Tribute 1 Rose Gold
Armin Strom continues to redefine the Modern Dress Watch
When Armin Strom launched its Tribute 1 watch in stainless steel in 2021, the world of haute horlogerie took notice. With its 38mm case and slender profile, it embraced the time-honoured qualities of a modern dress watch while it redefined the genre with its grenage-finished off- centre dial and exposed motor barrel and bridge. Building on this market success of the Tribute 1, Armin Strom has responded to collector demand for a precious metal case by introducing this 100-piece limited edition of the Tribute 1 in rose gold.
An unforgettable face
The off-centre dial is presented in a riveting black gold colour with an azurage textured effect. Its meticulously hand-bevelled barrel bridge has been upgraded through the use of 18K 5N rose gold to match the beautiful hues of the new rose gold case; as do the even- numbered applied hour markers and the hour, minute and seconds hands. Like the movement, all of these elements were designed, manufactured and hand-finished in-house at Armin Strom. In pleasing contrast to the dial is the adjacent dial plate; whose grenage finish subtly changes in hue different lighting conditions to display a captivating range of anthracite shades.
This already remarkable face also features a painstakingly hand-polished skeletonized open- worked motor barrel on which the words “100 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE” are engraved. The Tribute 1 Rose Gold’s crown is positioned at 2 o’clock, a distinction that enhances wearer comfort.
A caseback as worthy of attention as the dial
The hand-wound calibre AMW 21 is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback to highlight the beautiful hand finishing of the movement. Also on display is the three-quarter bridge adorned with Côtes de Genève decoration that is hand-polished at 60°. The hand decoration includes a circular grained pattern on the main plate; while the balance bridge features side graining, anglage, sand blasting and straight graining. The escapement and the escape bridge add a three-dimensional allure with hand-bevelled edges that contribute to the Tribute 1 Rose Gold’s overall sense of luxury.
Consistent with Armin Strom’s approach of showcasing innovative mechanical elements on the dial side of our watches, the Tribute 1 is equipped with a hand-polished dial-side motor barrel. This barrel is distinguished by an arbor that turns around the mainspring within the barrel itself; making it more efficient while also conserving space. It provides 100 hours of continuous operation.
Like all of Armin Strom’s movements, the Calibre AMW 21 was developed and manufactured in-house. In keeping with our commitment to horological distinction, the innovative motor barrel developed for the ‘Tribute 1’ is distinguished by an arbor that turns around the mainspring within the barrel itself, making it far more efficient while also conserving space. It delivers a remarkable 100-hour power reserve for a watch of this size and height. And as is the case with each of the brand’s calibres, it is assembled twice. After its initial assembly, Armin Strom’s watchmakers disassemble the movement and put it together again, to ensure the quality of every component and the flawless performance of the watch.
The Tribute 1 Rose Gold –Advancing tradition with an avant-garde aesthetic sensibility: Hand wound, hand-finished, hand-crafted and hand-decorated.
With its new Tribute 1 Rose Gold, Armin Strom has extended the legacy of the classic watch with the modern Swiss-German design ethos that has already won the hearts of aficionados around the world. This hand-wound dress watch features extensive hand finishing, hand craftsmanship and hand decoration at an attractive price point of CHF23,900. The legend “1 of 100” engraved on the caseback is a confirmation of its edition size.
About the System 78 Collection
Armin Strom’s “Tribute 1” is the latest addition to the “System 78” collection, which offers fine watchmaking, impeccable hand-finishing and a number of innovative horological ‘firsts’ while simultaneously maintaining an accessible price point. The collection embodies the watchmaking sensibilities of Claude Greisler and Serge Michel, co-founders of the revitalized Manufacture Armin Strom, who were both born in 1978.
Technical Specifications
Reference: RG21-TRI.70
Case
- 18-carat rose gold
- Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment
- Diameter: 38.00 mm
- Height: 9.38 mm
- Lug-to-Lug: 44.35 mm
- Water-resistance: 50 m
Movement
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Armin Strom manufacture Caliber AMW21, Hand-wound movement
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Regulating system: Flat hairspring with a variable inertia balance wheel Barrel bridge coated in 18K 5N rose gold
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Power reserve: 100 hours
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Dimensions: 33.5 mm x 4.2mm
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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: 21
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Number of components: 135
Dial
- Offset black gold with even hour markers 18K 5N rose gold coated
Hands
- Steel 18K 5N rose gold coated, manufactured by Armin Strom, decorated by hand
Strap
- Delivered with a black alligator leather strap with black stitching
- Width lugs/buckle: 18/16 mm
Buckle
- Folding clasp in stainless steel 18K 5N rose gold coated
Limited Edition
- 100 pieces
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.
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.
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.