Skip to main content

The Manual Wind: 50th Anniversary Corum Coin Watch

the manual wind 50th anniversary corum coin watch coin50a
Image used with permission by copyright holder
coin50dWatches are a form of currency. They are traded worldwide like commodity with no ticker.  A classic design produced by custom jewelers and a number of watch brands makes the watch a literal commodity; the coin watch.  There are two main designs of the coin watch.  One version is a coin cut in half that open to reveal a movement and dial.  The design which I prefer makes the coin both the case and dial.  Corum is the brand that made the coin watch for the masses.  They have recently updated this modern classic for its’ 50th anniversary.

To commemorate the first Corum coin watch, this anniversary limited edition comes in two variations just like the original.  One variation is that of a silver 1$ coin measuring 43mm in diameter, minted in 2014.  Inside this detailed classic coin is a Corum automatic movement with a 42 hour power reserve.  A small diamond caps off the crown.  The second variation makes a timepiece of a 50$ gold coin.  This coin is 36mm and 18kt yellow gold,  also minted in 2014.  Inside lies the same 42 hour power reserve movement.  To be sure you know what brand you are wearing, the Courm name is lasered onto the crystal to preserve the coin.  Black baton hands make for a good contrast and match the black crocodile strap the pieces are strapped to.

The Courm coin watch is 50 years oldcoin50b but this design will never fade.  Combining the love of coins and watches was a genius idea back then, and it is still as classic today.  Limited to only 100 pieces of each, this is surely a timeless collectors piece.  It takes a precision watchmaker to take a coin and make it a functioning timepiece and Corum has proven it is certainly capable.

Ian Schwam
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Contributing writer and watch enthusiast Ian Schwam dons an expert knowledge of all things watches. Having spent a decade in…
New dial colors, slimmer design for IWC’s Portugieser watches
The IWC Portugieser Collection nods to its 1930s roots while bringing new details to the line
The IWC Hand-WOund Night and Day watch.

If you've been orbiting through the same collections of watches looking for that perfect addition to fill that something missing in your arsenal, stop your search. Swiss brand International Watch Company, known more appropriately to wearers and collectors as IWC Schaffhausen, has a heavenly lineup at this year's Watches and Wonders you've been waiting an eternity for. If unmatched caliber and exceptional craftsmanship — along with a touch of planetary elements — are a few things you look for in a luxury watch, the Portugieser Collection from IWC is the right fit for your wrist.
The IWC Portugieser collection

The collection throws it back to the Portugieser of the 1930s, where the design got its first inspiration from those gorgeous navigational watches on the deck of a ship. Keep that nautical theme in your head because each piece in the collection has celestial details as the star.

Read more
Ready for a comeback? PUMA’s Easy Rider is back
Easy Rider Sneakers

 

With many sneakers coming back in recent seasons, PUMA is getting ready to blow them all out of the water. Once again, one of the company’s staple sneaker designs is ready to grace shelves and give us the true retro sneaker. While still iconic and recognizable, there’s no doubt that PUMA’s Easy Rider sneaker was the beginning of a new era for the casual sneaker, and to many regarded as one of the first of its kind. 

Read more
This new Cartier watch tells time backwards
Turn back time with the new Santos
Cartier Rewind on wrist

Wristwatches may be distinctly masculine pieces of hardware now, thanks to some very popular people in pop culture and in our own history adopting them. British super spy James Bond, movie stars, and athletes are the people we look up to who wear watches that catch our eye. Soldiers, cops, firefighters, and first responders wear watches they trust to ensure they can save lives. Pilots and divers created an entire industry around watches specifically designed for their vocations. And the very first pilot's watch was none other than a Cartier watch.

Alberto Santos-Dumont was a pioneer in the flight world and was one of the first people on Earth to achieve air travel. He was a competitor of the Wright Brothers, and, depending on the source, he preceded them in flight. In any case, the French celebrity went to Louis Cartier, another pioneer of his craft, and procured a square timekeeper meant for the wrist. The Cartier Santos Dumont was born. Over a century later, Cartier attended Watches and Wonders and presented the newest in the line of Santos watches, one that reverses time.
The Rewind tells time backwards

Read more