As children, entrepreneur Serge Michel and master watchmaker Claude Greisler had always loved visiting Mr. Armin Strom in his workshop in the Swiss village of Burgdorf, where they grew up and went to school together. Their village watchmaker was a legend, driving a Jaguar E-Type, earning a world record for the smallest ever skeletonized wristwatch, and inspiring them to follow in his footsteps.
From a One-Man Show to a Fully Fledged Manufacture
When Mr. Armin Strom decided to retire, the two young men knew they wanted to continue the adventure, taking over the reins of the company in 2009. The first thing they wanted to do was build a manufacture and create their own in-house movement, dreaming big from the get-go.
The Dream
Fifteen short years later and what they have achieved is nothing less than extraordinary. They turned Armin Strom from a one-man show into a fully integrated manufacture that now counts a team of 38, of which 22 are watchmakers. They not only managed to create that first in-house calibre, the “One Week”, but 16 other unique movements, all more complex and impressive than the ones before, featuring patents galore.
An Unmistakable Aesthetic
Today’s Armin Strom not only seduces watch collectors with its movements, but also its unique sense of design and love for decorative details, making each timepiece truly stand out from the crowd. Collections such as the System 78, Resonance, and Masterpiece have an unmistakable architecture that merges the lines between the inside and outside of each watch.
“From day one, we embraced a refined openwork design approach with our watches,” shares Greisler. “This is because we want to highlight the labour, precision, and dedication poured into each piece – a true reflection of our Swiss-German timepiece-manufacturing philosophy based on the science of movement.”
The company’s love for innovation and engineering has led to numerous milestones in its short history. In 2011, the brand teamed up with the Formula 1 Marussia Virgin Racing team, where Armin Strom was not only a sponsor, but was able to repurpose elements of the F1 cars and make them into movement parts.
The year 2012 marked the arrival of their first tourbillon movement, which was followed in 2016 by the first Mirrored Force Resonance. There was a Dual Time Resonance model in 2018, a Minute Repeater Resonance in 2019, the Tribute 1 – a classic dress watch with a twist – in 2021, and the Orbit – the world’s first watch with an on-demand date indicated on the bezel –in 2022, and a reinterpretation of the first “One Week” in 2023.
For this anniversary year, there will be a number of horological surprises being released to celebrate this important occasion. “The hard work has paid off – not only do we now have collectors around the world, but we have also built up a fantastic in-house team,” notes Michel. “And later this year we will release a new timepiece that truly encapsulates our 15 years of know-how and innovation.
“15 years is perhaps not a long time in the watch industry – but it is a nice number of years for an independent brand, through which we have been able to build a unique, Swiss-German horological identity with instantly recognisable designs, technical mastery, and remarkable finishings,” he concludes.
Stay tuned for more.
