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CORUM Reloaded: The Key Turns Again in La Chaux-de-Fonds
On April 1, 2026, Corum held an exclusive preview event at its historic factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which I wasn’t present for. But the subsequent technical documents, press releases, and images tell a compelling story worthy of my detailed account. This was no ordinary product launch; it was an ambitious declaration from one of the most distinctive brands in Swiss watchmaking—Corum.
A New Chapter Written from the Inside Out
This year marks Corum’s 70th anniversary. Founded in 1955 by René Bannwart and his uncle Gaston Ries, the brand has always adhered to its principles: when rectangular cases are superior, they reject round cases; when nautical flags tell a better story, they reject traditional hour markers; when in-house rectangular movements can accomplish their tasks more brilliantly, they refuse to borrow from others. After years of foreign ownership, Corum returned to Swiss hands on May 5, 2025, through a management buyout led by Haso Mehmedovic.Mehmedovic, 33, was born in Srebrenica, grew up in Switzerland, and graduated from CIFOM (International Federation of Haute Horlogerie) in Le Locle. He submitted only one resume (to Corum) and remained with the company. He rose through the ranks from watchmaker to quality director at age 23, then to international sales director, ultimately completing the acquisition of Corum with Swiss investors in 2025. His strategy, announced at the event, was concise and clear: streamlining the Admiral collection to 11 models in 39mm and 36mm sizes, launching six Gold Bridge Sapphire watches, relaunching two Heritage collection models, and reducing the number of sales outlets from over 300 to approximately 70 by spring 2026. Designer Emmanuel Gueit, former design director of Audemars Piguet, conceived the initial design lines for the new collection, which were then finalized by Olivier Leu and Fabrice Gonet of the EDGE team.
Dial: Ocean, Stone, and Meteorite The visual identity of the Admiral series watches has always been present on the dial, and Corum demonstrates meticulous craftsmanship in its redesign of the new timepiece. The nautical flag, originally conceived in the 1960s and fully refined in the 1983 model, is now presented as trapezoidal applied hour markers, cleverly blending international maritime signal codes with classic watchmaking scales. This design is the first to retain nautical characteristics while presenting a form close to traditional scales.
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