Q&AThe Man At the Core of Corum – CEO, Jérôme Biard

What’s new with Corum this year?

With our new strategy, we are projecting a younger image—more playful, with more colour. The focus is the four brand pillars—Golden Bridge, Admiral, Heritage collection and Bubble. We’ve played around with the iconic pieces to present creativity with audacity.

What are the key trends this year?

We’ve found that the skeleton watch is a prominent trend. Colours are also being done in a big way.

What are the true values of watchmaking in your opinion?

You have to be authentic, creative and aesthetical, and it has to look elegant on the wrist. I believe that a watch should look good on the wrist; not just in a showcase or in a picture.

What advice would you give to a novice who wishes to invest in high-end watches?

It’s very personal, so you have to make sure it matches your personality and represents you and isn’t just for others to like. You have to be self-confident. Make up your own choice, don’t be influenced. Get to know what’s inside the watch and then get to know the brand; not the other way around.

Is there a chance that Corum will ever make a smartwatch?

The chances are very limited. But never say never. What I can say is that even if it does happen, it’s not going to happen anytime soon. It doesn’t fit in with anything that we’re currently doing. Our products are more about craftsmanship.

Now that there’s a high complication like a tourbillon in your artistic Bubble watch, what other evolution can we expect from other brand pillars?

You could expect some more integration between the pillars. I’m not saying this is a plan, but for instance, imagine the Golden Bridge with the nautical flags of the Admiral collection. There’s no limit really. We are open to ideas that are out of the box. We’re open to infusing modernity and youth even into the Golden Bridge, with different materials. Even in this year’s 39mm Golden Bridge, we’ve gone fully gem-set; and there could be more jewellery pieces.

Have you ever thought of doing the Golden Bridge in the Admiral dodecagonal case?

Not yet, but like I said, we have no issue with thinking out of the box. If we think it makes sense and adds value, why not! I’d like to say that there are no limits, but it also has to be logical.

Tell us about the comeback of the Romvlvs collection.

We had been waiting for the right time to do a new Romvlvs. This year, it’s in an annual calendar, because we had an annual calendar movement. We have to optimise what we have and saw potential in the Romvlvs for it, so we decided to bring it back.

What are the craziest product ideas you’ve come across at Corum?

I like crazy people. We are all quite crazy. The craziest things! Gosh … I like the question. It’s not the craziest thing, but I think we’d love to recreate the watch with the Rolls-Royce grille. It’s not crazy as an idea, but it’s crazy to turn the idea into reality. There is another idea that I cannot disclose right now, because it’s something that we are just developing, maybe for 2019. All I can say is that it has something to do with wine.

Talk about Corum’s new collaborations.

We have a collaboration this year with Joachim Horsley. To be a Steinway pianist, you need a lot of talent, of course, and you need to know your craft. The same is required to create a product like the Golden Bridge watch. Hence, a collaboration with Horsley for a Golden Bridge was a good fit. To reinterpret Beethoven’s 7th Symphony with a Cuban-inspired arrangement and rack up 10 million views in six months is no mean feat. It goes to show that one can break boundaries with a classical background while taking an audience to new, previously unexpected horizons. At Corum, we are taking this same path in watchmaking. It was a natural partnership. It is an ode to creativity, non-conformism and celebrating new possibilities.

With Admiral, we decided to partner with Iguana Yachts. It’s an incredible development from a French engineer, who wanted to make an amphibious boat, just like you’d see in a James Bond movie.

What are the brands you admire the most apart from Corum?

I’ve always been a fan of Audemars Piguet. I’m still a huge fan of Rolex. Another brand I really like is Graham. I love the Graham Chronofighter. It’s got a very out-of-the-box design. From purely a product point of view, Graham is a brand I really like. Among other products, I am a fan of Montegrappa and Aurora pens. I like such products that are nice to hold and use, and have a story to tell.