Armin Strom passes away at age 86

Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 6 December 2024: With great sadness, the independent Swiss watch manufacture Armin Strom announces the death of its founder, Mr. Armin Strom. A resident of Burgdorf, Switzerland, Mr. Strom passed away at the age of 86. The watch manufacture expresses its deepest condolences to the family.

Mr. Strom founded his eponymous watch company in 1967 in Burgdorf. He began with handskeletonizing, engraving, and decorating watches, which he initially sold in his store. In 1984, he debuted his first own collection at the Basel watch and jewelry show. Striving for technical and aesthetic perfection, he earned the reputation of a "master skeletonizer," with his timepieces in high demand worldwide. In 2006, he sold the company to the Michel family. The childhood friends Serge Michel and Claude Greisler took over the company and still run it today. Though Armin officially retired in 2011, he regularly visited the manufacture in Biel/Bienne, always eager to discuss horology and examine the brand's latest designs and prototypes.

Armin was the heart and the soul of our brand; we will miss him deeply," said owner Serge Michel. "His love for open-worked movements and perfection in the decoration of movement parts has remained an integral part of our daily efforts. His natural flair, warmth, and infectious good humor are traits that we aim to adopt both as individuals and as characteristics of our brand."

Co-owner and master watchmaker Claude Greisler adds, “Armin provided me with many insights and opened new possibilities as a watchmaker. He was a role model for me and became a friend. He embodied the art of watchmaking in perfection.”

The independent manufacture Armin Strom upholds the belief of its founder that a fine mechanical movement – a handcrafted work of art – deserves to be showcased. The past and present will always remain one.

Thank you, Armin.

About Armin Strom

Armin Strom is an independent watch company based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Armin Strom timepieces offer a unique fusion of the Swiss German horological tradition, avant garde “transparent mechanics” and an unwavering commitment to horological innovation. The hallmark of the brand’s low volume, artisanal approach to watchmaking is its commitment to exposed dial side movement mechanics, with ev ery part hand finished to the highest haute horology standards.

Armin Strom was established in 1967 by Mr Armin Strom, a legend in the art of hand skeletonization. In 2006, the stewardship of Mr Strom’s legacy became the responsibility of Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler and businessman Serge Michel, who together revitalized the brand with the opening of Armin’s Strom’s first fully integrated Manufacture in 2009. Today the brand designs, develops, mills, embosses, galvanizes, hand finishes and assembles all of its own watches in house, enabling Armin Strom to bring even the most complicated ideas to life without any of the compromises that typically stem from reliance on a supply chain.

arminstrom.com