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Armin Strom fuses masterful mechanics with a bold chromatic twist, unveiling its latest Ultimate Sapphire Edition. The iconic Gravity Equal Force now sports a striking purple guilloché-engraved mainplate by Kari Voutilainen.
Armin Strom’s System 78 collection represents the independent manufacture’s purest expression of innovative haute horlogerie. Within it, the classical codes of watchmaking are revisited to bring about new functions and solutions, while also expressing the brand’s unique aesthetic sensibilities. With an emphasis on transparency, as well as highlighting kinetic elements, the Gravity Equal Force stands out as a technical tour-de-force with an instantly recognisable look – outstanding in form and function, finished by meticulous hand decoration. Now, with the new ‘Purple’ Ultimate Sapphire Edition, Armin Strom is doubling down on integrating vibrant chromatic hues with exceptional mechanics.
Let it reign: Gravity Equal Force Purple
At once regal and electric, the latest edition of the Gravity Equal Force features a colour Armin Strom has never used before. Its base plate boasts a guilloché engraved motif with a barley grain pattern, expertly handcrafted in the atelier of acclaimed independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen using a traditional rose engine lathe. The striking purple colour is applied using a 3D PVD process, which reflects a wide spectrum of tones as it shifts with the light. Making this edition even more outstanding, the small off-centred dial is crafted from transparent sapphire crystal, which is reserved exclusively for the Gravity Equal Force’s Ultimate Sapphire Editions. The crowning glory is a light grey nubuck leather strap with purple stitching and keepers. The Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Purple is limited to a run of 25 pieces per year.
Automatic: redefined
The Gravity Equal Force stands out as the first automatic watch endowed with an equal force transmission integrated directly in the mainspring barrel - a patented mechanism by Armin Strom. It provides consistent power transmission to the regulating organ, ensuring unwavering precision throughout the watch’s autonomy. The power reserve indicator forms part of the barrel, which is entirely visible from the dial side, opposite the micro-rotor with a unique click system featuring two springs for better winding efficiency.
Also this latest creation, part of Armin Strom’s perpetual quest for superior chronometric performance, was entirely developed, manufactured and decorated within the walls of the Bienne-based manufacturing site. Like all Armin Strom watches, the Gravity Equal Force Purple’s movement is assembled a first time to ensure it is in perfect working order and that it meets the brand’s exacting decorative standards, then taken apart and assembled a second time when it is ready to be cased in its final form.
Putting the ‘haute’ in ‘horlogerie’
What separates a mere tool from a work of art is craftsmanship. Like a canvas for artistic expression, superlative hand-finishing applied by specialised watchmakers and seasoned artisans can be appreciated throughout the Gravity Equal Force and its many proudly exposed layers and components. Polished bevels (anglage) on the bridges, black polished screws, polished countersinks, perlage and various types of graining, be it straight or circular, as well as Geneva stripes on the three-quarter bridge visible through the case’s back.
One of the Gravity Equal Force’s most distinctive elements is the triplet of dark grey ruthenium-plated bridges that occupy the right-hand portion of the open display. Inspired by the finger-style bridges found in pocket watches, it takes up to an entire day for these bridges to be embellished by hand. First, the undersides are given a matt finish, after which the sides are given a straight-graining finish by carefully sliding them on an abrasive paper to produce continuous, shimmering fine lines. Then, the inner and outer chamfers of the bridges are bevelled with increasingly fine files and then finished with a flash polish using locally sourced gentian wood to remove even the finest lines. Finally, a straight-graining finish is applied to the top side for ultimate radiance.
Armin Strom : 15 years in the science of movement
In 2008, longtime friends and partners Serge Michel and Claude Greisler took the reins at Armin Strom and founded its very own manufacture in the watchmaking town of Biel in 2009. Just one year later, the duo presented their very first watch with a movement designed and manufactured in-house. Over the following years, Armin Strom would become a truly integrated and self-sufficient manufacture, creating 17 exclusive calibres and developing several world firsts in the domain of watchmaking. In 2016, it introduced the Mirrored Force Resonance, a game-changing resonating dual regulator developed for maximum chronometric precision with a captivating oscillation mechanism on the dial-side of the watch. In 2019, Armin Strom reinvented the automatic watch movement with the Gravity Equal Force, the first automatic watch to feature an equal force transmission mechanism within the barrel that had previously been found only in pocket watches. Today, Armin Strom stands out as a leading force of creative, independent watchmaking, with its own distinct design language and exceptional attention to detail highlighted by hand-finishing all its creations. 2024 promises to be a year full of surprises, and the best is yet to come…
Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Purple
Technical specifications
| Indications | Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve indicator | |
| Movement | Armin Strom manufacture Caliber ASB19 | |
| Automatic winding with micro rotor, Geneva-drive equal force barrel, offset display with subdial seconds | ||
| Main plate | purple PVD plate with guilloché pattern by Kari Voutilainen | |
| Regulating system | Balance wheel with 4 regulating screws | |
| Power reserve | Geneva stop-work limited to 72 hours | |
| Dimensions | 35.52 mm x 11.67 mm | |
| Frequency | 3,5 Hz (25,200 vph) | |
| Finishing | Hand-finishing to the highest quality level | |
| Jewels | 28 | |
| Number of components | 202 | |
| Case | stainless steel | |
| Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment | ||
| Diameter | 41 mm | |
| Height | 12.65 mm | |
| Water resistance | 3ATM | |
| Lug-to-Lug | 48.09 mm | |
|
Dial |
Grey toned off-center sapphire dial with subdial |
|
| Hands |
Faceted polished hands and Super-LumiNova® filling |
|
| Strap | Delivered with a grey nubuck leather strap with purple stitching and keepers | |
| Width lugs/buckle | 20/18 mm | |
| Buckle | Pin buckle or folding clasp available in stainless | |
| Reference | ST24-GEF.SA.AC.M.A7.FC | |
| Limited production | 25 pieces per year |
