By: Roger Ruegger
One of the dominating colors in fashion has also become one of the favorite colors in watchmaking lately. For Armin Strom, however, it’s more than just using a purple dial for the new Orbit Midnight Purple (Ref. ST26-OR.01): For the first time, the independent watchmaker uses a frosted midnight purple mainplate beneath the dial to amplify “the color’s presence and strengthens the visual connection between the display and the mechanics.”
By using not just a purple off-center dial but also a matching mainplate, Armin Strom aims to create a distinctive visual foundation, contrasting with the rhodium-coated components and hand-finished finger bridges. On top, there are hand-polished bevels, perlage and circular graining, while the open-worked construction allows the color and mechanics to interact (and even the micro-rotor is visible on the dial side).
As with all Armin Strom timepieces, each watch is assembled twice to ensure both mechanical precision and finishing excellence.
Powering the watch is the manufacture Cal. ASS20 with dial-side micro-rotor, developed and produced entirely in-house and featuring the world’s first on-demand date display on a ceramic bezel. The movement consists of 273 components and displays the date only when requested: Activated by a pusher at 10 o’clock, the date hand jumps from its neutral position to indicate the current date on the bezel and advances automatically at midnight. A second press returns it to the position 12 o’clock. The column-wheel mechanism ensures smooth operation, while Armin Strom’s patented Equal Force Barrel delivers consistent energy and a stable 72-hour power reserve.
The Orbit Midnight Purple is limited to 20 pieces worldwide.
Armin Strom Orbit Midnight Purple
Dimensions: ⌀ 43.4 mm , thickness 12.6 mm
Case: stainless steel with ceramic bezel
Water Resistance: 50 m
Movement: ASS20 with 72 hours of power reserve
Bracelet: stainless steel with double folding clasp
Warranty: 60 months
Price: CHF 36,000
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