Luxury Watchmaking Meets Pop Art In New Bubble X Aiiroh Watch From Corum
Street art and luxury watchmaking are connecting in colourful ways and more frequently than ever.
Already several prestigious and luxurious watch brands have leveraged off the expertise of today’s most creative graphic artists for new renditions of their signature watches. The latest on the scene is Corum, who have secured the talents of French street artist Aiiroh to inject colour into its new Bubble watch.
That said, this isn’t the first time Corum has leveraged talents from the creative field. Previous relationships witnessed the birth of Bubble watches with the likes of Elisabetta Fantone, rapper Booba, and cymbals manufacture Paiste, to name a few. However, the newest addition to the line is designed not just for Bubble cult followers and Corum lovers, but also for art lovers around the world.
Creative Collaboration
Staying true to its innovative side, Corum has teamed with Aiiroh to bring a statement of “art on the wrist” to the forefront. By injecting daring colours and bold style into the Corum Bubble x Aiiroh, the watch now takes on a larger-than-life persona.
Crafted in stainless steel with black PVD coating, the 47mm watch is inspired by Aiiroh’s famous “Black Série Rose” artwork. This particular creative expression utilises street posters and headlines in a decoupage-like collage to form the petals of the colourful rose. He then superimposes another stylized black rose spiral motif on top of that for added allure.
This effect is entirely recreated on the watch dial, almost like a transfer of the original piece of art. It uses two different dial appliques that add dramatic depth and dimension. Against a stark black background, the boldly beautiful rose petal collage is almost fluorescent in shades of turquoise, orange, lavender, purple, blue, red, yellow and green.
The black against the colour not only evokes a sense of the rose opening, but also adds amazing contrast and appeal. Add to that the half-globe domed sapphire crystal that gives its own somewhat distorted view of the dial, and the result is magnificent.
Underneath, a mechanical automatic caliber CO 082 works all functions of the watch. Offering a 42 hour power reserve, the movement can be admired via the sapphire caseback. Water resistant to 100 meters, the watch is built in a limited edition of just 88 pieces – ensuring exclusivity.
Art Meets Horology
The result of the Corum Bubble X Aiiroh partnership watch, while decidedly individualistic, isn’t an unusual departure for this creative brand, which has collaborated with a host of artists over the years. In fact, when it first introduced the Bubble watch 22 years ago in 2000, art and decorative dials – along with the huge domed crystal – made an impressive statement that garnered the brand a cult-like following. The must-have 44mm watch was not only radical for the times, but also, and more importantly, emotion evoking.
Perhaps Aiiroh, a renowned figure in Pop Art, Corum has found the ideal collaborator for its new Bubble Watch. A street artist for more than 20 years, has had his work exhibited in more than 50 galleries worldwide. He has even dropped some of his own iconic pieces as NFTs. Collected by hip hop icons and international celebrities, Aiiroh’s artwork commands top dollar alongside other French artists. His main focus recently: re-interpreting iconic pop-art figures using posters found in the streets of top French cities.
This collaboration with Aiiroh is not merely limited to the design of the watch. The artist together with like-minded collaborators, Soyz Bank and Namisen, have also worked together to present a fabulous piece of wall art in the form of the Corum certificate of authenticity that accompanies the watch.
The Corum Bubble X Aiiroh watch will be sold with a special artwork realized by Aiiroh and Japanese modern artist Namisen and brought to “life” as a final piece in resin by French visual artist Soyz Bank. Essentially the sculptured wall art is an original design inspired by Corum’s watch certificate, complete with the key logo that is immediately recognizable. It is created as a flat painting, semi-folded, and finished in resin.
(Images: Corum)
