Fire and Water…

Below are a pair of exciting new watches from the Armin Strom “One Week” collection.  Dubbed “Fire” and “Water” and featuring Armin Strom’s new in-house movement with 8-day power reserve (the ARM09 — we wrote about it in Feburary), these two watches make up half of the four elements that represent the collection.  “Earth” and “Air” are the other two models that I will show you at a later date.   Each model is limited to 100 pieces per element with a 43mm case (13mm height).  Notice also the asymmetrical case-design.  The partial-dial has a power reserve display and while offering views of the very eye-pleasing ARM09 movement.  The watches are paired with a totally kick-ass “horn-back” alligator strap in the appropriate color.

Armin Strom One Week Water – Stainless Steel (Ref ST10-WW.05)

Price is about $24,000, limited to 100 pieces

dial close-up

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Armin Strom One Week Fire – Rose Gold (Ref RG10-WF.5N)

Price is about $34,000, limited to 100 pieces

dial close-up

So now that I have your full attention, you may be wondering – why I haven’t I seen this brand before?!?  Well, I would say that Armin Strom’s relatively low awareness is a function of its relative youth as a brand (founded in 2006) and its high entry-level price point (about $8,000, moving quickly into the five-figure range).  However, I would argue that — more than any other young/small luxury brand today — Armin Strom SA is in a position to turn itself into a watchmaking powerhouse over the next decade or two.

As a quick refresher, here’s the backdrop on the brand — Armin Strom SA was founded in 2006 and is based in the watch-making center of Biel, Switzerland. The brand takes its name from the man himself – Armin Strom.  I like to think of Armin Strom as the Godfather of the skeleton watch — it is an art he has been honing if not nearly perfecting for decades now.  The startup of the brand is backed by successful Swiss businessman, Willy Michel.  Michel along with Strom recruited a group of young talented and promising watchmakers upon which to build the brand and take it into the future.

At present, the brand is somewhat divided into two product “tiers”.  That is, the somewhat more modern-looking “Elements” watches that I have shown you here today, and the ultra-exclusive “skeleton” series which are enhanced with various levels of hand-engraving or partial skeletons, up to a fully hand-made skeleton watch.  The skeleton watches are quite simply some of the most fantastic watches I have ever set my hands upon — check out my video review of the Armin Strom Blue Chip Skeleton Automatic for an in-depth look.

The investment of time and money into the brand should not go un-noticed — Armin Strom is now more-or-less a fully capable manufacture, as evidenced above by its first manufacture movement, the ARM09 (click through to our earlier post for more looks and info). The ARM09 is quite obviously visually stunning, but I am also told that it has strong technical characteristics as well.

To close the loop on all this, let me just stay that it is my view that with all of its resources, its relative youth, and the wisdom and tutelage of Armin Strom himself, Armin Strom SA has significant potential to make a big name for itself as a leading high-luxury Swiss watch brand in the years ahead.   Stay tuned for future looks at the watches of Armin Strom!

Among the thousands of novelties that will make a debut at the BaselWorld fair this year several manufacturers are also introducing their latest in-house movement creations.  Over the past five years or so many firms in the Swiss watch industry has taken a turn towards creating their own movements from the ground up.  One would think that only large market firms, like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Tag Heuer, Panerai, and Breitling, (among several others) would have the capital available to produce completely in house watches; but we are also seeing smaller, independent brands with high customer loyalty ambitiously invest in the design and construction of some very special engines of their own.

So, come this March 18th in Basel visitors to the fair will be properly introduced to Armin Strom’s ARM09 (ArminReserveMarche09).  After a full 3 years of development, on November 17th, 2009 at the Armin Strom headquarters in Bienne and manufacturing facilities in Biel, a select group of international press agents were introduced to the ARM09 and were able to witness it being produced in its various stages; from milling the base plates to the final assembly and decorating all, of course, performed by hand.

As for the nuts and bolts of the ARM09;  it’s a 34 jewel hand-wound movement pulsing at 18,000 vib/h, comprised of only 146 components.  It features an 8-day power reserve (with a reserve indicator on the dial) and in a nod to fans of the artistry of mechanical movements the crown wheels are visible on the dial side which allows the owner to view them as they turn.  With a lot of manufacturers looking into silicon parts as the future of movement production; Armin Strom stood proudly alongside history and used traditional materials for its first in-house calibre.

The ARM09 will be featured in Armin Strom’s “One Week” collection that is to be unveiled at the upcoming Baselworld fair.  Armin Strom has done a fine job of keeping this new collection under wraps until its official debut, but rest assured Perpetuelle.com will bring you pics of the collection as more information is available.  Armin Strom CEO Serge Michel is very excited about what this potentially means for the future of Armin Strom claiming;  “Of course this step is the fulfilment of a dream for us, but it also ensures our independence in other areas.”

