very scarce and limited, depending on the demand from what can be assumed is residents - past or present - of each state, which is unknown. There is too many factors to work out which is going to be most in demand, depending on watch taste, desire to purchase, ability to purchase and brand awareness.

On the subject of ability to purchase, due to the cost of gold, as well as the in-house movement - the CO082 - an automatic minutes and hours movement that provides 42 hours of power reserve and fits into the 7.6mm case, this watch is no cheap piece. The price for this Corum Coin Watch is CHF 46,000, or roughly $57,500. That is excluding taxes, too. So for Corum to ship to USA in the current tax climate will add a few thousand dollars on top of the RRP. Much more costly than a few fireworks, but a permanent reminder of the history of the USA and the wearer's chosen state on the caseback. But what is the inital reaction?

Many of the initial reactions from outsiders of the Corum Watch brand have seen this piece and believe it looks 'tacky' and 'cheap', which asks the question whether the Coin watch design as a whole concept has lost it's place in modern watch fashion, or has this been executed to a lower-standard than previous Corum Coin watches? 

Is this watch trying to be too special? Has the modern takeover low-quality watches that aim to look expensive removed from this real piece of precious metal and anniversary-engraved watch? Has physical coins and money lost their perception of wealth with a younger, modern audience that makes this piece look cheap and outdated?

Since Corum has changed hands back to Swiss management in the previous months, the Brand has improved, but will this halt the positive momentum on the new path for the brand?