Lady Beat features an off-center dial and slimmer new case with a much smaller diameter. The 38 mm case diameter of Lady Beat is a first at Armin Strom, hitting the sizing sweet spot of many women.
The highlight of the front of this watch is the visible triplet of bridges echoing the pocket watch inspiration behind Caliber ALA20, just one of many mechanical elements visible on the dial.
The Armin Strom Lady Beat is the very first model created specifically for women by this Swiss manufacture. It features a stainless-steel case and is priced at CHF 16,900.
Lady Beat inspiration
While the inspiration for this watch originated with Greisler and Michel (technical head and owner), they wisely collaborated with two women very well acquainted with designing watches for other women. It was important to the two male company founders that they collaborate with female professionals, one of which had previously been a product manager for a well-positioned company famous for feminine watches and jewelry, as they judiciously recognized they were not qualified by themselves to create such a sophisticated, ambitious, and challenging product for the opposite sex on their own. This watch is by women for women without men in the middle interpreting. And these women understand the fascination of Armin Strom.
But there is an Armin Strom-typical element that increases its attractivity: Lady Beat can be customized in color and other elements in the Armin Strom online Configurator.
Lady Beat’s particular challenge
Lady Beat was conceived from the get-go to be a technical ladies’ watch, which meant that the concept had to be holistic and not just a shrunk-down men’s watch, which is the most commonly traveled route for creating timepieces for women in the watch industry.
The watch’s winding is automatic for maximum comfort. The visible micro rotor from Gravity Equal Force was redeveloped into a full-sized central rotor on the back to ensure more winding power and a long power reserve.
Finally, though technical, the entire watch should still exude a feminine feel – and that without resorting to diamonds and mother-of-pearl to “prettify” it. This watch should not be a compromise of any sort: it is unapologetically for women, but in the minimalist Armin Strom style.
Lady Beat development
Working with the female design consultants, the Armin Strom team decided to orient Lady Beat’s look on Gravity Equal Force to both build on and highlight the freshly launched System 78 collection. “What does a woman desire on her wrist?” This all-important question was answered in typical Armin Strom method: by examining the brand’s own values and combining them with new thoughts and practices.
Greisler and the two female designers very quickly settled on a watch filled with soft shapes: the normally very classic lugs of an Armin Strom watch were cast aside in favor of an integrated strap, and the overall look is filled with circles and semi-circles rather than the angular shapes generally associated with this classically male brand. Look closely and you will see a half-moon-shaped plate sharing the watch’s lower level with the mechanical elements, while a full moon-shaped subdial sits atop it.
Another example is that the dial no longer has numerals, but rather more softness thanks to a reduced logo that simultaneously functions as the 12 o’clock marker. Visible screws holding the undulating, patterned dial to the plate below remain visible, though, reminding us unmistakably that this is a technical oeuvre by Armin Strom.
The second hand, which can quickly turn a watch into more of an instrument, has also been foregone here in favor of a clean look. There is no shortage of technical elements on the dial: first and foremost, the visible balance with its mesmerizing rotations practically occupy the position of honor on the dial. The indications, on the other hand, are off-center, as is often the case at Armin Strom, and given less focus than the watch’s beating heart.
Conceived from the get-go to be a technical ladies’ watch, the movement was redeveloped to bring the balance, the beating heart of any watch, to the front of the watch where it is visible at any time. Its hypnotizing movement also allows the wearer to see at a glance whether the watch is running.
Additionally, the team removed the ingenious stop-works declutch system and motor barrel design crafted to transmit equal force to the balance from Gravity Equal Force’s movement to minimize Lady Beat’s movement height and keep its dimensions svelte. And, finally, the team decided to remove the running seconds, deciding that they distracted from the beauty of and focus on the balance in motion, the watch’s pulse.
System 78 – a new entry to Armin Strom’s collections
Gravity Equal Force, launched during Dubai Watch Week in November 2019, signaled a new direction for the brand: the System 78 collection replaced the Single Barrel collection. This philosophical line is now the entry point for Armin Strom, an haute horlogerie collection at a reasonable price point. The name displays what the brand hopes to create: a system of fine watchmaking available to all who desire it. Every new watch will feature an innovation and showcase the watchmaking philosophy of Serge Michel and Claude Greisler, co-founders of the modern Armin Strom, both born in the same year (1978).
