As the Swiss creative watch brand Corum Kunlun entered the year 2000, it launched the Bubble Bubble Watch with a large case and an oversized mirror, and its out-of-the-box concept immediately became a highly sought-after new millennium. The masterpiece of the watch; 15 years later, the Bubble watch returns triumphantly, once again establishing its detached status of the key series; Op Art models in the Bubble family have novel ideas, and two new models have officially launched.
Bubble Sphere2

   The arched crystal glass of the Bubble watch is 8 mm thick, which can be regarded as one of the largest mirror designs on the market. It has a lens function and can magnify or distort the visual effect of the dial. Corum has collaborated with industrial designer Nicolas Le Moigne to conceive two new models, the pattern design of which is based on optical art. Visual art, also known as Op Art, was born in Hungary to the French painter Victor Vasarely, known as the father of visual art.
   Visual art is the use of human illusions to make statically arranged patterns as dynamic as possible or to create contrasting visual effects. Nicolas Le Moigne captures the elements of visual art, and makes full use of fantasy three-dimensional effects in the small space of the dial. The unique visual dynamics are like breaking through the mirror.
   The Bubble Sphere 2 watch, as the name suggests, looks like a ball in a ball. The dial and the mirror look like one, and the light blue lines in it cut through the dial and the mirror and become part of the visual effect.

Bubble Drop

   The second dial of Bubble Drop, the designer’s pen, has a natural topography like undulations. The pits and grooves are subtly matched with the light and shadow effects, like the ripples on the water surface. It is a perfect match for the Bubble Drop name.
   The latest Op Art models are available in limited production, each limited to 350 pieces: Bubble Sphere2 with a blue brass dial and a blue PVD-coated case with blue Super-LumiNova luminous hands.
   The material mix of Bubble Drop is the same as Bubble Sphere2, but the dial and case are treated with brown PVD coating, and the hands are brown Super-LumiNova luminous filler.
   The two new models come with leather linings with rubber linings, and the buckle material handling is the same as the case.

Bubble Sphere2 watch limited to 350 pieces

Technical specifications
Movement
 CO 082 automatic winding movement
 Function: hours, minutes, seconds
 Power reserve 42 hours
 Swing frequency: 28,800 times per hour (4Hz)
 Diameter: 11 1/2
dial
 Op Art
 Material: brass
 Rhodium-plated hands, blue Super-LumiNova
Case
 Blue PVD stainless steel case, crystal glass case back
 Anti-glare crystal glass with light blue lines
 Waterproof depth: 100m / 10ATM
 Diameter: 47 mm
 Thickness: 18.80 mm
 Strap width: 24mm / 20mm
Strap
 Rubber-lined leather strap
 Blue PVD stainless steel pin buckle
Reference price: RMB 29,440
Bubble Drop limited to 350 pieces
Technical specifications

