Djibril Cissé, who played for France in the 2002 and 2010 FIFA World Cup, has been a fan of the Corum Bubble for more than 15 years
It was in 2002 that Cissé first laid eyes on a Corum Bubble watch with its distinctive domed sapphire crystal. It had an image of the playing card’s Joker on the dial.
“I saw it in a dealership in France. I loved the design right away; it was very unusual and cool,” he shares.
In a way, Instagram brought Cissé and Corum together
With close to one million followers on Instagram, Cisse’s occasional posts on his favourite Bubble eventually caught the eyes of Jérôme Biard, CEO of Corum.
“I knew that he was a collector with a very sophisticated taste. He wanted to get in touch with us and so did we. So we met in Lausanne with the shared desire to create something together,” Biard reveals.
Also see: Farah Ann is the new Friend of Corum SEA
The new Bubble truly reflects Cissé's personality
This isn’t the first time Cissé, 36, has worked with a Swiss watch brand but it’s his first collaboration with one that is world-renowned. “It’s such an honour to be working with a prestigious brand like Corum,” he enthuses.
Using the Bubble 52 model, Cissé incorporated a stylised skull with the number ‘9’, his jersey’s number, inside its mouth. “I wanted the ‘9’ and I wanted the skull because I think the skull motif is very attractive. It represents freedom and a way of life that resonates with me.”
Powered by the automatic CO 390 movement with 65 hours of power reserve, the watch has no hands. Instead, an hour display around the flange has two red circles, with the bigger circle indicating the hour.
Cissé gets his own unique piece
The watch comes with a titanium case with black PVD treatment. Out of the 88 pieces produced, only one has a bezel and crown in 18k rose gold.
This watch is given to Cissé as his personal piece, and he wears it wherever he goes. “It’s a great piece that can be worn for any occasions, whether it’s for a casual gathering or when I’m on air (at Astro) wearing a suit,” he says.
ICMY: The different types of gold in watchmaking
Cissé thinks the football game and watchmaking share common traits
“They both need precision and attention to detail. In football, missing a small detail can mean losing a game. Similarly, a watch is so small that you need to be very precise or else it won’t work,” observes the retired footballer who now spends much of his time building his DJ-ing portfolio and fashion business.