Corum Revisits Its Coin Watch Legacy — With An American Slant

Swiss watch brand Corum, with a relatively young history, nonetheless challenges convention time and agin. Throughout its seven-decade history, the company has repeatedly introduced watches that encouraged collectors to rethink what a luxury timepiece could be. Among all of those creations, one of the more recognizable pieces is the Coin watch. Today, as Corum works to reestablish itself under new ownership, it is returning not to the original watch itself but to the bold idea that made it famous – just in time to honor America’s 250^th anniversary.

Released on the 4^th of July,  the new Heritage Collector coin watches are inspired by the legendary Coin watch of 1964. The distinction is important. Unlike the original, these are not watches fashioned from authentic Double Eagle gold coins. Instead, Corum has created an entirely new collection of 18-karat gold cases with finely knurled coin edges and engraved surfaces that recall an actual coin.

For the original Coin watch, Corum carefully split a genuine $20 Double Eagle gold coin into two halves, using one side as the dial and the other as the caseback while sandwiching an ultra-thin movement between them. It was an audacious idea that transformed an object of American history into a functioning mechanical wristwatch and helped define Corum’s reputation for creative risk-taking.

The design quickly found favor among prominent public figures, including Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, earning it the nickname “The President’s Watch.”

Although the groundbreaking Coin watch appeared long before I entered the watch industry, I came to know Corum during later chapters of its history, first under the Bannwart family and subsequently through later ownership by Severin Wunderman who introduced the famed Bubble watch.

I first met Jean‑René Bannwart at Basel in 1984, shortly after the debut of the redesigned Admiral’s Cup collection. As he enthusiastically introduced the new watches, I was struck less by any single model than by his determination to push beyond conventional watch design.

That mindset—always searching for the unexpected rather than following prevailing trends—was unmistakable.

Over the years I watched Corum pass through different chapters, yet the brand’s identity was always rooted in originality. Whether introducing unusual case shapes, unexpected dial materials or unconventional movement concepts, Corum consistently stood apart from brands content to play it safe.

That history makes the Heritage Collector collection feel particularly appropriate as the company enters its newest era. Following the 2025 management-led acquisition by a group of Swiss investors together with former International Sales Director Haso Mehmedovic, Corum has begun rebuilding its presence. Rather than simply reproducing historic models, the company appears to be reconnecting collectors with the ideas that made Corum distinctive – all the while interpreting those ideas for a contemporary audience.

The new collection consists of 250 watches in total—one dedicated to each of the 50 states, with only five examples of every design. The front features an engraved American eagle together with a tribute to 250 years of American independence, while the reverse carries state-specific artwork celebrating local history, landscapes or symbols. Each 39 mm watch is crafted in 18-karat gold, powered by Corum’s automatic C0082 movement with a 42-hour power reserve, and paired with a textured rubber strap that resembles leather. The Heritage Collector watches are available now through Corum’s website and retail for $58,000.

Now, more than 60 years after the original Coin watch captured the imagination of collectors around the world, Corum is once again betting that a bold idea can still stand out and even evolve. My question is what happens next with the brand’s other icons like the Golden Bridge and others. I can’t wait to see.