ARMIN STROM revs its engine at the Gumball Rally
Renowned for its exquisite skeletonized timepieces, the independent Swiss Manufacturer has successfully managed to uphold its core values of innovation and tradition to be awarded with The Red Dot Design Award for its stainless steel Skeleton Pure Water, which earned a distinction in the watch category
Another notable achievement, for which ARMIN STROM is celebrating, is the bestowing of the title for Official Timekeeper of the 2015 Gumball 3000 rally, which saw the brand unveil a stunning range of new sporty timepieces that were showcased at Baselworld 2015. ‘Day and Night’ magazine was lucky enough to meet with the company owner, Serge Michel, to learn more about ARMIN STROM’s latest collection and its new sponsorship venture.
Can you tell us about ARMIN STROM’S partnerships with other entities?
ARMIN STROM sponsored the Marussia F1 team for a consecutive 4 years, but last year in 2014, it was decided that we would not be the sponsors for 2015. Therefore, the search for a new partnership began and we managed to secure an exciting opportunity with the Gumball 3000 rally. The Gumball is rally is a private, annual event where 120 super-cars drive 3000 miles in convoy within a week. It’s not a race as in the traditional terms, but instead it’s a group of drivers journeying together, spending time with each other, meeting like-minded people, and enjoying the feel of a powerful engine carry them across a long distance. ARMIN STROM is the official watch sponsor of the rally; and we have our logo displayed on every participating car. In celebration of holding such a prestigious position, the brand has unveiled a special range of Gumball 3000 watches, where the special editions are based on 3 different models – from a simple manual-winding watch to a Gold Tourbillon.
Is the Gumball 3000 rally a long-term partnership?
Currently, we have a contract for just one year; however we retain the rights to sign up for the following year of 2016. The decision to sponsor the event next year will be made at a later stage, providing we think the venture is worthwhile, which I’m sure we will.
How has the feedback been on your latest collection, especially the Gumball series?
Gumball watches are based on existing calibres. We have simply played around with the colours and the brand logo to bring the watch up to date. The reaction from our clients and prospective customers has been very good, where people are interested to know more about the detailed dials that demand closer inspection. However, the Skeleton Pure Collection is what has really excites customers. The watches boast skeletonised dials where the RM09-S manual-winding movement is visible. Once fully wound, the watches offer an 8 day power reserve, which is more than the average timepiece offers in the market.
Are there going to be any more Gumball special edition watches?
No, we will not produce any more Gumball watches. Currently, we have just three designs; The Manual Gumball 3000, which is the official 2015 Gumball watch for the 17th Anniversary of the Gumball Rally and has been crafted in black stainless steel in a limited edition numbered series. Then we have the Double Barrel Gumball 3000, with a Titanium PVD black case, also in a limited edition numbered series, and finally, we have the Tourbillon Gumball 3000 in a polished rose gold, which is a limited edition of just 5 pieces.
Skeleton watches are renowned for being classical. How did the shift come about to create a Skeletonised sporty watch?
The history of the brand shows us that Mr Armin Strom is an extremely skilled artisan, who is an expert is skeletonised dials. During his career, he focussed on a more classical exterior that catered for the older generation. Since his retirement, the company has come under a new, younger management who want to bridge the gap between the older and younger generation.
To achieve this, the direction and goals of ARMIN STROM were altered to devise a strategy aimed at the tastes of clients aged around 30 years old. Through market research, we discovered the younger clientele wanted a sportier timepiece that could be worn on a number of occasions with most outfits, therefore we began the shift towards a sportier exterior. Each sporty timepiece features an in-house calibre, and as we control all aspects of production, this allows us to make changes where we see fit.
How long does it take to produce a skeletonised watch?
That’s a hard question to answer as it depends on the watch itself. For the skeletonised dials, we use a CNC machine to produce the components, it isn’t done by hand as the process would take far too long. Once that stage is complete, we focus on polishing, bevelling, and engraving the parts, where just the engraving on the Skeleton Gold takes around four days.
How many watches is ARMIN STROM currently producing?
Last year, we produced around 500 watches in total and this year we forecast to increase that number by 100, and to do this we use machinery to aid in production rates. However we are aiming to produce around 2500 watches per year by the year 2020, just in time for the Dubai Expo!
The cost of producing in-house movements must be overwhelming. How is the brand coping with this if it only produces 500 watches per year?
Well, I wouldn’t say the cost is overwhelming. In fact it is cheaper to produce all the components of the watch in-house via vertical integration, as it allows better control of end products and as an added bonus, we can supply movements to other brands too. About 25% of our business is achieved through the production of parts for other watch-making brands – this is done primarily to keep the machines in use as they have the capacity to produce 2000 watches. We don’t design or develop products for external parties; we simply produce movements for them to use how they desire.
