Magazine - The love for the detail, passion and precision - Armin Strom
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magazine
The love for the detail, passion and precision
10 Years Manufacture
Minute Repeater Resonance
How we decorate
1
2
« The Armin Strom
Mirrored Force Resonance
is one of the most
ingenious and interesting
watches we've had in the
office in quite a while. »
Jack Forster / Editor in Chief
HODINKEE Inc.
www.hodinkee.com
5
1 0 Y E A R S M A N U FAC T U R E
Join us in our
M I R FYRE*
celebration
*Swissgerman (Bernese dialect) for "We are celebrating"
Serge Michel, Founder and Claude Greisler, Co-Founder
6
Dear reader, in 2009 when we foun-
ded the Manufacture it was important
for us to continue what Mr. Armin
Strom has created, as we share the
same passion for watches as he does.
We are driven by the fascination for
transparent mechanics and we belie-
ve that horological craftmanship
should never be hidden behind a dial.
And so, we started to create our own
exclusive watch movements with a lot
of passion and diligence.
We do not compromise when it co-
mes to the development, production
and decoration of our watches. We
strive for technical and esthetical per-
fection, and are proud of the produc-
tion depth in our manufactory as well
as of the sensibility and craftsmanship
of our collaborators. 2019 marks a spe-
cial year for us as we can celebrate our
10th anniversary of being a manufac-
ture. A manufacture which is passiona-
te about improvement, development
and ingenious watchmaking. We are
driven by rethinking existing ideas be-
cause we believe that new technolo-
gies opens also new ways of how a ti-
mepiece can be produced.
Today we can present you a long-lived
dream from both of us. Since we have
started the manufacture it was a wish
to create our own Minute Repeater. It
is a fantastic milestone that we achie-
ved to create the world first Minute
Repeater based on a Resonance mo-
vement. The Minute Repeater Reso-
nance tells stories about the evolution
of the art of watchmaking. And we will
never stop providing such stories.
Yours truly,
Serge and Claude
8 9
M I N U T E R E P E AT E R
Find out more RESONANCE
about the
world first
two-in-one
10 11
M I N U T E R E P E AT E R R E S O N A N C E
I N S P I R E D BY T H E Z Y TG LO G G E*
For the 10th anniversary of our fully integra- have one landmark clock that everyone in
ted manufacture we wanted to develop a the region knows: the thirteenth-century
world-first masterpiece fully highlighting Zytglogge.
the brand’s savoir-faire. As the industry lea-
ders in resonance, including the manufac- The clock in this tower has not only served
ture’s laboratory-certified resonance tech- as the city’s main clock for more than 500
nology was an easy choice. But our two years, the tower also served as the referen-
founders Serge Michel and Claude Greisler ce point for travel times indicated on stone
wanted something more: a grand complica- markers along the main cantonal roads. This
tion and the first chiming wristwatch produ- clock tower supposedly helped Albert Ein-
ced in the canton of Bern. stein hone his special theory of relativity
while working as a patent clerk in Bern. The
Inspiration for a minute repeater came from impressive tower clock is animated with au-
an unusual source: a sixteenth-century tow- tomatons: four minutes before the change
er clock. We are based in Bienne in Switzer- of the hour, a cock crows, a bear (the sym-
land’s canton of Bern, and they wanted to bol of Bern) makes his rounds, and a jester
pay homage to the region. While the takes the liberty of announcing the hour in
French-speaking region of Switzerland is advance. And at the top of the hour (and on
known for a multitude of famous historical the quarters), the clock chimes the time for
timepieces, Bern has far fewer. But it does all to hear.
