There’s just no hiding a Corum Bubble watch. Unmistakable in its design, extroverted in its personality and fusing the serious business of watchmaking with an unabashed sense of fun and frivolity, it has been an icon beloved by thousands since it was introduced to herald in the new century, almost twenty years ago.

Discontinued only a few years later, it had already made its mark, and it was only in 2015 that the famous Corum Bubble made its return, and if it was big, bold and beautiful originally, then with sizes up to 52mm it’s already exaggerated dimensions have been supersized in every way.

Shaped like a comic strip spaceship, with a curvy round case, bereft of a single angle and topped off with the most outrageous sapphire crystal ever used on a production wristwatch, so much so that it’s only from directly above that the dial can be seen properly, without being crazed by the distortive effect of the thick domed crystal. The Bubble was never destined to make much sense, nor to appeal to the bashful or fainthearted buyer, and in that respect, not much has changed.

What has changed however is that this time around, the Bubble has become much more of an art piece, with only themed limited edition series being created, and among these the 88-piece Flag 52 edition. Inspired by the Stars and Stripes, it features a dial on which a section of the US flag is frozen mid-flutter, with red, white and blue furls complemented by red hour and blue minute hands.

Measuring 52mm across and some 20mm tall, the Corum Big Bubble Flag 52 is hewn from a block of Grade 5 titanium, so despite its ginormous proportions, it is still remarkably light. Short stubby lugs, with a blue rubber strap which fits snugly up to the case, means that as well as being light, it will fit most wrists comfortably too. The case is rated to 100m of water resistance.

Through the sapphire exhibition case back the rotor, whose constant spinning energises the self-winding CO 403 movement, is decorated with a repeating Corum motif. Beating at 28,800 vph, it is good for sixty-five hours of power reserve.

The Corum Big Bubble Flag 52 is presented on a dark blue rubber strap and secured with a robust pin buckle.