Actor Robin Williams spotted wearing a Corum

When Robin Williams' personal watch collection came under the hammer at auction on October 4th, 2018, it offered a rare and intimate window into the late actor's aesthetic sensibilities. Among the lots was this striking Corum Bubble Night Flyer in black PVD-coated steel — a timepiece that speaks loudly to a collector who valued artistic expression over conservative horological tradition. Williams, known for his mercurial creativity, found an apt mechanical companion in one of Swiss watchmaking's most theatrically designed pieces.

The Corum Bubble collection launched in 2000 under then-CEO Severin Wunderman, and the Night Flyer sits among its most collectible limited editions. The defining feature is an extraordinarily domed, double-curved sapphire crystal — roughly 7mm at its apex — that functions as a magnifying lens over the dial artwork. In this reference, a sculpted skull-with-wings motif dominates the dial in silver and white, set against a deep blue-to-black gradient background that evokes nocturnal flight. Red sword-shaped hands provide sharp legibility and tie visually to the red contrast stitching on the black leather strap. The date aperture sits at 6 o'clock, with hour markers rendered in white and numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9.

Powered by a ETA 2892-A2 automatic movement — a robust, proven workhorse caliber — the Bubble Night Flyer measures approximately 44mm in diameter. The black PVD treatment on the steel case gives it an aggressive, tool-watch edge that contrasts deliberately with the almost fantastical dial art beneath that dome. It is Swiss Made, as confirmed by the text visible on the lower dial.

From a collector standpoint, Corum Bubble limited editions with artistic dials consistently outperform their standard counterparts on the secondary market. The Night Flyer theme — with its memento mori skull imagery — resonates strongly in the crossover space between watch collectors and pop culture enthusiasts, a dynamic amplified significantly by the Williams estate provenance.

The auction of Williams' collection underscored what many close to him knew: he was a genuinely engaged watch collector, not a passive celebrity endorser. The Corum Bubble Night Flyer, with its combination of fine Swiss mechanics, audacious design, and dark whimsy, was precisely the kind of piece that would appeal to a man who never shied from the unconventional.