A round-up of all the special edition commemorative timepieces created with cherished brand partners to honour the golden jubilee of Cortina Watch.
Amidst the ongoing celebrations of Cortina Watch’s 50th anniversary this year, the leading watch retailer has finally completed the revelation of its exclusive collaborative timepieces with eight of its longstanding brand partners. Each of these nine celebratory editions are a testament not only to Cortina Watch’s successful journey over the past five decades, but also to the treasured relationship shared with some of the industry’s finest watchmakers. Here is a recap of the extraordinary timepieces that have been created especially for the golden jubilee of Cortina Watch.
Patek Philippe
In 1997, Patek Philippe made a Ref. 5057 in rose gold to commemorate Cortina Watch’s 25th anniversary. This new Ref. 5057G-010 Calatrava model in white gold, made in a limited series of 100 pieces, features a triple row guilloched hobnail bezel as its predecessor, complete with a charcoal grey sunburst dial, black gradient rim and transfer-printed Roman numerals. Its ultra-thin Caliber 240 PS IRM C LU self-winding movement has up to 48-hour power reserve and can be viewed through the transparent sapphire caseback. It also bears the commemorative inscription “Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Since 1972”.
Well-known for its enamel-painted dome clocks, Patek Philippe also created the Ref. 20145M-001 “Singapore Skyline”, a dome table clock in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel, to celebrate this joyous occasion. It features the picturesque Singapore skyline, painted using a palette of 50 enamel colours to capture the nation’s iconic skyscrapers, in addition to a guilloched hour circle with dentate edges that is inspired by the flowers in the garden city flowers against the night sky. Only 1 unique piece is available.
Blancpain
50 pieces of Blancpain’s iconic Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe were created in celebration of Cortina Watch’s golden jubilee. This exclusive edition features a rare, dual-coloured combination of satin-finished titanium and Sedna® gold — a gold, copper and palladium alloy guaranteeing exceptional durability. The black dial provides for a striking contrast to the markers and hands that have been enhanced with Super-LumiNova®, while orchestrating this understatedly luxe dive watch, is the highly accurate and reliable in-house Calibre 1315.
Cartier
Since the mid-19th century, Cartier has been at the forefront of creativity and innovation, and in many instances, a trailblazer in the world of jewellery and watchmaking. Besides being retailed at Cortina Watch since the 1970s, Cartier has also been a frequent collaborator of Jewellery Time, Cortina Watch’s flagship high jewellery watchmaking exhibition since 2000. In celebration of this treasured partnership, Cartier created 10 exclusive pieces of the Baignoire Allongée MM Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Edition. Crafted in pink gold, are its case, sword-shaped hands and ardillon buckle. ‘50’ replaces the usual ‘5’ on the Arabic numeral indexes, and on the case back is an engraving that commemorates the 50th anniversary of Cortina Watch.
Chopard
Two special edition Happy Sport timepieces were made by Chopard, to celebrate the golden jubilee of Cortina Watch. The Happy Hearts Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Edition watch, which has five diamonds and a red heart dancing across its dial, was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces. As part of Cortina Watch’s commitment to give back to the community, net proceeds from the sale of this watch will be donated to the Singapore Heart Foundation.
The second – the Happy Moon Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Editions collection, is a series of three limited edition Happy Moon watches in pink gold, yellow gold and white gold, paired with red mother-of-pearl, green aventurine and blue aventurine dials respectively. Only 5 pieces were made for each model, and they all feature the moonphase complication.
Corum
With the Admiral being one of Corum’s most iconic models, it was no surprise that the Swiss watchmaker chose to create a Admiral 45 Tourbillon Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Edition to celebrate Cortina Watch’s golden jubilee. Its case is crafted from a cutting-edge material that combines fluctuating layers of carbon composite and 18K gold inclusions, and because of the random results produced by the fusion process, no two watches out of the 10 pieces created are the same. The watch also features a sunray-finished dial that further accentuates the gold elements and the impressive tourbillon.
Franck Muller
Five unique models of Frank Muller’s Vanguard Revolution 3 Skeleton Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Editions were created to mark this year’s monumental celebrations. They are elevated versions of the watchmaker’s groundbreaking Revolution 3 triple-axis tourbillon. Presented in 2004, the Revolution 3 was the first timepiece to feature a tourbillon that is able to counter the effects of gravity from all directions. The design of these five celebratory models are an ode to Franck Muller’s original triple-axis tourbillon, in addition to melding contemporary and neoclassical influences. Each version is festooned with baguette-cut diamonds, rubies or emeralds, and two models have been infused with Franck Muller’s signature Colour Dreams elements.
H. Moser & Cie.
Known for its rare and minimalist creations, H. Moser & Cie. presented the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Edition to commemorate the watch retailer’s golden jubilee. It features a one-minute flying tourbillon equipped with a cylindrical hairspring, which takes ten times longer to produce than conventional hairsprings. Under its domed sapphire crystal, rests a sub-dial in the brand’s signature Funky Blue colour, and a meticulously skeletonised dial with sleek bridges in full view. It is powered by the calibre HMC 811, a three-dimensional in-house movement that uses a bi-directional pawl winding system. Only 10 pieces were made.
TAG Heuer
For Cortina Watch’s golden jubilee, TAG Heuer broke new grounds with the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Edition, by pairing the iconic Carrera Chronograph with a lush green dial made of maw sit sit, an extremely rare type of jade-albite found only in Myanmar. Together with its yellow gold hardware, this eye-catching timepiece is a handsome nod to the original Carrera Chronograph design by Jack Heuer from 1963, complete with a dome shaped sapphire glass, tri-compax layout and pump-style pushers. It is powered by the Heuer 02 movement, and was made in a limited edition of 10 pieces.
On the 19th and 20th November 2022, Cortina Watch will be bringing its 50th anniversary festivities to a climax, with two gala dinners. Before we bring you further highlights from the momentous celebrations, do head to our golden jubilee microsite to learn more about how Cortina Watch has grown from strength to strength over the past five decades, and how it has established itself as a true curator of time and keeper of treasured memories.
Discover the series of Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary limited edition pieces here.
