Armin Strom Launches the “One Week” First Edition
A Complete Rebuild of the Brand’s First In-House Caliber
The Armin Strom One Week First Edition
I sat down with Claude Greisler on the Armin Strom boat on the shores of Lake Geneva to learn a little more about the new One Week. The boat was something new for Geneva Watch Days and was quite a welcome change of environment from the hotel suites where most other brands are located this week. Our discussion about their novelty for Geneva Watch Days left me excited about what is coming for the brand and what Greisler and his business partner Serge Michel are working on with the future of Armin Strom.
Thirteen years on from the brand’s first in-house caliber, the team at Armin Strom decided to completely rework that 7-day power reserve caliber, hence the name. The watch required a fair bit of imagination as the team wanted to bring forward more architectural aspects and add more depth to the main plate. Carrying forward the lessons learned from Mr. Armin Strom himself, Claude and Serge continue the legacy of not hiding the movement from the wearer.
Expanding upon this idea, they decided to keep the interesting parts of the watchmaking on the dial side, while adding more depth to the movement. Because of the height of the mainspring barrels, and because they wanted to have a small seconds indication, they needed to find a way to raise the small seconds and the hour and minute hand. They also wanted to include a three-dimensional power reserve that is very well disguised in the movement.
The team at Armin Strom built a completely new architecture to include small seconds and a 3-D power reserve
In pursuit of chronometric performance, the ARM21 caliber utilizes two mainspring barrels that work in series to provide constant energy to the gear train. Those barrels are held in place by two finger bridges and balance beautifully with the small seconds on the opposite side of the dial. The ARM21 also beats a 3.5 Hz to seek chronometric performance, especially as this watch is intended for sports.
The One Week is sporty on the wrist and I love the blue dial
The entire movement is open to see and the centered hour and minutes hand helps to ensure that everything is visible, where Armin Strom typically favors an offset dial. The centered hands are built up so that they can clear both the mainspring barrels and the small seconds indicator. Their architecture is beautiful, and the well hidden conical power reserve at 10:30 is so subtle, if it wasn’t pointed out, one could just as easily miss it. It is a subtle reminder of the desire to put the best of their watchmaking facing the client.
The Ice Blue dial is a great color for the First Edition. It took some time to develop the right finish for the baseplate for the PVD finish. After a bit of trial and error, Armin Strom arrived at the frosted finish, and I think they nailed it. It is a subtle yet beautiful color.
Placed within the System 78 family, the One Week is a great re-think of the original in-house caliber. I like the watch on the wrist and how it feels on the Armin Strom bracelet, but could also see this watch looking fantastic on a blue suede strap. It’s a sporty watch that has some refined architecture and levels to it that make it a very pleasant watch on the wrist, but I find the Ice Blue dial to be a real selling point — they spent a great deal of time getting the finishing just right and I think they have nailed it.
The Architecture and double barrels of the One Week
The watch has a sporty feel, aided by the Ice Blue PVD and architectural elements. Producing only 400 pieces annually, I think the brand is onto something really cool as an addition to their Resonance and Masterpiece series. Priced at 32,000 CHF for this First Edition, I am sure more PVD colors will come in the future. I enjoyed getting to spend time with the entire Armin Strom team, they clearly have a plan for their lines and are continuing to evolve each line with each new release. I look forward to seeing what they bring to Dubai Watch Week and how they continue to develop their watchmaking with time.
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