Corum Launch Heritage Coin Collection to Celebrate 250 Years of American Independence

It’s July 4^th which means in the United States of America it’s time to break out the fireworks and celebrate one of the worst decisions they ever made. However, this year is more significant than most because it is the 250^th anniversary of American independence. To mark this special milestone, Corum have released the Heritage Coin collection, a celebratory reinterpretation of one of their most famous Americana watches of the past.

The original Corum Coin watch was made by splitting an actual Double Eagle 20-dollar gold coin in half and reconstructing it with a watch movement inside. It became so emblematic of America that it was worn by Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Henry Kissinger while they were in governance. Rolex and Vulcain are not the only producers of Presidential time pieces. However, the Heritage Coin series takes a slightly different approach.

Rather than making use of actual coins, the Corum Heritage Coin features custom engravings both front and back to celebrate the anniversary. The front of every piece in the limited edition collection is the same, bearing the emblematic American eagle symbol above an inscription reading “250 Years of Independence”. On the reverse side is one of 50 possible engravings, each dedicated to one of America’s 50 states. As there are 5 pieces with each of those engravings being produced, the total collection works out at 250 watches.

It’s those caseback engravings where the heritage concept in the Heritage Coin collection comes from. They depict an important cultural moment, animal, environment or building that is intrinsically linked to the heritage and history of that state. Based on a concept that the States has been doing on quarters for years at this point. For example, California features the Golden Gate Bridge, Florida has an alligator, Indiana has a race car, Louisiana has a jazz musician, Mississippi has a steam boat, Nevada has a poker hand, and so on for all 50 states. I do feel a little bit sorry for all the states in the Midwest and Great Plains who ended up with farms as their most emblematic motif.

On a horological front, the Heritage Coin watches all measure 39mm in diameter with a thickness of just 7.6mm and are produced in yellow gold. That thickness is possible because they house the ultra-thin CO082 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve and featuring central hours and minutes. For timekeeping, there are hour markers notched into the knurled bezel so you can actually tell the time with some accuracy despite it being primarily a design-focussed watch.

All that gold and intricate engraving doesn’t come cheap. The Corum Heritage Coin is priced at $58,000 (approx. £43,460). However, considering the most expensive coin in the world is $18.9 million, coin collectors can be just as mad as watch collectors – so when you combine the two into one object, I’m sure there will be plenty of interest. All that remains is to let us know which state’s Heritage Coin is your favourite in the comments.

More details at Corum.