Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force
A New Aesthetic For Armin Strom’s Gravity Equal Force In Rose Gold
Where many watchmakers love to make simple things complicated, Armin Strom strives to make the complicated simple.
By Sophie Furley
Contributor
After the successful launch of Armin Strom’s Gravity Equal Force in stainless steel last year, the Bienne-based brand is back with a new version in rose gold and black.
Core Principals Of Armin Strom
Innovation is at the heart of Armin Strom and always has been. Its commitment to questioning established theory and using its fully independent manufacture to advance horological technology is ongoing. The brand’s Mirrored Force Resonance and Resonance timepieces are proof of this alone, and the new Gravity Equal Force in rose gold only pushes this philosophy further.
The Inspiration Behind The Gravity Equal Force Innovation
The inspiration behind the Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force collection came from a desire to transmit equal force to the balance. Most barrels have increased torque when they are fully wound, but lose power as the mainspring unwinds, affecting the precision of the watch.
To counteract this problem, Armin Strom decided to look into the classic Geneva stop-works mechanism. (This type of mechanism stops the winding before the spring is completely coiled, as well as stops the running of the watch before the spring is completely uncoiled, therefore using only the optimal range of the spring). Building on this system, Armin Strom developed an ingenious stop-works declutch system inside the barrel to limit the torque and provide a smoother delivery of power to the balance. This was the first time such a mechanism had been added to an automatic winding movement.
Not One But Two Innovations
If this ingenious stop-works declutch system wasn’t enough innovation to merit a new Armin Strom timepiece, another idea presented itself to the brand when a pocket watch belonging to a U.S. collector came in for repair. This pocket watch contained a different barrel design that showed clear advantages over the standard going barrel. This new barrel design gave Armin Strom’s watchmakers the idea to design a barrel with a mainspring that is wound by turning the drum, rather than by turning the center arbor.
Simplicity That Isn’t So Simple
This new barrel system vastly improved both the functionality and wear and tear, thanks to increased stability and a decrease in friction. “We have reinvented the whole functionality of an automatic watch movement to bring another level of precision and to offer our collectors more assurance for reliable daily wear,” shared Claude Greisler, Co-Founder of Armin Strom.
The Force Of Design
A first look at this timepiece and its off-centered dial and three floating bridges immediately catch the eye. Read more about this functionalist approach to design HERE. This new model is also slimmer than other Armin Strom collections and, like its stainless steel predecessor, comes in a smaller 41mm size to appeal to the more classically-inclined collector.
System 78
The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force is part of a new collection by the brand called the System 78 Collection, which comes from 1978 – the year both co-founders were born. The System 78 Collection replaces the Single Barrel Collection and offers haute horlogerie at great value for money. “It’s not self-evident that we can present our watchmaking values and hunger for innovation to a broader audience,” notes Serge Michel, Founder of the manufacture. “It was a big challenge to offer this level of perfection for that price.”
The stainless steel version is priced at CHF 16,900, and the new rose gold version is available for CHF 26,900, which is quite astounding when you consider just how complicated it was to keep all this so beautifully simple!
(Photography by Pierre Vogel)
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