Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire
The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire is the latest creation to leave the company’s atelier in Biel. From the outset, this prestigious marque has showcased many movement components ordinarily hidden from view. Likewise, Armin Strom is no stranger to innovation. This latest timepiece plays to these strengths and, in so doing, delivers a neoteric exemplar of Haute Horlogerie.
Recently, Armin Strom, the high-end Manufacture based in Biel/Bienne, unveiled its Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire and it immediately reminded me of the company’s origins.
Mr Armin Strom was an accomplished watchmaker based in Bern who restored and sold clocks and watches. However, his speciality was undoubtedly his ability to skeletonise watches using traditional methods. Strom would take a ‘standard’ movement from the likes of Omega et al and, using a series of handsaws and files, remove surplus material from the mainplate and bridges.
The process of skletonisation has to be executed with great skill. The trained watchmaker has to make openings in parts without touching the jewel beds, screws and areas near where the gears rest, to name but a few. Moreover, it is essential that the torsional rigidity of the movement isn’t compromised as this could impair its smooth operation and reliability. However, Strom was clearly up to the task and was revered for his skill in this field.
In 2006, Serge Michel acquired Mr Strom’s business and invited his childhood friend, Claude Greisler, to join him in creating a new Armin Strom. Three years later, Claude and Serge established a new facility in Biel/Bienne and began making watches. This was not merely an assembly operation but a ‘Manufacture’ in the truest sense of the word. Indeed, I have personally witnessed the making of screws, pinions, pivots, bridges and a myriad of other movement components at the company’s site.
While Armin Strom does not skeletonise watches using the traditional methods employed by Mr Strom, an approach that precludes serial production, the act of openworking has certainly influenced the styling of the firm’s watches. From the outset, the brand has frequently placed the barrel or micro-rotor front of house, delivering a sublime aesthetic. Indeed, ‘we show what we make’ was an advertising slogan used by the company for several years. Throughout its history, the company has repeatedly disclosed parts, often hidden from view, for the delectation of purists.
Another aspect of the Armin Strom paradigm relates to its technical ingenuity. Most notably, the firm has expended much effort exploiting the benefits of resonance, a phenomenon in physics causing two pendulums to move in sympathy. When Armin Strom adapted the system for use in a wristwatch it conferred a remarkable degree of precision and stability, attracting widespread praise. The Manufacture has since combined this know-how with a minute repeater, perfectly demonstrating (not that it was needed) that Armin Strom’s technical prowess is comparable with Haute Horlogerie’s old guard.
In 2019, Claude Greisler, Armin Strom’s co-founder and head watchmaker, masterminded the Gravity Equal Force. Again, Greisler’s creative genius led to the creation of a remarkable watch. Upholding, the brand’s reputation for displaying movement parts, the micro-rotor, barrel and three twin-arm bridges were positioned centre stage.
Likewise, the Gravity Equal Force reinforced the Manufacture’s prowess for technical virtuosity. Its movement, the Calibre ASB19, featured a motor barrel, a system once used on old pocket watches. The following extract, taken from my detailed feature of the Gravity Equal Force explains the background to the motor barrel in more detail.
‘When the crown is rotated on a ‘standard watch’, energy is sent via the transmission wheel to the ratchet wheel. As the ratchet wheel turns, it tensions the inner part of the mainspring around the arbor, causing the arbor to rotate. Once winding is complete, the arbor remains fixed while the barrel housing rotates transferring energy to the centre wheel. In this case, the mainspring barrel doesn’t rotate in a precision jewel bearing but around the arbor, heightening friction and delivering an inconsistent supply of force.
‘However, on the Gravity Equal Force, the watch is fitted with a ‘motor barrel’. In this instance, the barrel housing remains locked after winding and the arbor transmits energy to the gear train. By adopting this approach the arbor is more stable, with less side to side motion, moving more precisely when driving the going train and mitigating wear.’
In addition, the Calibre ASB19 is equipped with a Geneva wheel or stop works, ensuring the rotation of the mainspring barrel is restricted to just 9 full turns out of a possible 12½. This ensures that only the flattest and most consistent portion of the torque supplied by the mainspring barrel is used. The combination of the special barrel design and the stop works ensures the power delivery to the escapement, and ultimately the regulating organ, is as consistent as possible, resulting in the amplitude operating within its optimal range, thereby aiding precision.
Now, the Biel based firm has incorporated the Calibre ASB19 within a new model, the Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire. The model bears a strong resemblance to the Gravity Equal Force, but with a number of additional details.
The first aspect to attract the onlooker’s gaze is the mainplate (recto side) which is presented in a rich black hue and embellished with a sumptuous guilloché motif. Armin Strom called upon the services of esteemed watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, a friend of the brand and an expert in this field, to help perfect this detail.
The off-centre hour and minutes display is presented on a grey-toned sapphire crystal dial, elevating the company’s predilection for showing what it makes to another level. The clear circular pane affords views of the motion works, sating the desires of horological voyeurs. The monochromatic palette also extends to the three double-spoke bridges which have been coated with dark grey ruthenium, while the watch is presented on a colour-coordinated strap.
Armin Strom is proudly independent. In this instance, it has designed the watch in-house, crafted the movement and even made the hands. The addition of luminescent fill delivers contrast with the adjacent dial details, thereby, augmenting readability.
Once again, Armin Strom has revealed its propensity for horological exhibitionism, albeit in a tasteful way. Moreover, the firm has released another creation, packed with in-house expertise and brimming with ingenuity. The lustre of this brand shows no signs of fading. On the contrary, its appeal continues to grow with each new release.
The brand’s press release
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-centre 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 calibre 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-centre 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 colour 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.
Further reading