Armin Strom is barely a decade old, which is nothing compared to brands who can claim over one or two centuries of watchmaking history. But the small manufacture in Bienne has already crammed a lot into its first ten years of activity. Its young management duo of Serge Michel and Claude Greisler set out with a clear idea for the brand and have stuck steadfastly to it. The result is a small, independent and unique watch brand that can punch well above its weight.
1. Armin Strom only produces skeleton watches
The whole idea behind Serge Michel and Claude Greisler taking over the company from Mr Armin Strom in 2008 was to uphold his legacy as a master of skeletonisation and at the same time establish a vertically-integrated company that would have the flexibility to make its mark on this traditional craft. By 2009 the company had moved into its own premises, installed its own machines and developed its first in-house calibre, the ARM 09. A year later the first complete collection, the One Week Skeleton, followed. It used the new in-house movement, which set the standard for the company’s products, incorporating a hand-wound movement (better for showing off the skeletonisation, since there is no winding rotor to block the view) and a substantial power reserve of eight days, hence the name.
2. Armin Strom revolutionised the world of watchmaking with the Mirrored Force Resonance watch
Every watch uses a resonator, either in the form of an oscillating balance or a high-frequency quartz crystal, both of which resonate at specific frequencies. The phenomenon of resonance, however, involves two such bodies acting upon each other such that they eventually resonate in perfect harmony. Armin Strom succeeded in achieving resonance between two separate going trains, powered by two separate balance wheels, and displaying the phenomenon of resonance by connecting the two mechanisms with its patented resonance clutch spring.
3. There are no dials on Armin Strom watches, only dial rings
Armin Strom does not talk about dials but instead about dial rings. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes and with sapphire discs that give the wearer an unobstructed view through the movement in keeping with the philosophy of showing off the beating heart of the watch. Those with an eye for detail will note that many of these rings are off centre, like the hour and minute hands, which gives every Armin Storm watch a distinctive signature.
4. Armin Strom produces 97% of the components in its movement in-house
It’s a figure that is the envy of many brands. At Armin Strom, nearly all the components iin the movement are manufactured in the company’s own workshops. Only the escapement and balance spring are purchased from external suppliers. Specialist machine operatives at Armin Strom produce the tiniest screws, pinions and gear wheels on profile-turning machines, as well as bridges and the mainplate on CNC machines. An electro-erosion machine is used for cutting particularly small and fiddly components. Once produced, all components are finished and decorated by hand in the workshops by skilled craftsmen and then given a protective and aesthetic coating, also in-house.
5. You can personalise your own Armin Strom watch
This is another area where the brand faithfully follows in the footsteps of its founder. If you look at any watch in the collection, you will notice that each case design has a “lip” at 6 o’clock. This offers a larger space not found on other watches that can be used for personalization, as Armin Strom used to do for his individual customers. Using the brand’s configurator tool, you can even choose the font of your engraving and see how your initials (for example) would look on your ideal Armin Strom watch. The configurator also allows you to choose the materials and colours for the different elements of the watch, from the case to the hands and even the colour coating on certain components in the movement.
