Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Armin Strom’s Orbit in Midnight Purple Regalia
Fit for a (contemporary) king, the Orbit's powerful purple accents accentuate the beautiful mechanical scenery.
In the world of mainstream watchmaking, unconventional ideas rarely make it past the concept stage. But for an independent, inventive brand with a fully integrated manufacture like Armin Strom, the possibilities are far broader. While the brand is perhaps best known for its mastery of resonance in wristwatch form, Armin Strom turned its attention to a more humble complication – the date – and reimagined it entirely. Launched in March 2022, the Orbit shifts the date display to the bezel and introduces an on/off function for the indication. Four years later, the sporty Armin Strom Orbit returned in a bold Midnight Purple edition. Let’s take a closer look.
The Quandary
While a date complication might not be something to get excited about, when Armin Strom handles it, you can expect a fascinating mechanical twist. As co-founder Claude Greisler explained in our video, incorporating a date on the dial of the brand’s first dedicated sports watch for its entry-level System 78 collection posed quite a challenge. The main reason was that the off-centred dial and exposed mechanics would complicate the location of a date window and overwhelm its presence. The solution? Move it off the dial and relocate it externally, on the bezel. However, that would have been far too easy a solution, closer in spirit to a classic pointer-style date function.
On-Demand Date
Heralded as a world first, the Orbit is an on-demand date complication driven by a mechanical column-wheel system, allowing the wearer to activate or disengage the pointer hand at the push of a button. When it is positioned in stationary mode, the large, openworked A-tipped central date hand rests at noon. However, by pressing the pusher on the left side of the case at 10 o’clock, the hand instantaneously jumps to the correct date on the engraved ceramic bezel; a second push turns the date display off as the hand flies backwards in a retrograde motion to its resting position at noon. Even while it is off duty, a mechanical memory wheel tracks the date in the background, advancing automatically at midnight.
The Power of Purple
In antiquity, purple was intimately associated with royalty and power. Coveted Tyrian purple, extracted from the sea snails in ancient Tyre, was so costly and labour-intensive to produce that Roman emperors restricted its use by law, allowing only the most powerful to wear purple garments.
In the watchmaking realm, purple has been adopted as a high-impact, extroverted colour. For Armin Strom, the Midnight Purple colour selected for the Orbit references a particularly elegant and well-balanced shade of purple developed by founder Mr Armin Strom, a master watchmaker renowned for his hand-skeletonised movements. Following the first purple dial model, the Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Edition (below, left), and the Orbit Purple Edition (below, right), the rich colour truly comes to the fore on the Orbit Purple Midnight.
Commanding the left side of the dial is the off-centred counter for the hours, minutes and small seconds. Picked out in Midnight Purple with a contemporary gradient effect, the sub-dial is lighter in the centre and transitions to a darker, more intense tone at the periphery. However, for the first time, the colour extends into the movement and is featured on the frosted mainplate, creating visual continuity with the sub-dial and the purple tip of the date hand. Even the perlage areas of the mainplate, beneath the off-centred time display, are picked out in purple.
The purple mainplate also highlights the mechanical components of the movement and accentuates the depth of the architecture. Like earlier editions, the most visually striking components of the in-house calibre ASS20 are exposed on the dial, including the column wheel, the micro-rotor, the equal force barrel with its built-in power reserve indicator and the three openworked finger bridges. You can also admire the decorative details of the components with hand-finished frosting, mirror-polished bevels, circular and straight graining and perlage.
Sporty details
In keeping with its sporty personality, the hour and minute hands (crafted in-house), as well as the applied indices, are treated with Super-LumiNova and the 12 and 6 o’clock numerals are crafted from solid Super-LumiNova blocks, giving the watch a powerful 3D presence in the dark.
The shiny black high-tech ceramic bezel is fixed and engraved with the numbers 1 – 31 and a purple “Date” inscription at noon, where the central date hand alights when at rest. The robust 43.4mm stainless steel case with a 12.6mm thickness is decorated with vertical-brushed finishes and polished bevels. Although the sharp, angular guards flanking the large crown might suggest the presence of a screw-down crown, this is not the case, and the watch is only resistant to depths of 50 metres. Fully integrated, the steel bracelet has a 3-row H-link design and a double-folding clasp; it can be exchanged for a strap, but you require tools.
Calibre ASS20
The Orbit is based on Armin Strom’s Gravity Equal Force movement that provides consistent power delivery to the regulating organ. Inverted to expose the mechanical soul of the watch on the dial, the in-house calibre ASS20 is fitted with a column wheel and a mechanical memory wheel to activate the on/off date function. The patented equal force barrel delivers a uniform 72-hour power reserve. The reverse side reveals a solid bridge decorated with Côtes de Genève, with a cutout for the 3.5Hz balance wheel and escapement, and exposed wheel train gears.
Packing a confident visual punch, the purple details highlight the mechanical show provided on the dial. For a time-and-date watch, Armin Strom has packed a lot of animation on the dial and into the movement – from the constant motion of the small seconds hand and the swinging micro-rotor to the unparalleled pleasure of activating the on-demand date function. It is limited to 20 pieces worldwide, and the Orbit Midnight Purple retails for CHF 36,000.
More information at ArminStrom.com.
