For the third year running, Armin Strom will be among the sponsoring watch brands at the WatchTime New York event in October. This year, the independent Swiss brand renowned for its skeleton movements will showcase an entirely new technological development that enables consumers to design their own one-of-a-kind Armin Strom watch from the ground up —the Armin Strom Watch Configurator.
As one of the few independent watchmakers with the ability to create their own watch movements under one roof, Armin Strom offers with its online Watch Configurator a greater level of personalization than has any other brand’s online bespoke system thus far. After entering a virtual reality version of Armin Strom’s watchmaking workshop at its Swiss manufacture, guests can begin by choosing any movement available in Armin Strom’s repertoire — up to and including tourbillon and five-day power reserve calibers. Then he or she can select colors, engravings, and even which parts of the movement are skeletonized — Armin Strom, of course, being widely regarded as a specialist in skeletonization. Finally, the client moves on to the choices for case material, style and color of the dial and hands, type of clasp, and even the color of the stitching on the strap. As the look of the watch changes with each chosen configuration, so does the price, which is always visible along with the various composition options as the Watch Configurator calculates as you go. The best news for collectors looking for a unique piece? Watches purchased via the Watch Configurator are no more expensive than their serially produced versions.
Armin Strom describes its Watch Configurator as “the ultimate way for collectors to create their own watches rather than have to select from a limited choice.” The brand also makes it quite convenient for the customer to acquire their unique piece and makes sure its brick-and-mortar retailers are an integral part of the process. Watches ordered through the online Configurator can be picked up at any authorized Armin Strom retailer, or even — for those frequent international travelers — at Armin Strom’s factory in Bienne, Switzerland. For those who choose the latter option, a tour of the facility is included in the purchase price. The Watch Configurator also can be used by Armin Strom’s traditional watch retailers as an additional tool to sell timepieces— no special computing knowledge necessary.
“My technical team and I are proud to have been able to develop an innovative system like the Watch Configurator based on the exceptional depth of manufacturing that Armin Strom possesses,”says Claude Greisler, director of Armin Strom. “This is a new way to go with the times that excitingly enables the collector’s deepest wishes for a unique timepiece to be fulfilled with a true haute horlogerie timepiece.”
Serge Michel, owner of the brand, adds: “I’m very happy to be able to integrate our retail partners in such a groundbreaking project as this, one that offers truly new perspectives in the luxury world. It emphasizes the fact that we are all partners.”
If you’d like to try your own hand at configuring a personalized Armin Strom watch, with representatives of the brand on hand to offer advice and insight, reserve your spot now for WatchTime New York 2017. Tickets are going fast!
