Armin Strom Tribute 1 Fumé Dial Light Blue
Dubai Watch Week

Dubai Watch Week: Armin Strom Introduces Four Colorful Fumé Dials

These novel Tribute 1 editions dazzle with gradient color and guilloché engraved plates.

By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large

Today, we’re going to judge a book by its cover. Independent watchmaker Armin Strom has just added four new limited editions to its Tribute 1 collection at Dubai Watch Week. And as sexy as the specs for this watch may be, we can’t stop thinking about the dials!

For this series, the Bienne-based brand has pumped up the color, adding a quartet of hues – ocean, slate, sky, and burgundy – to an already flawless face.
 

A Case of You

Introduced in 2021, the Tribute 1 has quickly become the maison’s signature dress watch. Its calling card is its slim and well-proportioned 38mm stainless steel case that attracts attention. It’s unfussy and elegant. What’s more, the crown is placed at 2 o’clock, providing comfort as well as an idiosyncratic touch.
 

But take a closer look at this time-only watch, and you’ll see that Armin Strom’s master watchmaker and co-founder Claude Greisler has put a lot of details into the display.

For example, an understated off-center dial shows the hours, minutes, and seconds. The already distinctive face is rounded out with a barrel bridge, a feature that has become a hallmark of the manufacture’s timepieces.
 

In the past, Armin Strom has played up these features by framing them with details such as an adjacent plate with a granular grenage finish. But adding color to the dial breaks tradition with the more formal white, ivory, gold, or black dials while amplifying the artistry of the design.
 

The way the fumé hues dance in the light can only be appreciated when examined on the wrist (expect to see many wrist roll videos from Dubai Watch Week on social media). This effect – flanked by anthracite guilloché plates handcrafted at fellow indie watchmaker Kari Voutilainen’s dial atelier – makes for a mesmerizing visual experience.
 

But That’s Not All!

Even with its smaller dimensions, this elegant timepiece has a lot of depth. For example, the motor barrel is held in place by an open finger-style bridge that seems to float closer to the crystal. This mechanism is notable for an arbor that turns around the mainspring within the barrel itself, making it far more efficient than traditional constructions, while also freeing up space.
 

Like the dial side, the manual-winding calibre AMW21 is also lavishly decorated using traditional finishing techniques to embellish the movement and provide an intriguing contrast to the more modern dial display.
 

It’s all about finding visual and physical balance with the Tribute 1 Fumé, right down to the velvety-soft and supple gray Alcantara calf leather strap with white stitching.
 

Priced at CHF 19,900 excluding taxes, the Tribute 1 Fumé is limited to ten pieces in each colorway. To find out more, please visit the Armin Strom website.

(Photography by Pierre Vogel)

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