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Armin Strom—The Pioneers of Hand-Skeletonisation
Back in 1967, Armin Strom started a workshop and a watch shop in his hometown Burgdorf, Switzerland, with a unique amalgamation of Swiss-German horological traditions. Specialising in both watch restoration and manufacturing, Armin Strom became a well-known figure in the watchmaking industry. Armin Strom, as a brand, is also known for creating hand-skeletonised dials and series-produced resonance watches. Resonance watches—a rare commodity inside the watchmaking world—reflect upon the chronometric precision offered by the brand.
Known for creating unique and rare in-house movements, Armin Strom churned out timepieces such as the Dual-Time Resonance GMT. The Dual-Time, with its unique oval case, is a fitting example of a resonance watch. With two independent movements complementing each other’s anomalies, initiated by natural forces, the Dual-Time finds the perfect balance, whilst creating a resonance from two balance wheels sitting on top of the two dials inside the case.
Borrowing from the legacy of Mr Armin Strom’s hand-skeletonised dials, the brand encompasses the horological tradition of “transparent mechanics”. With proficiency in intricate techniques such as hand engraving, polishing, and traditional grinding, Armin Strom offers superior quality and finish.
In 1990, at the zenith of the art of hand-skeletonising, Armin Strom watches earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by producing the world’s smallest hand-skeletonised watch.
The legacy, the skill, and the name decided to change its course in 2006. When Mr Armin Strom decided to retire, two of his protégés took over the brand and immortalised the founder’s name and legacy.
The two protégés—Serge Michel and Claude Greisler—frequently visited Strom’s workshop in Burgdorf. The visits led to an in-depth passion for the world of watchmaking and admiration for Mr Strom and his band of skill sets.
With extensive research and development, Armin Strom watches finally acquired its own fully-integrated manufacture in Biel, Switzerland. Since 2009, the brand has had the ability to design, develop, mill, emboss, galvanise, hand-finish, and assemble all their timepieces in their own workshop. The independent nature of the brand ensures quality and assurance, coupled with the innovative ideology the founder has endowed upon its employees.
In 2010, Armin Strom released the first set of watches after extensive R&D. Named the ‘One Week’ collection, the timepieces were equipped with the ARM09 hand-wound movement. Since then, Armin Strom has created timepieces that have won accolades such as the 2015 Red Dot Design Award for the Pure Skeleton watch. Apart from the Pure Skeleton, timepieces such as the Masterpiece 1, Masterpiece 2, and the System 78 depict the brand’s zest for innovation.
Today, the brand is known for crafting unique timepieces under one single roof. From ideation to manufacturing, the brand adopts an avant-garde approach with sophisticated mechanical acumen. Moreover, the in-house movements are produced with intricate detailing, seen across their hand-crafted skeleton dials.
One of the bestsellers, the Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance was a predecessor of the Pure Resonance from the Resonance collection. Whereas the Minute Repeater Resonance can be classified as the brand’s philosophy, mechanical proficiency, and manufacturing capabilities all clubbed into one.
System 78
The ”System 78” collection was born out of the Armin Strom manufacturer's desire to offer Haute Horlogerie in its purest form, by revisiting some of watchmaking’s core functionalities in innovative and novel ways.
Conceived with a contemporary and unparalleled design language while offering immeasurable value to those who seek fine watchmaking with a twist, the collection embodies the horological sensibilities of Claude Greisler and Serge Michel, co-founders of the revitalised Manufacture Armin Strom, who were both born in 1978.
Resonance
The Resonance collection by Armin Strom builds upon the legacy left behind by Mr Strom. To achieve greater accuracy, the watches inside the Resonance collection are equipped with two balance wheels. These wheels offer superior chronometric precision whilst being aesthetically pleasing as the wheels are displayed over a skeleton dial.
The wheels or oscillators regulate frequencies produced by them, discard the uneven motion created by a human wrist and thus create a resonant state inside the movement. The maximised precision is coupled with a complicated dial, resulting in a well-crafted timepiece.
Masterpiece
The epitome of watchmaking skills offered by Armin Strom, the Masterpiece collection is the personal handiwork of Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler. Claude, a protégé of Mr Armin Strom, dedicated his life to building exceptionally crafted timepieces.