Armin Strom represents a unique fusion of the swiss-german horological tradition with avant-garde ‘transparent mechanics’ and an unwavering commitment to horological innovation. Our watches are designed to both showcase how our movements actually work and to validate the attention to detail that goes into their production. Whether with a loupe or with the naked eye, with an Armin Strom timepiece there will always be something captivating to see.
Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire
290 000 kr
Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire
- Stainless steel case
- Diameter: 41.00 mm
- Black fabric strap with light grey stitching
- Pin buckle or folding clasp
Strikingly cool monochrome: The new Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 20st September 2021: Armin Strom, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer known for its edgy, eye-catching transparent mechanics, has just launched a rare and stunning new version of its milestone Gravity Equal Force timepiece. With its off-center grey-toned sapphire dial, the strikingly cool monochrome watch offers an extraordinary view of the exquisitely-finished manufacture movement and further enhances the brand’s reputation for its irrepressible, exuberant independence.
Armin Strom’s Gravity Equal Force has made quite an impression on watch enthusiasts since it was first launched in 2019. And for good reason: it is the world’s first automatic watch with constant force transmission, which results in consistent power delivery to the balance. In short, it means that the watch always delivers flawlessly constant precision. Its ASB19 caliber offers a power reserve of 72 hours.
The timepiece stands out not only with its groundbreaking technology but by a design and craftsmanship that set it apart from every other watch. With the launch of the Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire, Armin Strom has reinforced its commitment to the transparent mechanics that have been generating an industry-wide buzz since the brand’s beginnings. The watch is distinguished in equal part by its technical and aesthetic innovations:
- The movement’s black plate guilloche pattern was created by hand by the celebrated Finnish watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, a close friend of Armin Strom’s founders.
- The off-center grey-toned sapphire dial offers an unobstructed view of the fascinating mechanics inside the case and emphasizes the brand’s passion for transparent mechanics, which are at the core of its design philosophy.
- The bridges are coated with dark grey ruthenium; the barrel and the micro rotor are coated with rhodium.
- The Gravity Equal Force’s ASB19 movement includes a “stop work” mechanism that prevents the mainspring from fully unwinding, thus leveraging only the part of the mainspring’s unwinding process that can deliver power most consistently.
- The steel hands with Super-LumiNova® filling are manufactured by Armin Strom and like all of the visible parts of the movement, are meticulously hand-finished in-house
Presented in a classic 41 mm stainless-steel case, the Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire comes with a black fabric strap with light grey stitching, subtly maintaining the watch’s resolutely cool monochrome color scheme.
Claude Greisler, Armin Strom’s co-founder and head watchmaker, points out that the new watch’s cool, understated monochrome design will appeal to fans of the brand’s design philosophy: “We’ve re-imagined the Gravity Equal Force to more fully embrace our passion for transparent mechanics, while adding complementary aesthetic complexity that enhances the watch’s special visual impact.”
Serge Michel, founder of Armin Strom adds: “The special version of our GEF was extremely well received in early presentations to collectors so we hope to be able to produce 30 more watches next year in addition to the 15 from this year. That may, however, be too ambitious because our capacities are limited and it always has to be a rare piece, which is why we have decided that half of all future productions will be placed on a first-come/first-served waiting list for those who inquire via our website.”
The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire: exquisite in-house design and production
This breathtaking new Gravity Equal Force timepiece was designed and produced in-house at the brand’s manufacture in Biel. Like every Armin Strom watch, its movement has been assembled twice. After its first assembly, the movement was painstakingly disassembled and each individual part was cleaned, dried, reassembled and lubricated before being meticulously regulated, tested, and returned to the case.
The Gravity Equal Force: redefining the horological landscape
Launched in 2019, the milestone timepiece demonstrates Armin Strom’s core principle: to bring innovation to every watch. It combines the brand’s celebrated passion for transparent mechanics and its distinctive design as well as its commitment to redefining the horological landscape with every new product.
The Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire will be available from October 2021 in a limited quantity of 15 pieces for 2021. Due to the limited production capacity, the special timepiece will be available subsequently in a very small number of pieces per year.
Technical Specifications
Indications
- Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve indicator Stop-Work declutch mechanism and Equal Force Barrel
Case
- Stainless steel
- Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment
- Diameter: 41.00 mm
- Height: 12.65 mm
- Lug-to-Lug: 48.09 mm
- Water-resistance: 30 m
Movement
- Armin Strom manufacture Caliber ASB19, Automatic winding with micro rotor, Geneva-drive equal force barrel, offset display with subdial seconds
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Regulating system: Balance wheel with 4 regulating screws
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Power reserve: Geneva stop-work limited to 72 hours
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Dimensions: 35.52 mm x 11.67 mm
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Frequency: 3,5 Hz (25,200 vph)
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Finishing: Hand-finishing to the highest quality level
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Jewels: 28
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Number of components: 202
Dial
- Grey toned off-center sapphire dial with subdial
Hands
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Manufactured by Armin Strom, steel with hand finishing and Super-LumiNova® filling
Strap
- Delivered with a black fabric strap with light grey stitching
- Width lugs/buckle: 20/18 mm
Buckle
- Stainless-steel double folding clasp
About Armin Strom
Armin Strom is an independent watch company based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Armin Strom timepieces offer 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 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’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 to bring even the most complicated ideas to life without any of the compromises that typically stem from reliance on a supply chain.
When ‘Mr. Armin Strom’ retired from watchmaking, he transferred ownership of his brand to two boys (by then adults) who had had frequented his workshop so often together in childhood: businessperson Serge Michel and Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler.
