Armin Strom reinvents the date function with the new Orbit. Full details and pricing of the Armin Strom Orbit ST22-GEFD.75.ST: €31,300 / $29,500
Armin Strom reinvents the date function with a new innovative creation, the Orbit.
In line with the philosophy of their System 78 collection and always looking for new expressions of fine watchmaking, the independent Swiss manufacture combined several complications to create a new type of date display.
Instead of using a small aperture on the dial or a pointer-style hand with the date on the periphery of the dial, the new Orbit uses a column-wheel mechanism to display the date on the bezel at the push of a button, a fun and completely new way to play with this useful indication.
Entirely conceived, developed and built by the Armin Strom manufacture, the unique complication has been dubbed the “Column-Wheel Date”. Visible from the dial side, this mechanism that is typically found in chronographs enhances the function stability and performance while also providing a rewarding tactile experience when engaging and disengaging the date function.
The date is indicated on the bezel by a large central hand with a red “A” tip for Armin. The days of the month – 1 through 31 – are engraved in white around the circumference of the polished black ceramic bezel for a high-contrast and instantly readable effect.
The push button at 10 o'clock acts as a "on/off" switch. In "off" mode the date hand is stationary and remains in its fixed position pointing at 12 o’clock, leaving the off-centred dial unobstructed.
By pressing the pusher, the date hand is engaged and jumps to indicate the correct date. In this mode, the date automatically advances once a day, at midnight. With another push of the button, the hand returns to its stationary position, with a mechanical memory allowing it to jump back to the correct date when required by the wearer.
To avoid any confusion with the position of the hand in the stationary mode, at midnight on the 31 the retrograde mechanism makes the date hand to jump back to 1.
The date can be rapidly set using a corrector button on the 8 o’clock position of the case or can be advanced manually via the crown by advancing the time.
Housed in a 43.4 mm x 12.6 mm stainless steel case paired with an integrated steel bracelet, both alternating satin brushed and polished surfaces, the Orbit displays the time in a black gold offset dial with numbers, indexes and hands filled with Super-LumiNova for improved readability in poor light conditions. Like the rest of the watch, the typical stainless steel hands are in-house manufactured and hand-finished, rare feat for most watch manufactures. A small snailed sub-dial shows the running seconds.
This first iteration of the Orbit is further distinguished by the fact that the three bridges – the barrel, the micro-rotor and winding bridges – are specially coated in black gold.
Based on the development of the Gravity Equal Force that was unveiled in 2019 as the world’s first automatic watch with equal force transmission (you can read our review here), the Orbit’s movement delivers consistent power to the balance, with a power reserve of 72 hours. Its “stop-work” mechanism within the barrel prevents the mainspring from fully unwinding, thus leveraging only the part of the mainspring’s unwinding process that can deliver power most consistently.
Also visible through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback, the 3.5 Hz (25,200 vph) Caliber ASS20 is fully hand-finished and decorated with features such as chamfered and polished edges, polished chatons and perlage graining.
Water resistant up to a pressure of 5 ATM, the new Armin Strom Orbit ref. ST22-GEFD.75.ST is a limited edition of 25 pieces with a price of CHF 29,500 / Euro 31,300 / US$ 29,500. The watches of this first edition come with a 10-year warranty, instead of the 5-year standard term. arminstrom.com
Love this brand because they do things differently and dare to innovate
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