


The model was a huge success for Corum, who have released numerous versions over the years including the 50th Anniversary Edition we covered previously.

Or so the train of thought went back in 1964 for La Chaux-de-Fonds-based maison Corum, when they produced their first Coin watch based on the American $20 Double Eagle. It does not store any personal data.Since both coins and watches are often considered “collectibles,” it makes a certain amount of sense to combine the two and entice aficionados of both hobbies. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These watches utilize silver $1 coins as their bases. This is naturally a tall order when talking about vintage collector’s pieces such as early twentieth-century five-cent pieces. The criteria for choosing a coin to use is relatively strict: each coin chosen must be in mint condition without a scratch, a dent, or even sign of use. But they are also unique by motif, as Saburov, who has already produced a number of drawings for this purpose, will turn each one into one new Coin Watch.Īnd these will primarily be gothic, rock and roll, and disruptive in nature. A Russian living in New York, he creates twenty-first-century hobo coins by utilizing popular imagery, legends, demons, beliefs, and individual commissions to make unique works of micro art engraved on genuine early twentieth-century five-cent pieces.Ĭorum now utilizes Saburov’s unique talents and the interesting history of hobo nickels to co-create a limited edition of Coin Watches.Īs they are hand engraved, each one is unique by definition. Master engraver Aleksey Saburov specializes in the art of making new hobo coins. Most people likely know that the word hobo is another word for a vagrant, with the most classic image of a hobo riding freight cars and making a living (and a life) on the tracks instead of settling down.Ī unique piece Corum Hobo Coin Watch Preserving the art form of the original hobo with Aleksey Saburov “Hobo” is a bit of an unusual name, and it does need some explanation. Now Corum re-introduces its classic Coin Watch with a twist: the Hobo Coin. 21 st century Corum Coin Watch: transforming an eagle into a hobo These were particularly popular on the American market, becoming a symbol of both lasting value and a keepsake of the nation’s pioneering spirit (the eagle, the money, the freedom of enterprise, the gold rush).Īs of Baselworld 2018, Corum’s Gold Coin becomes something. The early Coin Watches were made using the $20 American Double Eagle first minted in 1849. The resulting watch was almost as thin as the original $20 gold coin, an amazing feat. Once assembled, the two halves of the coin were joined by an 18-karat gold case band that was carefully grooved to replicate the fluted edge of the original coin. In so doing, they made something akin to a movement sandwich, with the bread slices replaced by coin halves. These were the world’s first wristwatches made using a coin to house a mechanical movement previous to Corum’s experimentation the style had only been used for pocket watches.Ĭorum, who was a master of funky advertising in the brand’s early days, first cleverly advertised these innovative timepieces with the tagline “time is money,” later changing it to “time in money.”Īnd it’s easy to see why this slogan was so apt: Corum founder René Bannwart and his team used one-half of an authentic, very carefully cut gold coin as a watch dial, placed an ultra-thin movement underneath it, and then closed it up with the other half of the coin. The Corum Coin Watch made its debut in 1964, with the first 12 examples sold out before they could even reach 1965’s Basel Fair.
