November 19, 2009
Elizabeth Doerr
Last month, CEO Serge Michel, movement designer Claude Greisler, and grand master of skeletonization Armin Strom inaugurated a new factory in Biel, outfitted with all the trappings necessary to make the young company a true manufacture. The lower floors contain enough state-of-the-art machinery to make every component of a watch movement except jewels and springs. This is no accident: Michel and Greisler had planned right from the start to move the company into the range of true manufactures with an in-house movement.
Greisler, a movement designer who came to Armin Strom from Christophe Claret, has put his full energy into not only designing an aesthetic, traditional, and reliable movement, but has very passionately taken over the role of production manager, visibly enjoying the work with the new machinery and new technicians needed to run it. The crowning glory of this computer-controlled machinery is its ability to simulate component production, thus avoiding costly mistakes.
Skeletonizing
Armin Strom, now 71 years old, drives to the new factory four days a week from his home in Burgdorf to hand-skeletonize movements for the brand's other models and train two young watchmakers now at work in the office next to his, who represent guaranteed continued existence of this company's most special element. They also complete other decoration and finishing such as engraving, perlage, and côtes de Genève. A brand-new state-of-the-art galvanic center is in the room next to them, purchased to further release Armin Strom from the grasp of suppliers and embellish the lovingly decorated movements with gold and rhodium plating. The final stop in the chain is found in the last room on the ground floor: complete assembly from A to Z by two young watchmakers, one from Glashütte, the other from Finland. This workshop has plenty of extra room for watchmakers who are certain to join the team once the manufacture movement is in full production mode.
New movement
The new in-house Caliber ARM09, boasting 146 components including 34 jewels, relies on no parts whatsoever from another base movement. The design and all components are original and manufactured in Armin Strom's Biel factory, with only the springs, jewels, and escapement being sourced—the latter coming from Precision Engineering in Schaffhausen and crafted in solid gold.
Alongside an eight-day power reserve, the goal of this stunningly aesthetic movement was a link to tradition: 36.6 mm in diameter, the caliber's visuals therefore boast a similarity to marine chronometers of days of yore. Two serially operating spring barrels with a differential gear for the power reserve display heighten the effect, as does the screw balance beating at an almost vintage 18,000 vph with four regulating screws and a Breguet balance spring. It was also designed with space and architecture to add modules at a later point in time for more complicated watches.
The movement, currently a prototype, is slated long-term for production of about 1,000 pieces per year. It is scheduled for official release at Baselworld 2010 in the second incarnation of the Armin by Armin Strom Elements line.
