Luxury watch manufacture Armin Strom announced the launch of two new models of its ground-breaking Tribute 1. The brand’s post-modern interpretation of the classic dress watch was introduced in June of this year in an edition limited to only 25 pieces, which sold out quickly. Watch aficionados who missed the opportunity to acquire the Tribute 1 First Edition in grey with an 18k white gold barrel bridge now have the chance to add one of the new models to their collections. The two references – one with a black dial and one with a blue dial – are available in limited editions of 100 each.
Armin Strom’s unique twist on time
From a distance, the Armin Strom Tribute 1 watch may appear to be a classic manually-wound dress watch. It has an exquisitely proportioned 38 mm stainless steel case with an enticingly slender profile. It is presented on an elegant alligator strap. So far, it’s everything you would expect in an haute horlogerie dress watch. But a closer inspection immediately reveals that while Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler has embraced time-honoured watchmaking traditions, he has, in fact, again redefined the genre with a watch that will appeal to men and women who treasure the brand’s unique twist on time.
A study in three dimensions
Like every Armin Strom watch, the Tribute 1 is a study in three dimensions. It starts with an understated off-centre dial displaying hours, minutes and seconds. In attractively stark contrast to the dial is an adjacent plate whose grenage finish subtly transitions the hue of the dial from one shade to another as the light changes. The already distinctive face is rounded out with a barrel bridge, a feature that has become a hallmark in Armin Strom’s exclusive timepieces. The Tribute 1’s crown is located at 2 o’clock, a detail that enhances wearer comfort.
With a highly efficient motor barrel, whose arbour turns around the mainspring, the in-house Calibre AMW21 delivers a jaw-dropping 100-hour power reserve.
Exceptional hand finishing
The Tribute 1 watches are also characterized by Armin Strom’s commitment to exceptional hand-finishing of its movements. Claude Geisler says, “I’m obsessed with every detail of this watch, particularly when it comes to finishing. For example, the barrel, visible on the dial side of the timepiece, is meticulously hand-decorated, which is extremely time-consuming. We also manufacture, polish and decorate the hands in-house, which is painstaking but ensures the quality while keeping the price reasonable.”
“There has to be a reason”
Armin Strom’s co-founders Claude Geisler and Serge Michel and their team operate on a principle summarized by Geisler: “There has to be a reason for a new watch to be there.” On the surface, the statement is simple but behind it, there is a philosophy: the brand consistently fuses the values of classic watchmaking – often taking inspiration from vintage pocket watches – with modern movement innovation. Each of its watches earns its “reason to be there” by contributing something new and meaningful to the watchmaking canon.
The Tribute 1 – Hand-wound, hand-finished, hand-crafted and hand-decorated
With the new Tribute 1 watch models, Armin Strom delivers two new references – one with a black dial and one with a blue dial – of a watch that has already made aficionados giddy with excitement. The operational word here is “hand”. These hand-wound watches feature extensive hand finishing, hand craftsmanship and hand decoration at an impressive price point of CHF 13,900. The legend “1 of 100” engraved on the caseback is a confirmation of the edition size.
About The System 78 Collection
The Armin Strom Tribute 1 watches are part of the “System 78” collection, which offers fine watchmaking, impeccable hand-finishing and a number of innovative horological ‘firsts’ while maintaining an accessible price point. The collection embodies the watchmaking sensibilities of Claude Greisler and Serge Michel, co-founders of the revitalized Manufacture Armin Strom, who were both born in 1978.
Armin Strom Tribute 1 black and blue editions Technical Specification
Reference no. black dial: ST21-TRI.35.S21-AR.18.AL.M.32.cl
Reference no. blue dial: ST21-TRI.05.S21-AR.18.AL.M.32.cl
Indications
- Hours, minutes, seconds
Movement
- Armin Strom manufacture Caliber AMW21
- Hand-wound movement
- Regulating system: Flat hairspring with a variable inertia balance wheel
- Barrel bridge in brass
- Power reserve: 100 hours
- Dimensions: 33.5 mm x 4.2mm
- Frequency: 3.5 Hz (25,200 vph)
- Finishing: Hand-finishing to the highest quality level
- Jewels: 21
- Number of components: 135
Case
- Stainless steel
- Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment
- Diameter: 38 mm
- Height: 9 mm
- Between lugs (lug to lug): 18mm
- Water resistance: 5 ATM
Dial
- Offset blue or black
Hands
- Manufactured by Armin Strom – stainless steel with hand finishing
Strap
- Black alligator leather strap and double folding clasp in stainless steel
Price: CHF 13,900 / EUR 11,900 / USD 13,900
Limited Edition: 100 pieces each
About Armin Strom
Armin Strom is an independent watch company based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Armin Strom timepieces offers a unique fusion of the Swiss-German horological tradition, avant-garde “transparent mechanics” and an unwavering commitment to horological innovation. The hallmark of the brand’s low-volume, artisanal approach to watchmaking is its commitment to exposed dial-side movement mechanics, with every part hand-finished to the highest haute-horology standards.
Armin Strom AG was established in 1967 by Mr. Armin Strom, a legend in the art of hand-skeletonization. In 2006, the stewardship of Mr. Strom’s legacy became the responsibility of Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler and Businessman Serge Michel; who together revitalized the brand with the opening of Armin’s Strom AG’s first fully-integrated Manufacture in 2009. Today the brand designs, develops, mills, embosses, galvanizes, hand-finishes and assembles all of its own watches in-house; enabling Armin Strom AG to bring even the most complicated ideas to life without any of the compromises that typically stem from reliance on a supply chain.