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.
Tribute² Copper Edition
300 000 kr
Tribute² Copper Edition
- Limited edition 10
- Stainless steel case
- Diameter: 38.00 mm
- Offset dial in fumé grey
Tribute²
Armin Strom unveils a new iteration of the Tribute – a homage to artisanal hand-finishing and exposed mechanics.
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 2 December 2024: Independent Swiss watch manufacture Armin Strom is expanding its Tribute collection with the new Tribute², featuring a distinctive open worked design and remarkable three-dimensionality. The visible mechanical elements of the innovative movement and the elaborate hand decorations impart an intriguing visual depth to the watch. The Tribute² – Copper Edition features a mainplate with a distinctive grattage design in an elegant copper hue. Limited to just 10 pieces, this edition underscores Armin Strom’s commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and exclusivity.
“The Tribute² builds on the success of the Tribute 1 launched in 2021. It merges traditional watchmaking with contemporary design, highlighting the core values of the brand: transparent mechanics that artfully display the inner mechanisms, three-dimensional design that provides visual depth through various levels and the intricate details of the movement and meticulous hand decoration, which features prominently in this timepiece.” – Claude Greisler, Co-Founder and Master Watchmaker at Armin Strom.
Unique craftsmanship: the artistic grattage mainplate in the Copper Edition
The eye-catching copper-coloured mainplate in the Tribute² – Copper Edition showcases a distinctive processing technique known as grattage. The process was originally developed by mechanical engineers to create perfectly flat surfaces. Instead of being engraved, hammered or polished, the material is meticulously scraped by hand. This results in a distinctive, stunning pattern – and it is an art form that only a handful of craftsmen still master today. For the mainplate of the Tribute²
– Copper Edition, this technique is used decoratively and gives each piece a look reminiscent of delicate brushstrokes. The mainplate and its unique finish are further accentuated by a copper-coloured PVD coating.
Depth and elegance in the dial
The off-centre fumé grey dial lends the watch additional depth with its subtle colour gradient, which sees the vibrant highlights in the centre gradually transition into a darker tone at the edges. The dial is encircled by a hand-polished steel ring, which is hand-bevelled and further emphasizes the refined character of the design. The hands and indexes, coated in 18K 5N rose gold, add warm accents and impart a sophisticated touch to the watch.
Meticulous hand finishing: each component refined down to the finest detail
The motor barrel, a key visual element of the Tribute models and a prominent feature on the front of the watch, is skeletonized in this edition. Each opening is hand-bevelled to accentuate the elegant spokes of the motor barrel. The bridge that holds the motor barrel is made of steel and black-polished by hand for the first time. The click bridge, which features polished bevels, and the click are also visible, along with the winding wheels, which have been finished with circular graining.
The back of the movement is distinguished by a three-quarter bridge visible through the case back, featuring a 30° hand-polished bevel, adorned with Geneva stripes and finished with circular graining. The small, three-dimensional escapement wheel bridge with hand-polished oil sink is another
standout element of the movement.
The other parts of the movement are also exquisitely finished by hand, whether they can be seen on the dial side of the watch or through the sapphire crystal case back.
United by passion: Armin Strom and Horomariobro
The logo on the back, “Horomariobro x Armin Strom”, pays tribute to the inspiring contribution this close friend of the brand has made to the new edition. Fuelled by his enthusiasm for hand-decorated movements, which he captures in macro photography on his popular Instagram channel, Horomariobro inspired Armin Strom’s Claude Greisler to experiment with new decoration techniques and emphasize various visible highlights of the finishing.
100-hour power reserve: the Tribute²’s innovative movement
The AMW21 hand-wound movement, developed and manufactured in-house by Armin Strom, boasts an impressive 100-hour power reserve. Its exceptional performance is down to the innovative motor barrel design, where the arbor rotates around the mainspring, enhancing efficiency and conserving space. The movement operates at a frequency of 25,200 vibrations per hour and contains 21 jewels. It also features a balance wheel with variable inertia and a flat overcoil spring supported by a bridge
that almost mirrors the motor barrel. These technical features ensure exceptional precision and reliability.
Modern design with timeless elegance
The 38 mm stainless steel case, measuring 9 mm in height, is an expression of timeless elegance. The crown positioned at 2 o’clock enhances wearing comfort and adds an avant-garde flair to the watch. A grey Alcantara calfskin strap rounds out the design of the watch, providing a soft yet secure fit on the wrist.
Price and availability
The Tribute² – Copper Edition is available now in a limited edition of just 10 pieces for CHF 25,000 – exclusively from Armin Strom on their website arminstrom.com or the brand’s Instagram channel.
Technical Specifications
Reference
- ST24-TRI.HM.AC.M.A4.FC
Indications
- Hours, minutes, seconds
Case
- Stainless steel
- Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment
- Diameter: 38.00 mm
- Height: 9.38 mm
- Lug-to-Lug: 44.35 mm
- Between Lug: 18 mm
- Water-resistance: 50 m
Movement
- Armin Strom manufacture Caliber AMW21, Hand-wound movement
-
Regulating system: Flat hairspring with a variable inertia balance wheel
-
Barrel bridge in brass
-
Power reserve: 100 hours
-
Dimensions: 33.5 mm x 4.2mm
-
Frequency: 3.5 Hz (25,200 vph)
-
Finishing: Hand-finishing to the highest quality level
-
Jewels: 21
-
Number of components: 137
Dial
- Offset, fumé grey
- Mainplate with grattage pattern, PVD copper coated
Hands
- 18K 5N rose-gold coating
Strap
- Delivered with a grey Alcantara calf leather strap
- Width lugs/buckle: 18/16 mm
Buckle
- Double Folding clasp in stainless steel
Limited edition
- 10 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.
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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Tribute² Copper Edition
300 000 kr