What’s not to love about the fabulous Corum Bubble? Once strapped on to the wrist, there’s just nowhere to hide it. Unmistakable in its design, extroverted in its personality and fusing the serious business of watchmaking with an unabashed sense of fun and frivolity, the Bubble has been an icon beloved by thousands since it was introduced to herald in the new millennium, almost twenty years ago.

Discontinued only a few years later, it had already made its mark, and it was to a hero’s welcome in 2015 that the famous Corum Bubble made its return, and if it was big, bold and beautiful originally, then if anything it’s already exaggerated dimensions and lovable but dominating personality have been supersized even further in almost every way.

Shaped like a comic strip space ship, bereft of a single angle in its curvy round case, and topped off with the most outrageous sapphire crystal ever used on a production wristwatch, the Corum Bubble is funky and effortlessly cool. It was never destined to make much sense, nor to appeal to the bashful or fainthearted buyer, with its over the top styling, and in those respects, thankfully, not much has changed now that it’s back.

What has changed however is that this time around, it has become much more of an art piece, with only themed limited edition series featuring flamboyant psychedelic dials being created, and among these is the 88-piece Bubble Flag 47 limited edition. Inspired by the Union flag of Great Britain, it’s a watch for the patriotic Brit, featuring a dial on which a section of the flag is frozen mid-flutter, with its furls of red, white and blue complemented by red hour and blue minute hands.

It’s encased in a 47mm case of brushed and polished stainless steel, and its contours are smooth and continuous; in fact almost irresistible to the occasional subconscious fingertip caress. The big round crown needs a tactile O-ring of white rubber for grip. Meanwhile downward curving lugs and a case-hugging rubber strap contribute to making the watch sit comfortably on the wrist, despite its exuberant proportions. And being rated to 100m water resistance, it’s always ready to get wet too.

Through the sapphire exhibition caseback the rotor, whose constant spinning energises the self winding CO 082 movement, is decorated with the Corum motif. Beating at 28,800 vph, it is good for forty-two hours of power reserve.

The Corum Bubble Flag 47 is presented on a red rubber strap and it is secured to the wrist with a robust pin buckle.