The "Midnight Purple" story continues at Armin Strom with a bold new chapter. This distinctive colour, deeply rooted in the history of the independent manufacture and inherited from founder Armin Strom himself, now extends beyond the dial and into the movement itself. Expressed through the newly released Orbit Midnight Purple, the signature midnight purple fumé dial remains at the centre of the composition, paired for the first time with a frosted midnight purple mainplate beneath to strengthen the visual connection between display and mechanics.

Powering the watch is the manufacture Calibre ASS20, developed and produced entirely in-house around the world's first on-demand date display on a ceramic bezel. This innovative mechanism rethinks the relationship between wearer and complication by displaying the date only when requested. Activated by a pusher at 10 o'clock, the date hand moves from its neutral position to indicate the current date on the bezel and advances automatically at midnight. A second press returns it discreetly to 12 o'clock, leaving the dial free from unnecessary information.

Beyond its avant-garde functionality, the timepiece focuses heavily on exceptional visual details. Hand-polished steel hands and applied hour markers are filled with Super-LumiNova®, complemented by signature numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock crafted from solid Super-LumiNova® blocks that create a striking visual presence after dark. Housed in a 43.4 mm stainless steel case framed by a black ceramic bezel, the timepiece is completed by a fully integrated stainless steel bracelet, delivering a cohesive fusion of modern sports-luxury and unique aesthetics.

Visible through the sapphire crystal and caseback, the movement highlights Armin Strom's dedication to transparent mechanics and haute horlogerie finishing. The purple mainplate creates a distinctive visual foundation, contrasting with rhodium-coated components and hand-finished finger bridges, while hand-polished bevels, perlage, and circular graining enrich every surface. To ensure both mechanical precision and finishing excellence, each watch is assembled twice. Limited to just 20 pieces worldwide, the Orbit Midnight Purple is one of the most recognisable and collectible expressions of the System 78 collection to date.
 

View Watch Gallery

 

Angelus unites the chronograph's key functional scales—telemeter, pulsometer, and tachymeter—in a single design. True to its heritage as a maker of functional timepieces, Angelus brings together the expertise developed through its previous instruments in the Instrument de Mesures. Produced in two limited editions of 25 pieces, this watch is a genuine instrument of measurement, designed to calculate elapsed time, the speed of sound, distance travelled and heart rate. Using a single chronograph hand, it integrates three functions, each with its own dedicated scale. Housed in a 39 mm steel case, its three-dimensional dial is both highly legible and meticulously graduated, giving the Instrument de Mesures the character of an authentic tool watch with a distinctive vintage charm and singular identity.

One Instrument, Multiple Measurements
Integrating these three scales alongside the essential minute track required a particularly sophisticated design approach. The amount of information to be displayed, combined with the need for legibility and clarity, led Angelus to adopt a distinct colour code for each function. This arrangement is reinforced by a three-dimensional dial construction, featuring a domed centre and outer edge connected by a sloping intermediate section. The telemetric scale is situated on the highest level at the periphery of the dial. The pulsometer extends across the angled intermediate section, and the tachymeter, in the form of a spiral, is located closest to the hands.

The In-House A5000 Chronograph Calibre
The Instrument de Mesures is powered by Angelus's in-house A5000 chronograph calibre. Its classical architecture showcases numerous intricately shaped components, providing an ideal canvas for high-end finishing. Faithful to the great traditions of chronograph watchmaking, the A5000 incorporates a column wheel and a horizontal clutch, both defining features of traditional chronographs.
 

View Watch Gallery

Greubel Forsey presents the final edition of the Balancier Contemporain, marking the definitive conclusion of this iconic calibre. This timepiece is housed in a 39.6mm stainless steel case – a material that has only been used twice before in the history of the Atelier. Limited to just 33 timepieces, this edition will be built and delivered exclusively in 2025. Once complete, the Balancier Contemporain calibre will be permanently retired and will never be made again.

More than a final edition, this stainless steel interpretation is a statement of purpose – it is the rarest and most exclusive case material in the Atelier’s repertoire. Its presence here is deliberate: to honour the legacy of the Balancier Contemporain with purity, restraint, and resolve.

Compact, Yet Monumental

When it was introduced, the Balancier Contemporain redefined expectations – delivering the full Greubel Forsey experience in just 39.6mm. This final edition preserves that feat of engineering and design. Under its high-domed sapphire crystal, the gold dial reveals a rich interplay of levels, textures, and finishes. A sunburst blue hour-ring frames the composition, while a deep blue minute-circle and sectorial indications for the small seconds and power reserve create both contrast and clarity. A large visual opening draws the eye to the in-house 12.6mm balance wheel, suspended above a flat, black-polished gold plate that provides visual depth and dramatic reflection.

The movement is composed of 256 parts, each hand-finished to the highest standard. The bridges are in nickel silver, frosted and spotted by hand, with perfectly polished bevels and countersinks, straight-grained flanks, and a subtle blue treatment unique to this edition. The balance wheel bridge is flat black polished steel – one of the most demanding finishes in haute horlogerie – with hand-polished bevels that reflect light beautifully. The balance wheel itself is mounted above a flat black-polished gold plate, a surface so refined it becomes both technical and architectural.

On the movement side, a black-polished gold plate is engraved in relief with the fundamental values of Greubel Forsey – invisible to the wearer, yet finished with the same uncompromising care. Olive-domed jewels are set in gold chatons, with hand-polished countersinks that catch the light at just the right angle. Every component, visible or not, is treated with the same reverence – as if each part could stand on its own as a miniature work of art.

A Closing Statement – and a New Beginning

This is the last timepiece to carry the Balancier Contemporain calibre – but it is also the first to signal a new direction. With this final edition, Greubel Forsey opens a new chapter focused on small-diameter timepieces. Over the coming years, this creative momentum will continue to build, exploring new dimensions of mechanical expression, proportion, and elegance – all without compromise.

The Balancier Contemporain in stainless steel is a definitive conclusion – and a confident beginning.
 

View Watch Gallery