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 · Bubble
Corum Bubble 38 mm Black 18k
Reference 30522OR.77
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Corum
- Collection
- Bubble
- Model
- Corum Bubble 38 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 30522OR.77
- Year / era
- 1963 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 9C — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1963 – 1976
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Corum Bubble 38 mm Black 18k sits within Corum's Bubble line, introduced in 1963. It carries the house codes established since 1955 — 18k yellow gold case, black lacquer dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- 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.