As you guys know, Armin Strom is an independent haute horlogerie brand known to master the art of skeletonization but also a brand that excels in making some unique pieces here and there, like the WatchCollectingLifestyle unique piece we shared with you at the end of September, here. Well, this time we are bringing you a hands-on review of a very unique Armin Strom Skeleton Pure featuring a middle case made of matte ceramic. The Armin Strom Skeleton Pure is not only one of the winners at the 2015 Red Dot Product Design Awards but also one of the best skeletonized watches in the market. The Armin Strom Skeleton Pure Chocolate Brown Ceramic Unique Piece we have here is in reality one of the nicest brown watches out there.
The Dial
The Armin Strom Skeleton Pure Chocolate Brown Ceramic Unique Piece features a fully skeletonized dial with a transparent sapphire ring with applied white markers and a white minute track. This fully transparent dial was designed to proudly display the art of skeletonization mastered by this manufacture and with the traditional Armin Strom layout featuring off-centered hour/minutes hands and a running seconds indicator with superimposed 8-day power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock. The mainplate of the movement on the dial side was so skeletonized that even the double barrels were skeletonized showing its mainsprings in full view.
The Case
The Armin Strom Skeleton Pure Chocolate Brown Ceramic Unique Piece is fitted with a matte chocolate brown ceramic middle case with the same measurements —43.4 mm x 13.4 mm— as all other Armin Strom watches with the exception of the Edge Double Barrel Collection and the Mirrored Force Resonance. For Armin Strom to explore new case combinations it is not a simple process as their watches are exclusively based on the four terrestrial elements: Earth —Blackened PVD stainless Steel—, Air —titanium—, Fire —18K rose gold— and Water —mirror polished stainless steel. Therefore, a combination of different metals or materials is something typically reserved to very special unique pieces.
But what makes the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure Chocolate Brown Ceramic Unique Piece even more special is that for the very first time, the brand is combining three different materials in its case construction. As a first in the brand's history, Armin Strom is using matte ceramic on the middle case, Sintermetall Kratzfest for the bezel —a revolutionary alloy similar to AP's Cermet or Rado's Ceramos combining high-tech ceramic with metal and that is scratchproof— and a stainless steel case back.
While this is a first for the brand, it looks like it won't be the last as Armin Strom has already shared with us that they are already exploring the use of a navy blue ceramic case for next year. The case just like the rest of the watch is finished with the utmost care featuring sharp lugs with prominent chamfers and a silky matte finish that to the touch simply feels like no other brown ceramic case in the market —by the way, only Hublot or IWC currently have watches with brown ceramic cases. Featuring its iconic lip at 6 o'clock that can be engraved with the owner's initials, the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure Chocolate Brown Ceramic Unique Piece breaks the mold but stays true to its DNA. Equipped with a brown hornback strap with white contrast stitching, the watch is also delivered with an additional brown rubber strap and a double-fold clasp available as an option.
The Movement
Powering the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure Chocolate Brown Ceramic Unique Piece is the 8-day power reserve manual wound in-house calibre ARM09-S Pure composed of 146 parts, 34 jewels and which provides a power reserve of 8 days while beating at a frequency of 18,000 vph. This exceptionally finished movement that is in-house from top to bottom including its gear train is fully visible via the sapphire crystal display case back coated with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. The limited edition information is engraved on the balance cock.
On the Wrist & Pricing
On the wrist, the watch wears true to its size and overall just very nice. The case has a very smooth feel to it —almost rubbery and satiny— and is really nicely finished. Without a doubt, this a watch that will get a lot of attention wherever you go. If you like watches that resemble a delicious high-tech piece of chocolate on the wrist, this is the way to go. To inquire about this watch, contact Armin Strom directly.
Sticker Price $40,000 USD. For more info on Armin Strom click here.
