Hands-on review of the Armin Strom Tribute 1. A watch of great appeal and true elegance, the Armin Strom Tribute 1 has a price of CHF 13,900.
Introduced last June as a 25-piece limited edition with gray dial, the Tribute 1 by Armin Strom is now also available in two 100-piece editions with black or blue dial (you can read our presentation article here).
We recently had the opportunity to spend a few days with the Tribute 1 with black dial and we are now delighted to share our impressions and pictures.
The Tribute 1 is a modern interpretation of the traditional dress watch characterised by a contemporary design, technical excellence and superb finishes that you would expect to find only in timepieces way more expensive.
The case has beautiful proportions with a diameter of 38 mm and a total height of 9 mm. Its lines are well highlighted by the alternation of satin-brushed and polished surfaces.
With their distinctive look, the angular lugs add character to the timepiece enhancing its uniqueness. Lug to lug distance is 18 mm.
The large crown is located at 2 o’clock: this choice improves the comfort on the wrist while also visually balancing the elements of the dial, framed by a slim polished bezel featuring a small embossment at 6 o'clock, a nod to a signature element of the brand that was originally designed to offer a surface for personalizing the watch with engraved initials.
The off-centre snailed dial displays hours, minutes and seconds. It intersects with the eye-catching barrel embossed with the text "MANUAL WINDING - ONE HUNDRED HOURS OF POWER RESERVE" and held in place by a sculpted bridge made of brass. The granular-looking plate around these two elements is the result of the grenage finishing.
The hands are produced in-house by Armin Strom - very rare in the watchmaking industry where most watch hands are produced by few specialised companies - and polished by hand.
The remarkable autonomy of more than 4 days guarantees great versatility in the weekly use.
Sapphire crystals with anti-reflective treatment are used on both sides.
The hand-wound manufacture Caliber AMW21 is meticulously decorated with Haute Horlogerie finishes including Côtes de Genève, polished jewel sinks and a circular grained mainplate. All edges are hand beveled. The gear train bridge is beveled and polished in 60° - a process that is more complex to execute and takes twice as long.
Beating at the frequency of 3.5 Hz (25,200 vibrations per hour), the movement is equipped with a flat hairspring with a variable inertia balance wheel.
Instead of the "PROTOTYPE" text that you see in our pictures, the final product features a “1 OUT OF 100” engraving that remarks the exclusivity and limited production of this model.
The inscription SYSTEM 78 on the caseback is the name of the collection that includes the Tribute 1 and the Gravity Equal Force models. System 78 refers to 1978, the year when Serge Michel and Claude Greisler, co-founders of the modern Armin Strom, were born (read our interview here).
Water resistant up to a pressure of 5 bar (approximately 50 metres / 165 feet), the watch is matched to a black alligator leather strap with a double folding clasp in stainless steel.
A watch of great appeal and true elegance, the Armin Strom Tribute 1 with black (ref. ST21-TRI.35.S21-AR.18.AL.M.32.cl) or blue dial (ref. ST21-TRI.05.S21-AR.18.AL.M.32.cl) has a price of CHF 13,900 which is absolutely amazing at this level of quality. With it, Armin Strom makes Haute Horlogerie accessible at a reasonable price point.
The Tribute 1 comes with a 10-year warranty, doubling the standard warranty typically offered by the Swiss brand. arminstrom.com
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