Armin Strom Tourbillon Gumball 3000
Armin Strom plays bold at Gumball 2015
With a personalized watch from the new Gumball 3000 collection on their wrist, two drivers are getting ready for the eponymous famous rally. They are Serge Michel and Claude Greisler from Armin Strom. On your marks!
By Joel Grandjean
Editor-in-Chief
In 2015, Armin Strom has become heavily involved with one of today’s most tumultuous automotive events on four wheels, the Gumball rally. The brand from Biel has surprised its universe: it is serious, visionary, and impregnated with wisdom. It combines the latter with a long-term vision, which is reflected both by its intelligent verticalization and the consistency of its watch collections with in-house calibers.
The saga of Team 78 in a tuned Porsche 911
Put down and sometimes misunderstood, Gumball is a rather rock'n'roll gathering of engines which unleashes passions. Has a respectable brand such as Armin Strom been tempted to open a subversive parenthesis?
Indeed, the two personalities at the head of the Manufacture intend to compete in a tuned Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet under the banner 78. The route designed for 2015 will take a total of 120 participants on a 7-day trip between Stockholm and Las Vegas, festive stops included. Pure madness, adrenaline dust and tingling under the pedals, since the participating cars generally belong to the breed of tuned supercars.
The Gumball and the Swiss brand seem to be a perfect match, even to the extent of the car of choice. Indeed, the Porsche 911 is perceived by some Porschistas as too discreet despite its undeniable sportiness. Yet, just like Armin Strom watches, whose mechanical parts undergo a thousand adjustments and optimizations, the 911 offers leading licensed tuners great opportunities for customization. TechArt Tuning, the company selected by our two watchmakers, is among those who have made themselves a name in expressing their own vision of the Stuttgart sport cars. Thus, the "nine eleven" in the Armin Strom colors will be a TechArt GT Street R convertible, enough to entice talks from connoisseurs and racers. Obviously, such an unpredictable marriage was only made possible thanks to meetings and shared passions.
A MANUAL GUMBALL 3000 on the pilots’ wrists
Throughout the stages of this rally that denies being a race, even if the drivers let go of themselves sometimes, there is always the same atmosphere: parties, good food and good music; something of a rodeo atmosphere that bestows upon itself an air of urban adventure. This is about sport being consumed with pleasure and it is hence far from the idea of one winning at the expense of thousands suffering. It is enjoyable; it almost feels like a festival and it is also the ideal place for opening hoods and talking mechanics. Finally, it is close enough to the universe of watch enthusiasts, who are more than willing to travel thousands of miles to exchange with their peers or to purchase the object of their desire.
Armin Strom’s communicative watchmaking passion needs, of course, to pull out of the game during this unusual journey. Thus, both drivers will have to explain what they will be wearing on the wrist: an exceptional timepiece, a DOUBLE BARREL GUMBALL 3000, one of three designs that premiered at Baselworld last March. Those worn by Serge Michel and Claude Greisler, with their number 78 and light green stripes reminiscent of their car's bodywork, will never be sold. They have been specifically created for them.
Like the two other models dedicated to the rally, the MANUAL GUMBALL 3000 will be available for all participants to buy. On the dial, in addition to a Gumball logo housed at the small seconds at 9 o'clock, time indications mix silver and bright red colors. The piece is equipped with the in-house AMW11-GB caliber – a manual winding watch engine that purrs at 18,000 vibrations per hour. The stainless steel PVD black watch is waterproof to 50 meters, it has a 5-day power reserve and it stands out from other brands’ creations by the offset of its small seconds and its time indications. Its 43.40 mm in diameter make it manly but without any excesses. It is numbered and attached to a leather strap with a pin buckle in stainless steel or black PVD with a black rubber strap.
The Gumball collection: titanium and tourbillon
And whilst Maximillion Cooper, whose event is becoming increasingly global, has taken to the watchmaking game, why not go even further? After all, what will be officially launched at the 2015 Rally, between May 23 and 30 of 2015 is more than just a model. It is a comprehensive collection proposed in the colors of the event. Added to the base model, the DOUBLE BARREL GUMBALL 3000 has, as its name indicates, a double-barrel movement with a power reserve of about 10 days.
In the sealed black titanium PVD case waterproof to 50 meters, we find the ARM12-GB manual winding caliber that also vibrates at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Its bridges are carbon incrusted with gold contour lines and the special Gumball engravings on the back will liven up participants or their supporters. The offer is completed by the TOURBILLON GUMBALL 3000 with the ATC11-GB calibre: a tribute to the prowess of tuners and ultra fans of mechanics. Of course, the calibre is perfectly visible, as dictated by the brand’s DNA and so are the specific Gumball 3000 engravings. The mother of complications deserves a 18K rose gold case as well as silver and rose gold appliques. Finally, the minute 17 has been accentuated on the piece’s dial to remind us that Armin Strom seeks sustainable participation in this sporting which is celebrating its 17th edition. We will no doubt still hear lots about it. Go!
