Our Take

Based out of Biel, Switzerland, Armin Strom is dedicated to openworked movements and often unusual complications. Year after year, the brand’s in-house manufacturing and finishing capabilities have moved toward bigger, bolder releases from the Orbit to the Mirrored Force Resonance. We’re thrilled to present another creation from Armin Strom – the Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire.

Armin Strom wants collectors to see the intricacy of the movement through the dial. That’s central to the brand’s identity. While the original Gravity Equal Force showcases bridges for the mainspring barrel and micro-rotor on the dial, the addition of a sapphire offset subdial ensures that nothing is blocked from sight. Sapphire is a clear evolutionary step in line with the intention of Armin Strom’s identity – the mechanics are laid even more bare.

Aesthetically, there’s strong cohesion in the Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire with its matte, dark gray ruthenium-plated bridges and the black guilloché pattern on the timepiece’s mainplate. Crafted by Kari Voutilainen, the guillochage adds additional texture to an already exceptional three-dimensional and spacious dial.

For as beautiful as the timepiece is, there’s a strong argument that its largest contribution is technical. For ages, there was no easy solution to craft an “affordable” way to stabilize how quickly a mainspring’s energy is dispersed. Remontoire and chain and fusée options existed, of course, but at much higher price points. For manual wind timepieces, there was always been a solution – a Geneva stop-work mechanism – but it took until 2019 for Armin Strom to craft something similar for automatic timepieces. This is a huge aspect of this timepiece and its namesake: a stop-work that ensures the barrel distributes energy evenly through the timepiece’s 72 hour power reserve. All in a slim profile 41mm case, this is an ultra-luxury complication brought to a much, much more affordable price.

From a technical and aesthetic standpoint, there are simply few timepieces that compete with the Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire at its price point. It punches well above its weight class, and that has become the standard for Armin Strom over recent years.

The Details

Brand: Armin Strom 

Model: Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire

Distinctions:

Stop-Work declutch mechanism and Equal Force Barrel

Handmade guilloche pattern on the black movement plate by Kari Voutilainen

Bridges are coated with dark grey ruthenium; the barrel and the micro rotor are coated with rhodium

Case:

Stainless steel

Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment

Diameter: 41.00 mm

Height: 12.65 mm

Lug-to-Lug: 48.09 mm

Water-resistance: 30 m

Dial: Grey toned off-center sapphire dial with subdial

Hands: Steel with hand finishing and Super-LumiNova® filling