Development
As masters of resonance movements we
wanted to work in partnership with masters
of chiming watches, and our co-Founder
Claude Greisler knew the perfect person
and team: his old friend Alain Schiesser,
founder of Cercle des Horlogers, with
whom he had worked with in the past at
Christophe Claret. Working behind the sce-
nes, Le Cercle des Horlogers has develo-
ped around half of the minute repeaters
launched by prestigious Swiss brands over
the last few years. Originally the minute re-
peater mechanism had been envisaged to
be in the traditional position at the back of
watch, but the team decided that it deser-
ved equal billing with the resonant regula-
tors dial side where it could be appreciated
by all. This brought many technical challen-
ges of its own. We did not only wanted the
resonant regulators and minute repeater
hammers and gongs to be fully visible on
top of the movement dial side; Greisler and
*Don't bother to pronounce it the right way
12 13
M I N U T E R E P E AT E R R E S O N A N C E M I N U T E R E P E AT E R R E S O N A N C E
his team did not want appreciation of the ding multiple thermic treatments. While the distance between them. Until Armin Strom,
animated mechanisms to be potentially di- exact process is a closely guarded secret, it precise adjustment of the distance bet-
luted by the associated gearing necessary is said to be very similar to Patek Philippe’s ween the two regulators has been necessa-
to drive the repeater and going train for the process for making gongs. ry to incite resonance. However, the Armin
time display. So the movements are inver- All components are finished to the very hig- Strom Resonance Clutch Spring eliminates
ted with the pinions driving the repeater hest level, but of special note is the trembla- the necessity for fine tuning the distance,
hammers and hour and minutes transver- ge hand-engraving on the large golden ba- ensuring a much more reliable and efficient
sing the two vertically stacked calibers. lance cocks supporting the two oscillating resonant system only taking up to 10 minu-
They say necessity is the mother of inventi- balances. While titanium is the perfect me- tes to synchronize. The idea of resonance
on and that’s certainly the case here. Space tal for both transmitting the resonating has endured for three centuries for a rea-
constraints meant that there was insuffi- sound from the gongs to the ear and ensu- son, but that doesn’t mean you can’t impro-
cient room for separate large mainspring ring that the watch is relatively light and ve upon it.
barrels for each of the two movements, so comfortable to wear, it is a ‘cold’ metal; this
our R&D team developed an innovative sin- coolness is balanced by the warm gold. Armin Strom’s patented Resonance Clutch
gle barrel with two independent main- Spring is an innovative way of upgrading an
springs inside, each driving its own move- old concept, one that is horology’s very rea-
ment.
Resonance son for being: precision and accuracy.
In the pursuit of horological accuracy, preci-
The high visibility of the complications dial sion, and rate stability, resonance has usual-
side also dictates that the watchmakers ly involved using two independent move-
have to pay very special attention when as- ments connected to allow fine tuning of the
sembling and regulating the watch as the
slightest scratch or mark on the beautifully
hand-finished surfaces would be visible to
all. Skeletonized bridges and plates allow vi-
sual access through the sapphire crystal
dial deep into the movement.
While the vast majority of the components
were produced in-house at our manufactu-
re in Switzerland, the gongs were made by
Le Cercle des Horlogers in a process invol-
ving more than 30 different stages inclu-
«Invention is not the
product of logical
thought, even though
the final product
is tied to a
logical structure.»
— Albert Einstein
14 15
M I N U T E R E P E AT E R
RESONANCE
Hear it ring:
16 17
D UA L T I M E R E S O N A N C E
SAPPH I REDiscover
the art of
decoration
This is where all the magic happens – from the initial idea to prototyping,
production and final assembly of the watch.
20 21D E C O R AT I O N
M E E T PAU L I N E* S H E W I L L
S H OW YO U H OW W E D E CO R AT E
Creating a watch movement from scratch is possible decoration on each part of the
a watchmaker’s dream! In the watchmaker’s watch movement. On the next pages I will
hands, the workpiece becomes a unique explain you a few steps and techniques we
work of art. At Armin Strom we cherish the use in our manufacture to make each watch
love for the detail and therefore we are only unique and to bring them alive by adding a
satisfied when we have achieved the best human touch.
*French pronaunced: POH-leen
22 23D E C O R AT I O N
Hand engravings
Beveling and polishing calls for a trained
Steel burins in differing sizes and wax-coa- eye and fingertip sensitivity together with
ted holders are the tools of the engraver. plenty of patience and perseverance. In a
In the engraver’s hands, the workpiece be- comparatively small part like a pallets
comes a unique work of art. Our engraver bridge, a watchmaker can easily spend half
draws her own motif design on the work- an hour or more on the detailed work. We
piece with a needle according to her origi- do not compromise when it comes to the
nal drawing. But her hand, working under decoration of our watches.
the microscope, cannot guide the burin to a
tenth of a millimeter every time; only a ma-
chine could copy the engraving exactly.
