Armin Strom Tribute 1 Black

This piece is part of our FIRST LOOK collection—your early access window into upcoming arrivals before they officially launch on the site. If you’d like more details or wish to reserve this watch ahead of the public release, simply click the Inquire for Priority Access button at the top of the page, complete the short form, and a member of our team will reach out shortly.

Armin Strom has always been interested in showing its work. What began with founder Armin Strom’s hand-skeletonized watches has evolved into a modern independent manufacture in which movements, bridges, barrels, and winding systems often become part of the design itself. The Tribute 1 distills that philosophy into something surprisingly restrained.

Introduced as the brand’s interpretation of the classic dress watch, the Tribute 1 avoids the expected formula. Its 38mm stainless steel case frames an intentionally asymmetric dial, with the black time display shifted toward 10 o’clock. Simple baton markers and slender hands keep things clean, leaving the lower half of the watch open for its most distinctive feature: the exposed barrel and motor barrel bridge, transforming a functional component into the visual counterweight to the dial.

Inside is Armin Strom’s manually wound Calibre AMW21, developed and manufactured in-house. The movement uses an unusual motor-barrel construction in which the barrel arbor turns while the barrel itself remains stationary, reducing friction and wear while improving winding efficiency. Fully wound, it provides an impressive 100-hour power reserve.

Turn the watch over, and the restrained front gives way to a considerably more traditional display of independent watchmaking. Through the sapphire exhibition caseback, the movement reveals beautifully finished bridges, polished bevels, blued screws, and the meticulous hand-finishing that has become an important part of Armin Strom’s identity.

This 2020s Tribute 1 Black is paired with an alligator leather strap and signed stainless steel deployant clasp. Measuring just 38mm, it also demonstrates that contemporary independent watchmaking doesn’t require an oversized case or an overloaded dial to make an impression.

Better still, this example comes as a highly complete set with its inner and outer boxes, papers and pamphlets, and warranty card from the 2020s.

The Tribute 1 is ultimately a dress watch viewed through the lens of a modern independent manufacture: traditional proportions, unconventional architecture, serious mechanics, and just enough of the movement exposed to remind you that with Armin Strom, what’s underneath has always been part of the point. The invisible becomes an important defining feature. 

Armin Strom began with a fascination for what normally remained hidden. Founded by Swiss watchmaker Armin Strom, who opened his workshop in Burgdorf in 1967, the name first became known for exquisitely hand-skeletonized watches, transforming movements into miniature displays of traditional finishing and engraving.

The modern Armin Strom manufacture took shape in Biel/Bienne in 2009, carrying that emphasis on visible mechanics into a far more technically ambitious era. Today, the independent brand develops and produces its own movements, with a particular fascination for chronometry, resonance, and constant-force mechanisms. Its breakthrough Mirrored Force Resonance watches use two independent regulating systems linked through Armin Strom’s patented resonance clutch spring, turning a centuries-old horological phenomenon into something both technically serious and visually dramatic.

That combination has become the brand’s signature. Armin Strom watches rarely hide their mechanics behind conventional dials; bridges, barrels, regulators, and escapements become part of the design. The result is contemporary independent watchmaking with an unusually clear lineage: the skeletonizer’s instinct to reveal how a watch works, evolved into a manufacture determined to rethink how it works.

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Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.