What We Know:
Armin Strom’s flagship watch gets a chilly new look and feel with the Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Blue. It’s a new take on a horologically advanced timepiece that debuted in 2019. The brand hopes this new version invokes the calm tranquillity of Switzerland’s glacial lakes and Alpine light as it debuts amid the onset of summer heat in many parts of the world.
This model is notably chromatic, with the ‘glacial’ blue PVD main plate featuring a guilloché pattern designed by none other than independent watchmaking great Kari Voutilainen. It serves as the foundation for showcasing Armin Strom’s unique architecture, encased in a 41-millimetre stainless steel case that is 12.65 millimetres thick and has a wearable 48-millimetre lug-to-lug distance.
An open, grey-hued display made of transparent sapphire with a small seconds subdial rests on the left, allowing a clear view of the proprietary movement’s components, including the micro-rotor, ‘equal-force’ barrel, and rhodium-finished bridges that mirror the gear train. The blue nubuck leather band keeps this modern-looking, toned-down watch on theme.
Despite the more simple and polished appearance, the distinctive automated movement with a stop-work declutch device incorporated into the barrel is retained. It adds the ‘equal force’ aspect to the escapement using Armin Strom’s exclusive and patented technique.
Until the company modified and shrunk it, the stop-work declutch mechanism inside the barrel, also known as a ‘Geneva stop-work’, which limits power delivery to the ideal region of the mainspring’s torque curve, was only found in hand-wound pocket watches. Furthermore, the watch’s design includes a horizontal clutch and a small micro-rotor visible from the dial side, which provides not only consistent force timekeeping but also captivating graphics.
This Gravity Equal Force model is restricted to 25 pieces each year and costs CHF 27,500.
What We Think
As interest in independent Swiss watchmakers grows, and many established big-name companies struggle to maintain market share as more aficionados look beyond the top names, Armin Strom continues to produce diamonds with quiet confidence from its Biel/Bienne workshop.
Plenty of hand finishing remains a noticeable differentiator here, with the bridges bevelled and polished by hand and the screws black polished. According to Armin Strom, ancient decorative techniques like perlage, Geneva stripes, and circular graining are still important to the brand’s identity. At over $30,000, this is not an entry-level item, but it is a distinctly current Swiss take on watchmaking innovation and design that strives for and achieves a unique cool factor.
The Basics
Brand: Armin Strom.
Model: Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Blue.
Reference number: ST24-GEF.BLU.
Case dimensions are 41 mm in diameter and 12.65 mm in thickness. Material: stainless steel.
Dial Color: Grey-toned off-centre sapphire crystal with subdial
Indexes: Applied
Hands are lumped with SuperLumi-Nova.
Water Resistance: 3 ATM (30 m)
Blue nubuck leather bracelet with icy blue embroidery and stainless steel folding clasp.
The movement uses the ASB19 caliber manufactured by Armin Strom.
Features: Patented equal force barrel, offset display with subdial seconds, minutes, seconds, and power reserve indicator.
Diameter: 35.52 mm.
Thickness: 11.67mm
Power Reserve: Geneva stop-work is restricted to 72 hours.
Winding: Automatic winding using a tiny rotor.
Frequency: 3.5Hz (25,200 vibrations per hour)
Jewels: 28 Chronometer Certified: No.
Armin Strom Pricing and Availability
Price: CHF 27500.
Availability: Now.
Limited Edition: Yes, twenty-five pieces per year.
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