Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Armin Strom Tribute 1 Green
Armin Strom’s compact dress watch returns with a refreshing green colour scheme inspired by forests and fields.
A force to be reckoned with on the indie scene, Armin Strom is renowned for its haute horlogerie prowess, illustrated by its mastery of the phenomenon of resonance. However, aware that not everyone can splurge on its high-end Resonance and Masterpiece collections, Armin Strom introduced a more accessible yet no less mechanically compelling range in its System 78 collection. Home to the Gravity Equal Force and the Tribute 1, the System 78 collection keeps prices in check thanks to scale production and shared components. Conceived as a slim, compact and contemporary dress watch with handmade finishes, the latest edition of the Tribute 1 features an attractive green dial.
As Serge Michel, co-founder of Armin Strom, revealed in our interview, the impetus behind System 78 stemmed from his own frustrations as a young collector who was unable to afford the watches he most admired. Introduced in 2021, the System 78 family was conceived to offer serious horological content in a contemporary package at more restrained prices. Now in its fifth year, the Tribute 1 has appeared in many guises, ranging from stainless steel to gold cases, and from guilloché to fumé dials. Faithful to its dress watch calling, all Tribute 1 editions share a compact 38mm case with a slim height of 9.38mm, featuring the signature “lip” at 6 o’clock and the crown at 2 o’clock.
The latest edition comes in a brushed and polished stainless steel case and, in line with the rationale of the System 78’s modular system, the lugs of the Tribute 1 are identical to those featured on the Gravity Equal Force. Along with the thin polished bezel and the straight, angular casebands, they provide the Tribute 1 with an interesting mix of modernity and restrained elegance.
Minimalist yet rich in detail, the two intersecting sub-dials are set against a lovely frosted green background. The off-centred hours and minutes disc is decorated with a hand-guilloché grain d’orge pattern in a rich forest green colour. The surrounding chapter ring bearing white Roman numerals is frosted, and the time is indicated by openworked hour and minute hands complemented by a central seconds hand grazing the peripheral railroad-style track. In the lower right-hand corner is the openworked barrel secured by a rounded stainless steel hand-bevelled finger bridge with gleaming mirror-polished surfaces. Flaunting the virtues of its manual-winding movement, the barrel is engraved in relief with “One Hundred Hours of Power Reserve”.
With 97% of the components produced in-house, the compact and slim 4.2mm manual-winding in-house calibre AMW21 has an impressive power reserve. Fitted with a patented equal force barrel that optimises efficiency, the 100-hour power reserve is a welcome feature. Also held in place by a finger bridge, the variable inertia balance wheel beats at a frequency of 3.5Hz. Like all Armin Strom watches, the movement is assembled twice, and the hand-finishings are traditionally executed but decidedly contemporary.
The Armin Strom Tribute 1 Green is paired with an interchangeable matching green Alcantara leather strap with a steel folding clasp. A limited edition of 50 pieces, the watch retails for CHF 22,000. More information at arminstrom.com.
