Armin Strom

Who are Armin Strom?

Armin Strom is an independent Swiss watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne. The name belongs to a watchmaker who opened a shop in Burgdorf in 1967 and became known for hand-skeletonised watches (WorldTempus). Since 2006 the brand has been run by Serge Michel and the watchmaker Claude Greisler, who opened a manufacture in Biel in 2009 and now make their own movements (Armin Strom). This page covers its history, collections and ownership, then what to check when buying an Armin Strom watch second-hand in the UK.

The modern company is small: Quill & Pad reported in 2018 that it made fewer than 1,000 watches a year. Its signature watches use resonance, in which two balance wheels are linked so that they beat in step (Armin Strom).

The history of Armin Strom

Armin Strom’s history has two parts: a watchmaker’s own business in Burgdorf from 1967, and the manufacture in Biel set up after 2006. The key dates are the shop (1967), the first watches under his name (1984), the new company (2006), the Biel manufacture and first in-house movement (2009) and the first resonance watch (2016).

The skeletoniser. Armin Strom was born in Burgdorf (A Timely Perspective). After his apprenticeship and early work in Lotzwil and St. Moritz, he opened his own shop in Burgdorf’s old town in 1967 (WorldTempus). He specialised in skeletonising, cutting away every part of a movement with no working function, and leading Swiss brands hired him to skeletonise small series of their watches (WorldTempus; A Timely Perspective). His own creations were first shown at the Basel watch fair in 1984, and in 1990 he set a Guinness World Record for the smallest hand-skeletonised ladies’ watch (A Timely Perspective).

The new company. In 2006 Strom formed a company with Willy Michel, an industrialist from Burgdorf, who wanted the brand to make small series rather than individual pieces for clients (Quill & Pad). The company was incorporated as Armin Strom AG that year (WorldTempus). Willy Michel’s son Serge Michel and his childhood friend Claude Greisler, a watchmaker who had spent three years designing movements at Christophe Claret, took over the brand (Quill & Pad; A Timely Perspective). Serge Michel became director in 2008 (Quill & Pad).

The Biel manufacture. In 2009 the company moved into a large production building in Biel, and in November that year it presented the ARM09, its first in-house movement, with two barrels and a one-week power reserve (WorldTempus). Quill & Pad says the first complete collection with it followed in 2010. The founder retired at the end of September 2011 but stayed connected to the brand (WorldTempus; A Timely Perspective). He died in late 2024, aged 86 (A Timely Perspective).

Resonance. Serge Michel and Claude Greisler presented the Mirrored Force Resonance, the brand’s first resonance watch, in November 2016 (Quill & Pad). A larger Dual Time Resonance followed with Calibre ARF17 (aBlogtoWatch), and in August 2019, marking a decade as an independent manufacture, Greisler unveiled what Robb Report called “the world’s first resonance minute repeater”. The System78 collection began with the Gravity Equal Force, which Watchonista dates to 2019; Monochrome Watches says System78 was introduced in 2021, so sources differ. The Orbit joined it in 2022 (WatchAdvice). The Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition followed in 2024 with Calibre ARF22, a simplified ARF17 (Monochrome Watches; aBlogtoWatch), and the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 was unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2026 (Quill & Pad).

What is Armin Strom known for?

Armin Strom is known for skeletonised and openworked movements, for resonance, and for making most of its parts in its own Biel workshop.

Skeletons. The founder’s skeletonising set the look of the brand’s watches, which still show much of the movement from the dial side (WorldTempus; Armin Strom).

Resonance. In a resonance watch, two balance wheels are linked so that each affects the other and they settle into the same beat. Armin Strom links them with a one-piece steel spring it calls the Resonance Clutch, which it says is patented (Armin Strom). It says its Dual Time GMT Resonance was certified by the Swiss research centre CSEM as “True Resonance”, and it credits the idea to the 18th-century clockmaker Antide Janvier and to Christiaan Huygens’s clock experiments (Armin Strom).

Made in Biel. Armin Strom says it designs, mills, stamps, galvanises, hand-finishes and assembles its movements in-house, starting from raw metal bars, and that each movement is assembled twice: assembled, taken apart and cleaned, then reassembled, oiled and regulated before casing (Armin Strom). It says it employs more watchmakers on decoration than on assembly. Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains what this means for an owner.

Which Armin Strom collections are there?

