Corum

The history of coin watches can be traced back to the early 20th century. While not the first brand to make coin watches, Cartier in particular stands out for their exceptional craftsmanship, which can be attributed to the famous salesman turned watchmaker Joseph Vergely. To create the watch, the coin is dissected at two sides and an interior within each side is carved to house the timepiece. Finally, the two sides are rejoined in a hinged fashion. Largely credited with perfecting this technique, Vergely would go on to run the European Watch and Clock Company in Paris and play an instrumental role in the partnership between Edmond Jaeger and Cartier.

As the design grew in popularity, we started to see other brands adopt the coin form watch produced in the design of Vergely, including Piaget, Rolex, Corum and Patek Philippe. 

The coin watch regained popularity in the mid-20th century. A unique blend of horology and numismatics, the timepieces were embedded in a genuine, usually commemorative, gold coin. Corum is credited with creating the first coin wristwatch in 1964.

Our present timepiece, circa 1989, is a coin wristwatch most like the one released by Corum first in 1964 and is complete with its original box and papers. By adding lugs to the coin form timepiece designs that were popular in the early 20th century, Corum created a whole new subcategory of collectible wristwatches for the numismatists of the watch collecting community.