Finishing with the grinding wheel
The special decoration called “Tremblage” Armin Strom uses traditional machines for
for example is visible on the two bridges of grinding patterns onto the movement.
our Minute Repeater Resonance and is The classic finish used in fine watchmaking
completely made by hand using a traditio- known as Geneva Stripes (Côtes de Ge-
nal engraving tool. Making the essential ex- nève), is created thanks to an abrasive disc
ceptional this is our motivation. that is guided over the workpiece in per-
fectly straight lines.
Polishing: Filing to perfection Circular graining (Perlage) is a decorative
Embellishing every part of a movement ma- motif reminiscent of clouds, typically used
kes each Armin Strom watch akin to a hand- on main plates. To achieve this pattern, the
crafted piece of jewelry. Working bare brass watchmaker uses a rotating abrasive pencil
or steel by hand is time consuming work: and gently makes contact with the workpie-
edges of plates, bridges and levers are per- ce, gradually working across the whole sur-
fectly chamfered or, as the watchmakers face. This creates the characteristic overlap-
call it, beveled. Every part is then polished, ping circular grained motif. All rotating parts
even when the embellishing would not visi- of the movement are embellished with a
ble in the finished watch. circular grinding. We are passionate about
improvement, development and innovati-
on.
We are driven by rethinking watchmaking
ideas in order to create new ways of how
you can decorate a timepiece. Nowhere is
the delicacy and complexity of this finishing
and embellishment more in evidence than
in a "Skeleton" watch whose transparency
reveals the beauty and intricate structure of
its movement. The watchmaker's decorati-
ve art finds its fullest expression.
#ASwatchmaking
«We cultivate the care
for the details and we
believe in the evolution
of watchmaking.»
— Claude Greisler
24 25C O N F I G U R ATO R C O N F I G U R ATO R
PAU LI N E ’S CHOICE:
Mirrored Force Resonance, configured
C R E AT E YO U R OW N WATC H
arminstrom.com
26 2728 29
COLLECTION
Our watches
T H E A R M I N S T RO M
CO LLE C T I O N
show more
than just the
time
30 31COLLECTION COLLECTION
MASTERPIECE RESONANCE
M I N U T E R E P E AT E R R E S O N A N C E D UA L T I M E R E S O N A N C E PURE RESONANCE M I RRO RE D FO RCE RESO NAN CE
T I TA N I U M SAPPHIRE 1 8 CT R O S E G O L D S TA I N L E S S S T E E L
32 33COLLECTION COLLECTION
S K E LE TO N SYS T E M 78
S KE LETO N PU RE TOU RB I LLO N S KE LETO N G R AV I T Y E Q UA L F O R C E M O RE TO CO M E
S TA I N L E S S S T E E L 1 8 CT R O S E G O L D S TA I N L E S S S T E E L
34 35COLLECTION COLLECTION
OV E RV I E W
MINUTE REPEATER RESONANCE DUAL TIME RESONANCE SKELETON PURE TOURBILLON SKELETON
C a l i b re A R R 1 8 C a l i b re A R F1 7 C a l i b re A R M 0 9 - S C a l i b re ATC M - S
Manual Winding Mechanism Manual Winding Mechanism Manual Winding Mechanism Manual Winding Mechanism
Re s o n a n c e Sy s te m Re s o n a n c e Sy s te m Two B a r re l s To u r b i l l o n m ove m e nt
Two B a r re l s Fo u r B a r re l s 8 - d ay s p owe r re s e r ve Two B a r re l s
