Hot Take: Gravity Equal Force A Brand New Watch by Armin Strom

Armin Strom presents its new Gravity Equal Force at Dubai Watch Week.

The Middle Eastern watch extravaganza that Dubai Watch Week is has a lot more to offer than what you’d expect from the famous emirate. The event is a world-class gathering of the who’s who in the industry. It is also the place for several brands to showcase their latest and greatest. This is a given. Every watch show includes these things in their lineup. Dubai Watch Week also serves as the perfect occasion for many brands to launch their new models during the event. Our friends at Armin Strom think precisely like this. That should be the reason why they chose this time of the year to launch something special. It’s not only a new model but the first one from a whole new line, the Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force. The timepiece design is clean and simple. Still, innovation is there.

Gravity Equal Force

The new Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force is a brand-new model by the brand, that also serves as the first addition to a new model line System 78. More about that below. Let’s talk about the Gravity Equal Force first. The main improvement in the watch is the mainspring barrel. It received an upgrade by a stop-work declutch mechanism combined with self-winding. The aim was to create a consistent power delivery to the balance. The idea is simple; the stop-work declutch system that works inside the mainspring barrel limits the torque delivered to the balance wheel. This way, the Gravity Equal Force has a smooth power delivery.

Furthermore, it is the first time that such a stop-work declutch mechanism is working in an automatic movement. Ingenious, right? The Gravity Equal Force comes with a power reserve of 72 hours and a micro-rotor visible from the dial side.

The inspiration came from a faulty pocket watch by a US collector that needed servicing. Said watch contained a motor barrel design that presented clear advantages over the standard going barrel. The designers at Armin Strom took this system and created a barrel that works in the reverse of a traditional mainspring barrel. All this achieved by driving the going train via the barrel arbor and winding the barrel housing. This enhances functionality and reduces wear. With many other small improvements to the going train and the winding mechanism, Armin Strom proves that their in-house R&D team relentlessly works on questioning established theories. As Claude Greisler, co-founder of Armin Strom, puts it, “We have reinvented the whole functionality of an automatic watch movement to bring another level of precision and to offer our collectors more assurance for reliable daily wear.”

System 78

So far, Armin Strom’s offerings consisted of the following collections; Masterpiece, Resonance, Double Barrel, and Single Barrel. With the new Gravity Equal Force, Armin Strom is releasing its new model line, System 78. This is intended to replace the Single Barrel collection, the most affordable range of watches in the company’s line up. System 78 will be the entry point for Armin Strom, offering an Haute Horlogerie collection at a reasonable price. We need to understand that the goal of the company is to provide innovation and exquisite quality at the lowest price point possible. Compared to an “average” luxury sports watch of 5-7K USD, these timepieces will still be expensive. However, if you know independent watchmaking (and their prices) and understand the philosophy of Armin Strom, this indeed is a huge step.

As the brand says, “The name displays what the brand hopes to create, a System of fine watchmaking available to all who desire it. Every piece will feature innovation as well as showcasing the watchmaking philosophy of Serge Michel and Claude Greisler, co-founders of the modern Armin Strom, both born in the same year, 1978. Thus the System 78 collection is born.”

If you’d like to visit Armin Strom’s website, please click here.