Armin Strom groups its watches into System78 (Tribute, One Week, Orbit and Gravity Equal Force), Resonance (Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59, Dual Time GMT Resonance, Mirrored Force Resonance and Zeitgeist) and Masterpieces (Minute Repeater Resonance and Dual Time Resonance) (Armin Strom). The collections table on this page gives a line on each. Points that help when reading listings:

• System78 was presented as watchmaking “at a competitive price” when the Gravity Equal Force launched it (Watchonista). Its watches share a case design: the Tribute 1’s lugs match the Gravity Equal Force’s (Monochrome Watches).
• Two generations of some names. The larger Dual Time Resonance uses Calibre ARF17; the Dual Time GMT Resonance of 2024 uses ARF22 (aBlogtoWatch). The 12:59 of 2026 is smaller and flatter than the earlier Minute Repeater Resonance, the Masterpiece 2, which inspired its design (Swisswatches Magazine). Read the reference and calibre, not only the name.
• Limited editions. Many Armin Strom watches are small editions, such as the 25-piece Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition and the 25-piece Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N (Monochrome Watches; Armin Strom). Match the edition number to the papers.
• Founder-era and early manufacture models. Watches from before the current range, including early manufacture watches with the ARM09 movement (WorldTempus), appear on the second-hand market under names no longer used. Define Watches dates the first One Week generation to 2010.

Who owns Armin Strom?

Armin Strom is independent and not part of a watch group, in the same mould as other small Swiss manufactures such as Greubel Forsey and F.P. Journe, which also design and finish their own movements outside the large luxury groups. Quill & Pad reported in 2018 that Serge Michel owns and manages the company, and the Swiss business magazine Bilanz describes him as its chief executive and owner. Serge Michel’s father, Willy Michel, invested in the brand in 2006 (Quill & Pad). Armin Strom describes itself as an independent Swiss watchmaker, led by Serge Michel and co-founder Claude Greisler (Armin Strom). The company does not publish its shareholders or financial results.

The company is Armin Strom AG, at Bözingenstrasse 46 in Biel/Bienne (Armin Strom).

Buying an Armin Strom watch second-hand in the UK: what to check

Check the calibre and edition number against the papers, ask how much of the five-year warranty is left, ask for the service history from an authorised service point, and run a stolen-watch check.

1. Papers and the full set. Most Armin Strom watches are made in small numbers, so the papers and any edition number matter. Ask which items come with the watch and whether they are originals. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. The calibre. Model names have been reused across generations with different movements (aBlogtoWatch; Swisswatches Magazine). Ask which calibre the watch has, and check it against the reference.

3. Warranty. Armin Strom’s warranty covers manufacturing defects for five years from the purchase date, and warranty work may only be done by an Armin Strom-authorised service point; work by anyone else voids it (Armin Strom). Its terms do not say whether the warranty passes to a second owner. Ask for the original purchase date. See watch warranties explained.

4. Servicing. Armin Strom handles service requests through its concierge service (Armin Strom). Ask when the watch was last serviced, by whom, and for the paperwork. Because so much of the movement is visible, a resonance or skeleton watch should be checked for marks on bridges and plates as well as on the case. Our guide on how to care for a mechanical watch covers what a service involves.

5. Founder-era watches. Watches made by Armin Strom himself before 2006, including skeletonised pieces, are a different thing from the modern manufacture’s watches. Ask the seller which era a watch comes from.

6. Authenticity and stolen-watch check. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns; our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at. Check the serial number against a stolen-watch register before you pay: our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

Where are Armin Strom watches made?

In Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, in the manufacture the company opened in 2009 (Armin Strom; WorldTempus).

Who owns Armin Strom?

Serge Michel, who runs the company with co-founder Claude Greisler. It is independent (Quill & Pad; Armin Strom).

Who was Armin Strom?

A Swiss watchmaker from Burgdorf who opened his shop in 1967 and became known for skeletonising movements. He sold the business in 2006, retired in 2011 and died in 2024, aged 86 (A Timely Perspective).

Does Armin Strom make its own movements?

Yes. Its first in-house movement, the ARM09, was presented in 2009, and it now makes and finishes its movements in Biel (WorldTempus; Armin Strom).

What is a resonance watch?

A watch with two balance wheels linked so that they beat in step. Armin Strom joins them with a patented spring it calls the Resonance Clutch (Armin Strom).

What warranty does Armin Strom give?

Five years against manufacturing defects from the purchase date, provided warranty work is done by an authorised service point (Armin Strom).

What is System78?

Armin Strom’s collection of Tribute, One Week, Orbit and Gravity Equal Force watches, launched with the Gravity Equal Force (Armin Strom; Watchonista).

Where can an Armin Strom be serviced in the UK?

Armin Strom handles service requests through its own concierge service rather than a published list of UK centres (Armin Strom), so ask the seller or the brand directly before you buy.

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Armin Strom.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.