4 - d ay s p owe r re s e r ve 1 1 0 h p owe r re s e r ve 4 3 . 4 0 m m d i a m e te r 1 0 - d ay s p owe r re s e r ve
47. 7m m d i a m e te r 59 m m x 4 3 . 4 m m d i a m e te r 1 3 . 0 0 m m h e i g ht 4 3 . 4 0 m m d i a m e te r
1 6 .1 0 m m h e i g ht 1 5 .9 0 m m h e i g ht 1 8 ' 0 0 0 A / h Fre q u e n c y 1 3 . 0 0 m m h e i g ht
2 5' 2 0 0 A / h Fre q u e n c y 2 5' 2 0 0 A / h Fre q u e n c y 3 4 J ewe l s 1 8 ' 0 0 0 A / h Fre q u e n c y
51 J ewe l s 70 J ewe l s 1 4 6 c o m p o n e nt s 24 J ewe l s
4 0 8 c o m p o n e nt s 41 9 c o m p o n e nt s Wa te r p ro of u p to 5 0 m 1 8 4 c o m p o n e nt s
Wa te r p ro of u p to 3 0 m O pt i o n a l g u i l l o c h é d i a l P r i c e s t a r t i n g f ro m 3 2 '4 0 0 C H F Wa te r p ro of u p to 5 0 m
Price 380'000 CHF Wa te r p ro of u p to 5 0 m P r i c e s t a r t i n g f ro m 8 8 ' 0 0 0 C H F
L i m i te d to 1 0 p i e c e s P r i c e s t a r t i n g f ro m 1 8 0 ' 0 0 0 C H F
L i m i te d to 8 p i e c e s
MIRRORED FORCE RESONANCE PURE RESONANCE GRAVITY EQUAL FORCE
C a l i b re A R F1 5 C a l i b re A R F1 6 C a l i b re A S B 1 9
Manual Winding Mechanism Manual Winding Mechanism A u to m a t i c W i n d i n g M e c h a n i s m
Re s o n a n c e Sy s te m Re s o n a n c e Sy s te m O n e Eq u a l Fo rc e B a r re l
Two B a r re l s Two B a r re l s 7 2 h p owe r re s e r ve
4 8 h p owe r re s e r ve 4 8 h p owe r re s e r ve 41 . 0 0 m m d i a m e te r
4 3 . 4 0 m m d i a m e te r 42 . 0 0 m m d i a m e te r 1 2 . 6 5 m m h e i g ht
1 3 . 0 0 m m h e i g ht 1 2 . 0 0 m m h e i g ht 2 5' 2 0 0 A / h Fre q u e n c y
2 5' 2 0 0 A / h Fre q u e n c y 2 5' 2 0 0 A / h Fre q u e n c y 2 8 J ewe l s
4 3 J ewe l s 3 8 J ewe l s 2 0 2 c o m p o n e nt s
2 2 6 c o m p o n e nt s 2 0 6 c o m p o n e nt s Wa te r p ro of u p to 3 0 m
O pt i o n a l g u i l l o c h é d i a l Wa te r p ro of u p to 5 0 m P r i c e s t a r t i n g f ro m 1 6' 9 0 0 C H F
Wa te r p ro of u p to 5 0 m P r i c e s t a r t i n g f ro m 49 ' 0 0 0 C H F
P r i c e s t a r t i n g f ro m 5 4' 0 0 0 C H F
Configurable
36 37C O N F I G U R ATO R
Discover the
C R E AT E YO U R OW N WATC H
next level of
Individualized to your taste and personality
True luxury is the privilege of owning something special and rare. Something
that no one else has and that fits your personality. Our configurator allows you
luxury…
to personalize your Armin Strom timepiece, right down to single parts, such as
bridges and plates, in a wide variety of colors.
Use your imagination! Choose from a wide variety of options to create your own
exclusive wristwatch. One that reflects your personality and your own, personal
style.
38 39COM MUN ITY COM MUN ITY
A R M I N S T RO M T H E S TO RY CO N T I N U E S !
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408 6M
serge_a_michel
a bo u t
pa r t s for the worl d f irs t ways to conf igu re
M inute Repeater Resona nce you r Ar m in Str om
claudegreisler
FULLY INTEGRATED, FA M I LY
INDEPENDENT OW N E D
MANUFACTURE
40 41arminstrom.com
Armin Strom AG Bözingenstrasse 46 CH-2502 Biel/Bienne Switzerland Phone +41 (0) 32 343 33 44 info@arminstrom.com www.arminstrom.com Follow us on:
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