Armin Strom Applies the Midas Touch to the New Tribute³ Au750

Armin Strom has conquered the indie watchmaking scene with its combination of mechanical inventiveness and striking asymmetric displays. As a fully integrated manufacture, Armin Strom can bring its wildest mechanical dreams to life, including its groundbreaking mastery of resonance. Knowing that not everyone can invest in its hyper-complex Resonance and Masterpiece models, Armin Strom created the entry-level System 78 collection. Benefiting from scaled production and shared components, the System 78 hosts models like the Gravity Equal Force, Orbit and the Tribute, a slim, compact and contemporary dress watch. Hailed as a “new generation”, the Tribute³ Au750 receives a solid rose gold treatment from case to dial to movement, further embellished with traditional hand-guilloché decoration.

Although an earlier rose gold Tribute model exists, gold was used exclusively for the case. The new Tribute³ Au750 goes the extra mile, indulgently applying gold to nearly every visible surface and component. The beauty of the watch, though, is that despite the full Midas touch, it never smacks of opulence.

Since the first steel Tribute 1 of 2021, the family has become more creative with its dials, introducing California-style dials and elegant métiers d’art finishes like guilloché, fumé, grattage and tremblage. As the most luxurious, ornately decorated and costly representative of the Tribute family to date, the Tribute³ Au750 is also the most limited edition, with just eight watches slated for release. True to its dress-watch calling, the rose gold case has a compact 38mm diameter and a slim 9.38mm height, with distinctive features like the crown at 2 o’clock, the signature ‘lip’ at 6 o’clock and angular lugs.

Crafted entirely in rose gold (save screws, sink, chapter ring, hands and logo), the dial retains its characteristic asymmetric layout with an off-centred time disc. Decorated with refined métiers d’art touches, the rose gold dial reveals two hand-guilloché patterns: the off-centred sub-dial has a radiating sunburst decoration, while the dial plate displays a barleycorn guilloché motif. Consolidating its more classical spirit, the watch is the first to feature Breguet-style hands made in grey PVD-coated steel; the grey frosted chapter ring, with a peripheral railway-style track, follows suit with traditional black Roman numerals.

Although the dial only displays the hours, minutes and seconds, the Tribute highlights the watch’s main mechanical feature. Intersecting the time disc, the barrel in the lower section of the dial, secured by the rounded, hand-bevelled finger bridge, houses the innovative, highly efficient motor-barrel architecture that delivers an impressive 100-hour power reserve while reducing friction and wear.

The movement also dons rose gold elements, including the mirror-polished finger bridges securing the barrel on the dial and the 3.5Hz balance wheel on the reverse. Raising the bar even higher, the rose gold three-quarter bridge is decorated with clou de Paris (hobnail) guilloché and hand-bevelled edges.

Armin Strom’s compact yet powerful manual-winding calibre has a motor barrel with an arbour that turns the mainspring inside the barrel to save space and improve efficiency. With 97% of components produced in-house, the ultra-slim 4.2mm-thick movement features frosting, circular graining and black-polished screws. As with all Armin Strom watches, the movement has been assembled twice.

The Armin Strom Tribute³ Au750 is paired with a grey nubuck leather strap and a rose gold pin buckle. It retails for CHF 69,000. More information at arminstrom.com.