Movement
 CO 082 automatic winding movement
 Function: hours, minutes, seconds
 Power reserve 42 hours
 Swing frequency: 28,800 times per hour (4Hz)
 Diameter: 11 1/2
dial
 Op Art
 Material: brass
 Rhodium-plated hands, brown Super-LumiNova luminous treatment
Case
 Brown PVD stainless steel case, crystal glass case back
 Anti-glare crystal glass
 Waterproof depth: 100m / 10ATM
 Diameter: 47 mm
 Thickness: 18.80 mm
 Strap width: 24mm / 20mm
Strap
 Rubber-lined leather strap
 Brown PVD stainless steel pin buckle
Reference price: RMB
Corum Bubble
How was the idea of ​​the Bubble watch born?
   Fifteen years ago, Severin Wunderman entered the field of fine watchmaking and wholly owned the Corum watch brand. When he first entered the country of watches, he had ambitions in his mind, because he thought that the watch industry was conservative and tedious at that time, and the industry’s thinking was not The written rules are firmly bound; he highly respects the industry’s first-class quality, craftsmanship and technical level, but believes that the industry’s creative spirit is insufficient. Most of the timepiece products seen in the market are conservative, and he believes that the industry must start with innovation Can move towards the future. He transformed his ideas into product ideas, and put innovative design first, and this thinking is the driving force for Severin Wunderman to transform the Corum brand into a creative pioneer in the high-end watch industry!
   At that time, the trend of increasing watch sizes had taken shape, and the size of Bubble watches was even higher. Severin Wunderman was inspired by a piece of equipment from the former Professor Piccard’s submarine. The diameter of the Bubble watch was increased to 44 mm. Its super thick arched mirror is the source of the watch name. It is memorable at first sight.
Why will Bubble Watch return in 2015? How is the new model different from the original design more than ten years ago?
   Over the years, Corum has injected contemporary aesthetic brushwork into its legendary works such as the iconic Golden Tube, Ingot Watch, and Indian Head Coin, to give the classic a new look. Fifteen years ago, the Bubble watch is not only a masterpiece of Corum, but also one of the classics of the altar. Bubble represents a revolutionary design thinking, can be called the avant-garde pioneer of the high-end watch industry, broke the industry norms at the time, and opened up new areas of creativity. Fifteen years later, Bubble will return to a limited edition, marking an important page in Corum’s creative history.
   The new version of Bubble in 2015 is no different from the original, but the case diameter has been slightly increased from 44 mm to 47 mm, and the thickness of the arched mirror has been slightly reduced; the case has been frosted, satin-finished and polished. Watches and crafts are traditional, but the original innovation is consistent.
Who is the designer of Bubble watches?
   Severin Wunderman personally designed the original Bubble watch that year; the new model is now being designed by Corum in collaboration with Nicolas Le Moigne, Pedro Friedeberg or pAiSTe.

Why is a day 24 hours, an hour 60 minutes, and a minute 60 seconds? In fact, according to the relative position of the earth’s sun, the length of each year is not the same, and the length of each day in a year is not the same. The 24-hour period is more completely a division of human willpower, and is related to anything related to the earth Planetary operations are not related. The current universal Greenwich Mean Time Calendar system is not actually ‘Earth Time’, it is just a set of ‘hypothetical’ schemes formulated to facilitate the regulation of the needs of modern human social activities.
   In human civilization, time is conceived as an orderly and successive measurement of several states, so it is not surprising that in all known civilizations, the earliest measure of time is based on regular periodic star movements. Today we are all children of a watch civilization. In terms of how to measure time, the ancient Chinese had a calendar system of ‘sky and earth’. In the Chinese calendar, a day is evenly divided into twelve hours, represented by animals of the zodiac (zi, ugly, yin, 卯, chen, 巳, Wu, Wei, Shen, 酉, 戌, hai) called ‘ Twelve Earthly Branches. ‘ Each hour is equivalent to the current 2 hours; each hour is divided into eight quarters (the first quarter, the first quarter, the second quarter, the third quarter, the first quarter, the first quarter, the second quarter, and the third quarter). 15 minutes is equivalent to the current ‘one quarter of an hour’.
   The ancient Chinese have long realized that people’s life span is closely related to whether they can reasonably arrange their daily routine. ‘Su Wen · Ancient Innocence’ said: ‘Dietary diet, daily life, and no vain work, so it can be shaped with the gods, and live for the rest of the year. Each hour is represented by a different animal, and it is also a hint to remind people to adapt to the day and time. For example, when the tadpoles are represented by rabbits, 5 to 7 am is the time for jade rabbits to make medicines, which means that people should get up and work; the time represented by sheep is from 1 to 3 pm, and sheep graze to enhance physical strength It can be seen that the ancients were around this time during lunch; and the pig’s representative of the Hai, from 9 to 11 in the evening, was completely silent, and the time when the pigs slumbered, people knew that it was time to go to bed. The twelfth birthday’s understanding of the ancients on time, corresponding to its meaning in daily life, is very specific and appropriate. Only by establishing a reasonable work and rest system that conforms to the earth’s time, rest, labor, diet, and sleep have regular patterns and persistence, can we improve health and end the years. The ancient Chinese’s understanding of the time and the ‘Wisdom of Man and Nature’ reflected in the application of daily life are quite consistent with modern scientific research on healthy lifestyles.

