Inside the Armin Strom manufacture in Bienne: A detailed look inside the independent watch brand’s surprisingly vertical manufacture.
The word “manufacture” is one that gets thrown around a lot in watchmaking jargon these days. Being a manufacture means being capable of taking a watch from a concept to a final finished product, with the general understanding being that watch brands claiming to be one have their own proprietary movements and make the majority of its parts in-house. And while no single Swiss brand is 100% vertically integrated, more and more brands of all sizes are taking steps towards internalising production. One such brand is Armin Strom, and when they say manufacture, they mean it.
Nestled in the heart of Bienne, the Armin Strom manufacture takes was inaugurated in 2009 in the form of an unassuming villa. What my photo doesn’t show you is the large extension on the back side of the building, where the watchmaking actually happens. The brand’s headquarter houses both production as well as the administration of the brand. (random fact: Biel/Bienne is Switzerland’s largest bilingual town, where both French and German are spoken).
Before I start, let me say this: in my eight years as a watch-lover living in Switzerland, I’ve seen my fair share of so-called watch manufactures, ranging from just a basement workshop with a single machine machine to full-fledged high-tech manufactures producing just about every watch component you can think of. What I wasn’t expecting when I visited Armin Strom was to see a surprisingly vertical small-scale manufacture.
I’ll start with the main function of any true manufacture, and that’s the production of watch movement components; specifically for movements. This includes the production flat movement parts like plates, bridges and levers, as well as cylindrical pieces such as wheels and pinions. I make the distinction because typically, the kind of CNC machinery used for each type is fairly different. Ensuring a certain standard of quality, the solid brass pare are either drilled, milled, turned or wire-eroded, but never stamped.
I was surprised to learn that Armin Strom had its very own electroplating (or galvanoplastie as the French call it) laboratory, where brass components are given surface treatments and plated for aesthetical purposes as well as improving the material’s hardness, resistance to corrosion, etc. This can be anything from a classical rose gold plating to a more modern ruthenium. Having its own electroplating laboratory also allows the brand to experiment with new formulas and surface treatments, ultimately producing new colors for watch components. This is a fairly uncommon sight, even among larger manufactures and movement subcontractors.
The art of hand engraving is one Armin Strom take very seriously at their manufacture, as evident in their One Week Skeleton (in fact, that’s the piece the engraver was working on that day). Besides the skeleton pieces however, just about every Armin Strom movement has a hand-engraved element, usually on the circular bridge surrounding the escapement.
Of course, the hallmark of a true haute horlogerie product is the decoration of individual components and overall finish of a movement. In this aspect Armin Strom does not disappoint in the least, with movements boasting various finishing techniques such as circular satin-brushing for the wheels, beveled and polished edges on bridges, black or mirror-polishing screws and tourbillon cages, and much more.
And finally, perhaps the most picturesque role of a watchmaker, the movements and watches are meticulously hand-assembled and tested.
What I particularly appreciated from my visit to the Armin Strom manufacture was the balance between state-of-the-art production and traditional craftsmanship. The atmosphere was one of an artisanal creator and not an industrial one. Sure, they might not make their own cases and hairsprings, but for a brand with this kind of production volume, the accomplishment in such a short time is nothing short of spectacular. Would no less than 12 different movements in their current lineup, I would say that Armin Strom is definitely a brand to keep on your radar.
For now, you can look forward to my “month on the wrist” review of the Armin Strom Racing Gravity in the coming weeks.
More information on www.arminstrom.com