In 2009, the revitalized Armin Strom built upon Mr. Strom’s historical legacy with the opening of its first fully-integrated Manufacture; located in Biel, Switzerland.
Today the Manufacture produces all of our timepieces in-house and with great reverence for the Swiss-German watchmaking tradition. Our extraordinary team of dedicated engineers and artisans, led by Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler, uphold that tradition with uncompromising passion and commitment.
Serge Michel is the scion of one of the most prominent families in Switzerland. His unwavering passion and commitment to the business of the Armin Strom Manufacture have made him both the sponsor and the driving business force behind the brand.
Fascinated by watchmaking and watch collecting from a young age, he and his childhood friend Claude Greisler shared a dream of co-founding a watch company; one that would someday produce watches of the very highest quality in the Swiss-German tradition. Today that dream has become a longstanding reality.
Beyond his life in the Manufacture, Serge is a husband and proud father of two girls. His other passions include global travel and wine collecting. Nothing brings a bigger smile to Serge’s face than introducing the latest Armin Strom creation to good friends over a dinner paired with several bottles of fine wine.
Claude Greisler is “a watchmaker’s watchmaker.” His greatest passions are watches (past and present) and complicated watchmaking. In actual fact, watchmaking has been a Greisler family profession for generations. Claude’s training began in his grandfather’s workshop, which led to his formal training, beginning with his completion of a four year program at the “School for Watchmakers and Rhabilleurs” in Solothurn, Switzerland; followed by a two-year program in movement restoration at Centre Interrégionalde Formation des Montagnes [CIFOM] in Le Locle; and then a further two-year program at CIFOM focused on the development and construction of complicated timepieces. Upon the completion of his 8 years of watchmaking education, Claude honed his craft as a watchmaker at Christophe Claret (a brand known for its ultra-complicated timepieces) as the next step in his longstanding ambition: to dedicate himself to the design and production of horologically significant timepieces. Beyond his watchmaking obsession, Claude is also a passionate skier and outdoorsman. Together with his wife, Gaby, Claude explores the Swiss backcountry as often as his responsibilities at the manufacture will allow.
Manufacture
At Armin Strom, we’re obsessed with every detail of every watch that we make. We develop, mill, emboss, galvanize and hand-finish all of our watches in-house. We adhere to the very highest haute-horology standards because we know that Armin Strom collectors appreciate looking at more than just the time.
At Armin Strom, our highly qualified and dedicated team invests an incredible amount of enthusiasm, passion and effort to create watches that are mechanically exceptional and meticulously well-finished. “The only difference between the possible and the impossible is that the impossible takes a little longer.” [Mrs. William Tilton, “The Washington Herald”, 1921].
Our passion for ‘transparent mechanics’ is at the core of our watchmaking design philosophy, but perfection in our execution and in the long-term reliability of our watches is always paramount. These priorities are the hallmarks of the Swiss-German watchmaking tradition. We honor that tradition with every watch that we produce at the Armin Strom Manufacture.
Decoration
Hand engraving
Every piece is unique.
Steel burins in various sizes and wax-coated holders are the tools of the engraver.
In the engraver’s hands, each workpiece becomes a unique work of art. The engraver draws their own motif design on the workpiece with a needle according to their original drawings; working under the microscope.
Polishing
Embellishing every part of a movement makes every Armin Strom watch akin to a hand-crafted piece of jewelry.
Working bare brass or steel by hand is time-consuming work: edges of plates, bridges and levers must be perfectly chamfered or, as watchmakers call it, beveled. Every part is then polished to perfection, even when the embellishment won’t be visible in the finished watch.
Beveling and polishing requires a trained eye and fingertip sensitivity together with both patience and perseverance. For example, even a relatively small part like a pallets bridge will require at least half an hour to complete – and often more than that.
Traditional Grinding
Here a classic fine watch-making finishing technique known as “Geneva Stripes” (Côtes de Genève), is displayed. They’re created via the use an abrasive disc that’s applied in perfectly straight lines to create the Côtes de Genève on the workpiece.
Circular graining (Perlage) is a decorative motif reminiscent of clouds, typically used on main plates. To achieve this pattern, the watchmaker uses an abrasive pencil and gently makes contact with the workpiece, gradually working across the whole surface. This creates the characteristic overlapping circular grained motif.
All rotating parts of an Armin Strom movement are embellished with a circular grinding pattern.
Assembling
Up to this point, they were all just individual parts – turned, milled, polished and decorated. Now the watch will begin to take shape.
The watchmaker uses a pressing tool to insert the jewel bearings for the spindles of the toothed wheels into the plate and bridges. This is a crucial operation. The way the jewels are pressed in influences the correct vertical play of the gear-train. Do the gear-wheels and pinions mesh together correctly? Does the height need adjusting by a few hundredths of a millimeter? Once the gear-train is adjusted, the bridges and plates are screwed down, and the mainsprings are assembled in the going barrels, then the movement is ready to receive the escapement. With the installation of the escapement, consisting of the escape-wheel, the pallets and balance-wheel, the watch comes to life.
After the first assembly, the movement is completely disassembled and each individual part is then cleaned, dried, reassembled and lubricated. After the second assembly, the movement is meticulously regulated before the watchmaker sets the hands and re-inserts the movement back into the case. The back of the case is then fixed in place. The completed watch is subjected to a multi-day rate test on a watch winder. Water resistance is also tested. Once the watch has passed these quality tests, it is finally certified as complete.
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