Vintage Corum 1899 5-Dollar USA Gold Coin Watch Face with Crocodile Strap

With its brazenly unconventional forms, materials and elements, Corum epitomizes the modern craft of Swiss watchmaking. From its beginning, Corum has made meticulous watches with hand-engraved details and the most exquisite materials, like gold, diamonds and other precious stones. Corum has never shied away from avant-garde designs and techniques, even incorporating bird feathers into its contemporary pieces.

Corum was established in 1955 by watchmaker Gaston Ries and his nephew René Bannwart in the Swiss city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, just a few miles south of France. The company soon adopted an adventurous spirit of exploration, helping to redefine the modern hand-crafted watch. 

The company introduced its first original series in 1958. Its design emulated the pattern of a conical bamboo hat, common across Southeast Asia. From there, Corum released an eye-catching new watch series every few years and continued to produce its classic models in limited releases. 

In 2000, Belgian watchmaker and entrepreneur Severin Wunderman acquired Corum. Wunderman was the exclusive designer and manufacturer of Gucci watches for 25 years and brought supreme skill and aesthetic flair to Corum, leading it into a new era of innovative design.

Wundermann died in 2008. In 2013, China Haidian Holdings Limited Group purchased Corum. The holding company later renamed itself Citychamp Watch & Jewelry Group, but the Corum brand remains, continuing to create timepieces of breathtaking elegance.

On 1stDibs, explore watches, bracelets and more by Corum.