Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Corum · Admiral
Corum Admiral 39 mm Salmon Carbon
Reference 11454OR.10
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Corum
- Collection
- Admiral
- Model
- Corum Admiral 39 mm Salmon Carbon
- Reference number
- 11454OR.10
- Year / era
- 1959 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 45D — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1959 – 1967
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Corum Admiral 39 mm Salmon Carbon sits within Corum's Admiral line, introduced in 1959. It carries the house codes established since 1955 — carbon tpt case, salmon dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Corum
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1955
- Founder
- René Bannwart
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Admiral, Bubble, Golden Bridge, Coin Watch
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement
- Famous movements
- Spring Drive · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph · High-beat automatic
- Notable watches
- Corum Admiral 39 mm Salmon Carbon (1959) · Corum Admiral 42 mm Green Platinum (2000) · Corum Admiral 36 mm Blue Sapphire (1989) · Corum Admiral 37 mm Blue 18k (1957)
Brand history
Corum has spent more than 71 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Admiral, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
René Bannwart established Corum in 1955, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Corum calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1955
René Bannwart founds Corum in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Corum to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Corum enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Corum continues to produce Admiral, Bubble, Golden Bridge and other icons in limited numbers.