Independents

this afternoon I discovered Armin Strom watches, I have a lot of independents but this never came across my radar until today. There are three pictures below and if you all could give my you opinions (advice is great) on them and the brand it would be gre...  

...but like almost every independent these days, these are huge. I think the watchmakers have the skill to make them smaller (although that is yet to be proved), but they seem to prefer a big watch to fit in more complications or to just show off. My maxi... 

I’m really focusing on the three watches in the photos, I know AS is bigger watches but two of then or not so big and I am only interested in those watches...Jim

There are those who choose to create larger watches as a means to ensure long(er) term durability. I have heard Roger W. Smith mention in interviews he elects to make thicker timepieces to allow for more substantial components made to stand the test of ti... 

...but very disappointing that the consummate dress watch (pick your favorite Smith) should be made so thick. It's not like a thinner version would be 'in the shop' every few months.

I could wear any of these watches but the two at 42mm x 12mm are not that big for my 6.75 inch wrist, honestly I don’t like thin watches very much. What is you opinion on the two resonances?...Jim

Racing with Armin Strom and the Rain www.watchprosite.com Cazalea

The articles do not contribute to my questions, there are three watches I’m focusing on and two of them are smaller and mor wearable...Jim

Those articles contain the input I have to share on the brand. I’d suggest you find a dealer and talk to them about AS reputation, service capability, waiting times, availability, strap choices, etc. AS offers lots of options - are they what you want? Are... 

I have found a great dealer, I alway want independents but can be price sensitive and as you stated I cannot find enough data on these watches to ascertain the value proposition. Yes I believe they are independent with about 400-500 watches a year. The st... 

Mirrored Force Resonance www.watchprosite.com www.watchprosite.com

My pick is that one for sure

It doesn’t have the tab a 6 o’clock like the others, I don’t care for that too much but it is not a deal breaker...Jim

They are all technically very accomplished watches and the movements are completely hand finished! When was the last time you saw a watch below 20k with a interior angles!? Yes, probably never... If money and case size were no object, I would pick the fir... 

Very detailed reply and I appreciate it, these guys are defiantly driven by creativity and passion I agree the first one has everything a collector would want, the size is ok by me, I wear bigger watches but I would prefer it be smaller so the other reson... 

because you picked the 2 that I feel represents the technical ambition of the company the best(2 because 1 is a repeat) I prefer the Mirrored Force Resonance over the Pure Resonance because you can check if the balances are in sync or not through the two ... 

Agreed, The value proposition is probably not great, I’ve been collecting Watches for about 12 years now and have went through a transformation ending up pretty much with independent Watches and for the most part you will lose some money so you need to bu... 

I wasn’t a huge fan of there old models from previous years but this year they came with some pretty cool and impressive watches . Was lucky to have a close look at these models when the Ceo of the brand was in my country last februari . Was planning to v... 

Discovering the brand was a treat and learning more about them through this forum is a wonderful tool to have… Jim

www.watchprosite.com

Very helpful these guys are definitely passionate watchmakers… Jim

Size was definitely an issue for me, and so that could have coloured my opinion. But it was more than that, the case, bezel, dial etc was just all very cold to me. I can’t articulate it well, sorry. You absolutely need to get these on the wrist. That’s th... 

I have the new FPJ Resonance on order and can’t wait. The 3 Armin Strom watches I pictured are nice looking in the pictures. The new one, 41mm, is stainless steel and a reasonable price point for what you get. The only real question is How much will I lik... 

Or you can always get them to do bespoke, they entertain that at a price.

It is so cool you can customize...Jim

Hi again everyone and thanks to everyone for the help on my Armin Strom choices. I believe I have found the watch I want and wanted to post it for you comments. It is rose gold with a custom Kari white enamel solid rose gold dial. I will receive the Watch...  

Before the Gravity Equal Force (GEF) I acknowledged the people at AS as very innovative but certain design elements (especially the 6 o'clock lip) and the models' size never spoke to me personally. Yet I immediately fell for the GEF when I saw the first r...  

The Gravity force was the first one I looked at and was very impressed, for the money it is a lot of watch. If you still love it after 6 months have no regrets, the value proposition has to be part of the price we pay for the pleasure . I then looked at t...