Armin Strom Tourbillon Gravity Fire

The Armin Strom Tourbillon Gravity Fire — a limited edition of only 50 pieces, all in 18k rose gold cases — represents the company’s attempt to merge what it calls “the two opposites that animate every watch movement: winding and regulation.” The tourbillon is a mechanism invented to make regulation more precise by reducing the effects of gravity on the watch’s movement, while the motion of the microrotor uses that same gravity to supply energy to the gear train. In other words, says Armin Strom, the system “exploit[s]… both the positive and negative impacts of the Earth’s gravition.”

The watch’s dial displays the established Armin Strom look: heavily skeletonized to show off the hand-finished movement, Armin Strom Caliber ATM13, in which both the tourbillon and microrotor are visible on the dial side. The movement also has an escape wheel and pallets made of solid gold, a screwed balance with Breguet spiral, and hand-engraved decorations on the plate and tourbillon bridge, bearing the “fire” motif common to all movements in Armin Strom’s Fire collection of timepieces. This Armin Strom caliber’s power reserve is also impressive: 110 hours, all from a single barrel.

The case is 43.40 mm in diameter, 13 mm thick, and water-resistant to 50 meters. The sapphire crystals in the front and back of the watch have been treated with nonreflective coating. The black dial ring with applique numerals and indices contrasts with the rose gold case and hands. The Armin Strom Tourbillon Gravity Fire comes on a genuine brown alligator hornback strap with a double-folding clasp in rose gold; each is also packaged with an additional strap made of brown rubber. The price is $148,000 (Click on photo for larger image).