This week on The Business of Watches, a visit with the folks running Armin Strom, a true original in the small but increasingly crowded field of independent watch brands. It takes its name and original inspiration from the eponymous Swiss watchmaker who was best known for his innovative and record-setting skeletonizing techniques on watches and dials.
Childhood friends Serge Michel and Claude Greisler took over the brand in 2006. Michel, who controls the company, came from a family business background (in another field of business), while Greisler was a watchmaker and engineer. Twenty years on, Armin Strom is a true original in Swiss watchmaking, producing unique timepieces pushing the boundaries of contemporary horology from an atelier in Biel / Bienne, where most of the components are produced, decorated and finished for the brand’s proprietary, in-house designed movements.
Claude Greisler (left) and Serge Michel, the co-founders of Armin Strom.
This week the brand launch a new version of its Dual Time GMT Resonance in a “manufacture blue edition” with a blue mainplate. The watch employs Armin Strom’s unique take on the concept of resonance with dual oscillators kept in balance by its proprietary ‘resonance clutch.’ The story of the development of the brand’s take on the concept is a key element in its journey and we explore and unpack that process in-depth in the episode. Currently making about 400 watches a year with a staff of about 55 people, Armin Strom is on the cusp of increasing its capacity and output. The question is what that growth looks like and Serge Michel explores the decisions the brand is making to take that next step.
There’s plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to respond. Want to subscribe so you never miss an episode? This show is being published to the original Hodinkee Podcasts feed, so you can subscribe wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or TuneIn.
Show Notes
2:36 Armin Strom
3:25 Burgdorf, Switzerland (Wikipedia)
5:28 Armin Strom: Exploring Its Past And Present (Fratello)
9:00 Armin Strom’s First In House Tourbillon (Europastar)
10:23 In-Depth: Understanding Resonance In Watches (SJX)
12:20 Armin Strom Resonance Clutch Spring
16:04 CSEM Neuchatel
18:02 Innosuisse
20:59 Abraham-Louis Breguet (Wikipedia)
23:10 System 78
25:56 Armin Strom’s Groundbreaking ‘Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition’ Lets You Chime The Time (Or Really Show Off) (Hodinkee)
28:10 Armin Strom Extends Marussia F1 Partnership (Watchpro)
