Introducing The Armin Strom Tribute³ Au750 Goes For Gold All The Way Through

Armin Strom has spent the better part of two decades turning movements inside out, and excels at complications that capture the hard-to-grasp symbiosis of resonance in their calibres. The typical Armin Strom comes in a 43mm case with a gorgeous dial at 9, matched by befuddling complexities on the left, usually hypnotically synchronised balance wheels, with contemporary finishing techniques. It's a winning formula, but for collectors with smaller wrists, those forty-three millimetres can feel rather big, even if Armin Strom’s ergonomics are excellent and lug-to-lug stretches are short.

The smaller Tribute line is where Armin Strom’s obsession with mechanical challenges is expressed more classically. In 38mm, it is part of the System 78 collection, and was born as a quieter counterpoint to the brand's skeletonised work. I've personally kept an eye on the Tribute since the soft green Tribute 1 appeared in 2021, but the new Tribute³ Au750 has really turned my head.

The Au750 takes its name from the gold hallmark of rose gold. "Au" is the chemical symbol for gold, and "750" is its fineness in parts per thousand, so 750/1000 pure, or 75% gold. That's the same thing as 18k. Swiss and European hallmarking uses the millesimal number rather than karats, which is why it shows up on cases and in the very literal name of this new Armin Strom Tribute. The other 25% is the alloy mix, which in rose gold is mostly copper and silver, giving it its characteristically warm tone.

This watch's literal name refers to the fact that all cardinal parts of the watch are manufactured from, you guessed it, rose gold. This includes the case and all three movement bridges, pairing an off-centre 10 o’clock dial with a sharp sunray guilloché to a visible barrel, an unusual halo piece of any movement, held under a single finger bridge at four. This is also the first Armin Strom to feature Breguet hands, though not blued as you might expect, but in grey PVD-coated steel, which, together with Roman numerals, dials up the classicism.

While, like most Armin Stroms, the movement's most interesting details are brought dial-side, the caseback of the Tribute³ Au750 is by no means boring. A rose gold bridge covers about 80% of the back, with its wide expanse of clous de Paris guilloché punctuated by four prominent rubies, with a deep, dark grey cutaway from 12 to 3 o'clock taking up the other 20%. This exposes the 3.5hz balance wheel, its bridge a match to the barrel bridge on the front, directly opposed to it up top.

Hand-bevelled edges complete a restrained picture of Swiss craft, with this AMW21 calibre featuring 97% of components produced in-house. Its ultra-slim 4.2mm-thick build features frosting, circular graining, and black-polished screws, and as with all Armin Strom watches, the movement is assembled, tested, then dismantled, checked, and reassembled. The engraved text on the barrel states its strong sense of purpose, with no less than a hundred hours of power reserve (likely more, knowing the Swiss sense of understatement).

The Armin Strom Tribute³ Au750 is limited to eight pieces and comes at a price as exalted as its glinting personality: CHF 69,000 (~A$120,000).

I'm a fan of this watch, but it's worth flagging that CHF 69,000 more than triple its steel counterpart, the Tribute 1 Green, which retails for CHF 22,000. But for a well-to-do collector of the brand, this Armin Strom's solid-gold charms, 38mm versatility and deceptively simple dial configuration will no doubt tug on a fair few heartstrings. 

At 38mm by 9.38mm, this is one of the smallest watches Armin Strom makes, and it reads as a proper (if somewhat unconventional) dress watch, with a clean case design: round, but offset by angular modern lugs that appear like bold versions of vintage wire lugs, which act as a strong counterpoint to the classicism that abounds within. Indeed, that's the appeal of this Armin Strom: it's contemporary and quirky in its construction, but deeply traditional in its finishing, offering a very strong alternative to similar gold-heavy pieces from some more predictable grail brands.

Brand: Armin Strom
Model: Tribute³ Au750
Reference Number: RG26-TRI.AU
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 9.38mm
Case Material: 18k rose gold
Dial: Solid 18k rose gold, off-centre soleil guilloché with Roman numerals; 18k rose gold subdial with grain d'orge guilloché
Hands: Breguet-style, grey PVD-coated stainless steel, hand-finished, made in-house
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Crystal: Sapphire front and caseback, anti-reflective treatment
Strap/Bracelet: Grey nubuck leather with grey stitching, 18k rose gold pin buckle, 18mm lug width

Calibre: AMW21, in-house
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Diameter: 33.5mm
Thickness: 4.2mm
Power Reserve: 100 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
Jewels: 21
Additional Details: Motor barrel; 18k rose gold bridges, three-quarter bridge with clous de Paris guilloché; grey PVD-coated mainplate; flat hairspring with variable inertia balance; 135 components, 97% produced in-house

Price: CHF 69,000 (~A$120,000)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 8 pieces

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