ARMIN STROM on Gumball and the Edge

The brand that immortalises the legacy of master watchmaker Armin Strom, who excelled in the art of skeletonising, is now moving on to greater heights. “Day & Night” chatted with Serge Michel, CEO of ARMIN STROM, on the Gumball partnership and the distinguishing features of the new Edge

The Biel-based brand has its roots in the skeletonising skills of its founder Armin Strom, who first ventured into business in the 1960s. Along with selling and repairing clocks, this skilled watchmaker found his special love in the creation of skeletonised watches. Through the years, the brand has continued to grow and is now based in a manufacture in Biel. “Day & Night” had the opportunity to meet up with Serge Michel, CEO of ARMIN STROM, at Baselworld 2016 and discuss the adventures of the Gumball, the intricacies of the brand’s latest offering ­– the Edge – and the marque’s plans for the future.

Last year, you collaborated with Gumball and brought out the Gumball 3000 Special Edition watch. How was the reception for that?
The response for the Gumball was good. It was a great partnership for us last year and it made sense, because the route through Europe and then the US were exactly the regions we are active in and expanding. I accompanied the team for the whole rally. We started from Stockholm, drove through Oslo, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. We then flew with the cars to Reno, Nevada, and drove from Reno to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

How was the Gumball Rally experience?
It was great. There are about 120 super cars and you have to imagine driving from A to Z with your Ferrari or your Porsche. There are around 100 cars with you on the roads. It is an incredible feeling.

Can you tell us about your new product – Edge?
The Edge is a new chapter for ARMIN STROM. For the last six-seven years, we had a clear strategy for our watches. We had one case only – of course, with different materials such as stainless steel, titanium, white gold, rose gold – but the size and shape were always the same; it was 42.3mm. But the Edge has a new case design and is larger; it is 46.8mm. The Edge has a bezel, a crown guard and side cuts. It is a much more masculine, sporty case and the focus is very much on the movement – the finishing of the movement, the shape of the bridges and the wheels.

The shape of the bridges is different; they are not so classical. We were always a modern brand in terms of design, but this is a step further.  We saw that the watch had an almost futuristic design and so we came up with the idea of having a visual of a robot. The robot is made up with parts of the watch. We will have integrated rubber straps, which means we can play around with colours. At the moment, we have cases in gold, steel and black. But we will build up on this collection. We have had fabulous feedback for this watch.

Do you think the new Edge design, the new size, will overtake the traditional model?
No, I don’t think so. We will definitely keep our line, the Four Elements, where we play with the elements – water, air, fire and Earth – with different case materials. The Edge doesn’t belong to these four elements. I think it won’t overtake it, we will continue to have a demand for the traditional, while this watch will satisfy the more progressive markets.

For the Tourbillon Skeleton, did the difficulty arise because it is different? Is decorating the movement as important as the design?
Maybe at the first look, you are right. But when you look again, you can see the details of the watch – we still show the movements of the watch. The finishing of the movements of the watch is called cross-grinding and it is difficult to do this by hand. The decoration on the movement is extremely important to us. The edges are very sharp and this requires skilled craftsmen.

What will be used for the casing in the future?
For the moment, we are using steel, PVD black, rose gold and gold for the cases. But we are in the process of inventing a few more; we are testing with carbon fibre and other materials.

How has the feedback been for the Edge?
Fabulous; it has been really great. Though it is bigger, it sits on the wrist nicely; the case is a bit thinner on the wrist than on the bezel. The feedback has been good and very, very positive. The bigger size also gives us more freedom in design and creativity.

How many watches is ARMIN STROM producing now?
At last count, it was a little more than 600 pieces, so we are still very, very exclusive. We have a goal of producing hundred more. Of course, markets are not easy any more. Still, with our collector base, our markets and our retail partnerships, I am convinced we will do well.

What is the price range for the Edge?
The Edge starts at CHF26,900 for the steel version, while the gold begins at CHF39,000. It is definitely a competitive price, when you see the decorations, the movement itself, the finishing and the exclusivity – it is limited to 100 pieces in steel and 100 in gold.

Can you explain the various markets where you are active?
In terms of market, we are already strong in the US and it has big potential. We have signed a contract recently in Basel for Japan, so that is another market. In the Middle East, we have retailers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We will be starting in Bahrain and perhaps Qatar. Of course, it is not easy now in the Middle East.

In Europe, we focus on a few countries only. We are focusing on Switzerland. Holland, France and the UK are very, very good markets for us. We have partners in Germany and Eastern Europe.