Independents

Armin Strom Watches is presenting the first series of their new ARMIN by ARMIN STROM collection.
These are watches feature a regulator display and a retrograde date.  The cases are all in titanium, some with PVD coating giving the color.  The decoration follows the themes set by the Elements of antiquity; Water, Air, Earth and Fire.  Although the watches are pretty massive, with their light titanium cases you don’t have the impression of being strapped to a fitness machine all day.  These watches are limited to 100 pieces of each model, the serial number is engraved on the dial.

Fire, gold PVD with brown movement decoration.

Note that the element symbol is not only engraved on the balance cock, but also formed on the strap.

Earth, black PVD case with Black movement decoration

Water, gray PVD case with rhodium movement and blued screws.

and Air, brushed titanium case with rhodium movement and polished steel screws.

A wrist shot to put things into perspective

After seeing the watches we head to the workshop.  Interesting and certainly good to reduce confusion, both the engraver and the watchmaker in their shop have the name Juliane.  The balance cock of the watches is hand engraved with the corresponding element symbol as seen here.

Here we see engraver Juliane at work on a balance cock.

Watchmaker Juliane is assembling a Fire model.  Note the warm brown color of the movement’s PVD coating.

Putting the barrel in place...

and the going train.

Here Juliane is mounting the center wheel.

On the Fire model the bridge screws are all red gold plated.  Here gently screwing down the barrel bridge.

Here we see Juliane modeling her Armin Strom Blue Chip Power Reserve.

After checking the shake of the wheels she decides that the center wheel binds.  The bridge jewel needs to be adjusted using a jewelling tool.

After remounting the barrel bridge and confirming that the play of the center wheel is OK the train bridge is installed.

Note the use of fiber tipped tweezers.  This is to prevent damaging the delicate PVD coating.

The same game then continues controlling and adjusting the wheel shakes as the movement is assembled piece by piece.

Armin Strom is progressively increasing their production capabilities.  To that end they have purchased a building in Biel where the machine shop is now installed.  Here we see some trays of parts made on their own CNC machines in that shop.

This summer they expect to move their entire shop to the new premises to have everything under one roof and to have room for future expansion.
I will be sure to make another visit to report from the new shop when the move has been completed.
Don

This message has been edited by DonCorson on 2009-03-18 15:21:24

Great report, Don. You took some very good photos.  Mr. Hutton should like this report for he likes "complicated dials and shapes"!

Is that the Rodico that you taught me about a few posts back that Juliane is using to hold the balance cock in order to engrave it?    I'm on the fence about this line of watches...can't decide whether I'm falling more onto the "I like" side, or the "I don't like" side.  Perhaps, these are watches that shine more in person than in photos.

Thanks for the post and pictures, Don!

Cheers,

Daos

from the skeletonised watches he is known for.

- SJX

Thanks for the report. 
A

From their press release:
Diameter: 43.60mm
Total height: 14.70mm

I, at least, claim that is massive.
I know others may claim it normal.
Don

And interesting to get a look the behind the scenes. Thanks for the report.

Thanks Don for the update and to Armin Strom for the preview but this design is just plain wrong from a PuristS viewpoint.

I am sure the multi-level sub-dials and fenestrations are pretty to some people.

 

As a regulator-style watch, it fails because the all-important minute and seconds markers are obscured.

The minutes sub-dial is a quarter blocked from view.

The seconds seconds sub-dial is nearly a third blocked  from view.

 

That is a fundamental no-no (or oxymoron) for regulator displays.........period.

You could say that it failed Element-ary watch school. 

 

Regards,

MTF

PS.  Armin Strom is not alone in doiing this; even a venerable brand such as Glashuette original did the same mistake for their "Regulator" Tourbillon watch last year sticking a great big tourbillon cage around 8 o'clock and cutting out a chunk of the minutes display. At least there, you could pretend to be looking at a tourbillon.

 

This message has been edited by MTF on 2009-03-20 03:48:11

Melvyns explained it far better than i could. all i could think is 'it doesnt look right'.

the colouring of the movement is a nice feature and the case size is ok, but the dial needs re working

Graham