   In the ancient Chinese timekeeping system based on twelve o’clock, in addition to the traditional Chinese timekeeping methods such as the sundial and engraving, the ‘Water Transport Instrument Observatory’ developed by Su Song in the Song Dynasty can be described as the pinnacle of mechanical timing in ancient China. This is a kind of mechanical device that gathers the astronomical instrument for observing the astronomical phenomena, the astronomical demonstrating the astronomical phenomena, the missing time measuring time and the reporting time. According to records, it is about two floors high. The mechanical device is exquisite and complicated. With the corresponding time and wood engraving, the ‘time-keeping clerk’ puppet appeared, surpassing the mechanical application level of other countries in the world at that time.
   In order to pay tribute to the long-standing Chinese traditional calendar system, Swiss watch brand Frederique Constant launched a twelve-hour Chinese calendar watch on the arrival of the Year of the Sheep in 2015: unlike ordinary watches, this is a watch For a 24-hour watch, a full hour of the hour hand will take 24 hours (12 hours for a normal watch), and a full minute of 120 minutes for a minute hand (60 minutes for a normal watch). On the entire dial, the scales of Twelve Earthly Branches, such as Zi Ugyin, replaced the Arabic or Roman numerals from 1 to 12. Eight evenly divided scales are displayed, including “One Minute, Two Minutes, and Three Minutes”. At the 6 o’clock position of the dial, the ‘Yi Nian Nian’ logo, all the Chinese characters are displayed in small compiled fonts, adding a simple and simple temperament.

   At the same time, in order to meet the convenience of modern people, the 24-hour scale marked with Arabic numerals on the innermost circle is clear at a glance. This twelve-hour limited-edition Chinese calendar watch is equipped with Frederique Constant’s self-produced movement FC-724. It is the 16th self-produced movement developed by Swiss watch brand Frederique Constant. It is decorated with a 24-hour automatic movement. Pearl pattern and Geneva ripple, set with 26 gems, 42-hour power reserve. It is the young watch brand Frederique Constant from Geneva, a fusion of the heritage of Swiss watchmaking culture and the ancient wisdom of the 12-hour timekeeping system in China.

   Available in stainless steel and rose gold plating, this watch is limited to 888 pieces worldwide, and it is worth tasting.

Twelve o’clock Chinese calendar limited edition watch-stainless steel

Technical Parameters

Model FC-724CC4H6
Case Polished stainless steel 3-layer case, diameter 40.5 mm, curved sapphire crystal glass, removable bottom cover, see-through movement, 30 meters waterproof
Movement FC-724’s own movement, fully automatic for 24 hours, the movement is decorated with pearl and Geneva ripples, set with 26 gems, 42 hours power reserve
Dial Silver dial with Chinese twelve earthly branches as graduated markers, hand-polished blue hands
Strap Black alligator leather strap
Function: 24 hours, 120 minutes, 60 seconds
Limited sale of 888 pieces
Twelve o’clock Chinese calendar limited edition watch-rose gold-plated