In a time when the world’s economy is slowly working its way out of a near collapse I’m encouraged to see so much industry fanfare, and new development being showcased in Basel this March.  It’s nice to hear that watch firms, big and small, are relying on innovation to keep their customer base loyal during a time when money could easily be spent elsewhere.  I welcome Armin Strom to the exclusive club of  “manufacture” and am excited to see what the future holds for them.

Editor’s Note:  Be sure to check out our hands-on review of the Armin Strom Blue Chip Skeleton here!

The watch you will see here is one of the finest watches one could ever hope to own – or wear, if even for a few minutes.  If I think of what this watch tells me when it is on the wrist or under the loupe, I would say that the Armin Strom Blue Chip Automatic Skeleton exudes strength & power, individuality & intricacy – all at once.  With its massive 46.5mm diameter and 16mm thickness, the case of the Blue Chip Skeleton says unequivocally that it is built for a “power player”, and that it is a watch that will take a back seat to none of its equally sized peers.  But this is just the beginning, as this watch has far, far more to offer than just another hulk-sized case.  You see, it is full of incomparable vibrancy and depth – individuality, one might say.  With a fully skeletonized, engraved and finished movement inside the case, the Blue Chip Skeleton tells you that it was carefully, meticulously, and deliberately brought to life by the steady hands of a master.

With this introduction in mind, I invite you to now enjoy my video and photo review of the Armin Strom Blue Chip Automatic Skeleton (reference no. ST09-SA.75):

Photo Gallery:  Armin Strom Blue Chip Automatic (17 Images)

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List Price: $17,600.

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More about Armin Strom

ARMIN STROM SA – Tradition and Vision

Amongst watch aficionados, Armin Strom’s name is synonymous with the highest level of hand-made skeletons and watch engraving. An exclusive series of skeleton watches based on decades of tradition is now being created in Biel under the watchful eye of the Master. At the same time, a new collection is being launched as “Armin by Armin Strom”, geared towards modern tastes and with a technical orientation.

Armin Strom SA was founded in 2006 and is based in the watch-making center of Biel. The main investor is the well-known Burgdorf industrialist, Willy Michel. At work is a motivated crew whose average age is much lower than the norm for the industry. Targeted investment in state-of-the-art production facilities has allowed the young firm to be increasingly independent from suppliers. The aim is to exist as an actual manufacturer and to make watch movements entirely developed independently. The company’s plans are for the long term with an awareness and strategy to build up in several years a reputable brand, highly regarded for quality production and design.

The firm offers a watch collection under the “Armin Strom” brand whose movements are enhanced with various levels of hand-engraving or partial skeletons, up to a fully hand-made skeleton watch. Understatement is in demand nowadays which is why the skeleton movement is often only visible on the back. The watches are meticulously executed as Armin Strom has always been uncompromising when is comes to quality.

The newly launched label is called “Armin by Armin Strom”, with the emphasis on proprietary manufacture. However, it also represents the modern style of movement embellishment, without neglecting important traditional values. A young, superbly trained and highly motivated team creates new collections emphasizing a modern, technical image. Serge Michel, Managing Director of Armin Strom SA, explains: “We intentionally try to blend tradition with new innovative methods; provisions are being made to transfer the know-how as Armin Strom himself trains the junior watch-makers in-house.”

The first step on this path was taken in 2008, with introduction of the regulator in the Four Elements models, under the new “Armin by Armin Strom” label. Based on a standard movement, the complete construction of a regulator with an off-center arrangement of seconds, minutes and hours, as well as a retrograde date display, was developed and produced “in-house” for the line, all with a modern appearance, including a striking polished or brushed titanium case. The manual winding movements are beautifully engraved and can be admired through the glass back. This engraving is within the DNA standards of Armin Strom.

“We still have a few tricks up our sleeve,” says young watch-maker/constructor Claude Greisler who is responsible for designing new models. “Our own movement has reached a decisive stage, but it will be some time before we can achieve final introduction and subsequent mass production.”

Editors Note

This review and the opinions expressed in it are 100% independent.

(c) 2009 Perpetuelle.com, All rights reserved.

Watch Picks, Pans, and Other Interesting Articles

From around the watch world this week:

• Kronos Blog – A. Lange & Sohne “ZEITWERK” (good opinion piece)
• Omega Consellation Collectors – Omega’s Gerald Genta Connection with further link to Omega’s Genta Connection – The Definitive Story
• Hodinkee – Meet Armin Strom, The Boutique Brand of the Future
• ABlogToRead – ETA Valgranges Movement – Solution for the big watch

And last but not least, probably the most widely covered watch this week was Urwerk’s new CC-1 King Cobra watch (pictured below).  Perpetuelle was one of the first to reveal this watch (see our July 7 post), and there was some nice coverage also provided in the days following its official July 8 launch by Gizmodo, Uncrate, OhGizmo! and Vialuxe, to name a few.  Most of the coverage was favorable, but not everyone is a fan of this unconventional timepiece…

• Tapestry of Time - oh dear…that won’t do…

Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what your favorite watch articles were this week.