Technical Parameters
Model FC-724CC4H4
Case Polished rose gold-plated stainless steel 3-layer case, diameter 40.5 mm, curved sapphire crystal, removable bottom cover, see-through movement, 30 meters waterproof
Movement FC-724 own movement, fully automatic for 24 hours, the movement is decorated with pearl and Geneva ripples, set with 26 gems, 42 hours power reserve
Dial Silver dial with Chinese twelve earthly branches as graduated markers, hand-polished blue hands
Strap Brown alligator strap
Function: 24 hours, 120 minutes, 60 seconds
Limited sale of 888 pieces
Frederique Constant’s twelve-hour Chinese calendar limited-edition watch
Year of the Rooster / Year of the Goat
   The ancients ordained the zodiac signs, linking them to the days of the zodiac and the branches of the year. The Chinese zodiac is a twelve-year cycle, and is associated with an animal zodiac each year, including rat, cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, chicken, dog, and pig. Have your own sign of the zodiac. The year 2015 is both the year of the second birthday of the sheep and the year of the sheep. It is marked at 6 o’clock on the dial.
Correspondence between the zodiac and the Earthly branches
Chinese Zodiac: Mouse, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Monkey, Dog, Pig
Earthly Branch: Zi Chouyin Chen Chen has n’t applied yet
12 zodiac signs and time
   Frederique Constant’s limited edition timepiece uses the 12 zodiac as the main scale of the dial. A Chinese hour is equal to two hours in the West. One animal zodiac every two hours:

Rats: 11pm to 1am, it is the time when rats are actively foraging.
Cattle: 1 am to 3 am, it is time for cattle to ruminate.
Tiger: 3 am to 5 am is the time for tiger hunting.
Rabbit: 5 to 7 in the morning is the time for the jade rabbit to make medicine.
Dragon: 7 am to 9 am is the time when the dragon hovers in the sky and rains for humans.
Snake: 9am to 11am is when the snake starts to leave the cave.
Horse: 11 am to 1 pm is a time when horses are full of energy.
Sheep: 1:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon is the time for sheep to graze to enhance their strength.
Monkey: 3 to 5 pm is when monkeys become active.
Chickens: 5pm to 7pm is the time when the chickens return to the henhouse after dark.
Dogs: 7 to 9 pm is the time when dogs begin to perform the duties of a care home.
Pig: 9 to 11 pm is the time when everything is silent and the pigs are dormant.
24 hours
   Small numbers from 1 to 24 on the dial’s inner circle are used to indicate the Greenwich standard time scale to show the exact hour.
Outer ring
   Minute scales are marked with small Chinese characters. Each position is a traditional Chinese decimal time unit, representing a quarter of an hour (15 minutes) in the West. Since a Chinese hour is equivalent to 2 hours in the West, there are 8 positions on the outer circle of the minute scale.
Frederique Constant’s founder Dr. Peter Stas interviews the limited-edition watch produced by the Chinese calendar at 12 o’clock
Q1: Why did you come up with this watch?
   I had seen a pocket watch from the 1930s in Geneva, but at the time it had no brand. The combination of pocket watches and the Chinese calendar system creates a special style. I was attracted by its classic style and thought it could be applied to Frederique Constant’s design. Some customers have asked if Frederique Constant would design watches with Chinese colors, such as with dragons or horses. I refused because it was not attached to Frederique Constant’s brand image. But now the design of the pocket watch and the Chinese calendar system makes the 12-hour Chinese calendar movement series more interesting and elegant.
Q2: Will the 12-hour Chinese calendar movement series be sold only in the Asian market?
   of course not. Many Chinese tourists buy Frederique Constant watches when traveling in Europe, the United States or elsewhere. The series will be released in Europe, Geneva and the United States, and there are already five million Chinese living in Los Angeles. This series will be released globally, especially for markets that love Chinese culture and collectors.
Q3: This series combines the Chinese calendar system. Why would you want a 24-hour scale design?
   We follow the design of pocket watches. In the operation of time, the minute hand of the watch needs to run once in 120 minutes, which is half the speed of the ordinary 12-hour watch. Today’s movement technology is easier to develop, but for Frederique Constant, it is a brand new movement design.
Q4: How long did it take from the beginning of this concept to the completion of this series?
   R & D in the movement alone has taken two years.
Q5: Have you encountered any difficulties in developing a new movement?
   I mentioned earlier that the design of this series originated from pocket watches. However, it is difficult to understand the internal structure of the table by images alone, so we need extra time to understand. In addition, we do not have a deep understanding of the Chinese calendar system. However, as a passionate watch designer and manufacturer, I would not describe this as a difficulty, they are just some development processes.