Introduction: A Celebrated Concept, Refined Anew
The Armin Strom One Week Manufacture Edition Blue marks another chapter in the brand’s ongoing celebration of its iconic seven-day power reserve. From the original One Week in 2010 to the modern First Edition and the Skeleton Titanium variant, Armin Strom has consistently pushed the boundaries of visibility, efficiency, and mechanical poetry. The Edition Blue preserves the core idea — a compact, all-week companion — while elevating the aesthetics with a deep-sea blue, PVD-coated mainplate and a fully in-house movement that invites close inspection.
Design: A Compact, Purposeful Steel Case
The watch remains faithful to the lineage’s proportions: a 41mm stainless steel case keeps the silhouette lean at 10.6mm in height and 44.35mm lug-to-lug. Brushed planes meet sharply polished edges, and a guarded crown at 3 o’clock signals readiness for daily wear. A flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment protects the dial, while a robust 100m water resistance underlines its practicality as a weekly companion. The bracelet, fully integrated in steel with a secure double-folding clasp, ensures comfort across days of wear without sacrificing the watch’s architectural purity.
Dial and Display: The Blue World Inside
Gone is the traditional dial in favor of a dramatic blue PVD-coated mainplate that acts as the stage for the display. A black minute ring with faceted, Super-LumiNova-filled indexes frames the reading, offering legibility in varied lighting. The rhodiumed, polished hands carry luminous fill to pop against the deep blue backdrop. A small seconds sub-dial sits at 9 o’clock, anchoring the dial’s visual rhythm.
Between 10 and 11 o’clock, the edition introduces the signature One Week power-reserve display. A polished cone drives a conical gear that reads between seven and eight, creating a kinetic, almost mechanical ballet. This is not a simple pointer — it’s a micro-performance, a visual reminder of the watch’s seven-day endurance and the careful choreography of springs and wheels inside.
Two ratchet wheels and their barrels balance the power-reserve display, ensuring the spectacle remains readable yet subtly integrated. The result is a dial that rewards patient, hands-on observation: check once, then forget for days, as the movement does the rest of the work.
Movement: ARM21 — In-House Craft, Seven Days of Autonomy
At the heart of the Manufacture Edition Blue is the manual-winding calibre ARM21, developed, finished, and assembled in-house by Armin Strom. The movement delivers a seven-day power reserve through two barrels arranged in series, with a frequency of 25,200 vibrations per hour. Stability across a full week is supported by a balance with four regulating screws, tuned to minimize rate variations over the seven-day span. The ARM21 is as much a statement of craftsmanship as it is a measure of reliability.
Finishing remains a hallmark of the Armin Strom approach: straight and circular graining, Geneva stripes, hand-chamfered bevels, polished screws and sinks, and matte-grained textures that contrast beautifully with the luminous blue front. The finishing doesn’t merely decorate; it communicates the mechanical philosophy — clarity, precision, and a respect for traditional métiers d’art rendered in a contemporary package.
Wearability and Everyday Use
The One Week Manufacture Edition Blue is designed for daily wear, offering the practicality of 100m water resistance and an integrated steel bracelet with a double-folding clasp. Its compact dimensions and restrained color palette make it versatile, suitable for dressier moments as well as more casual weekends. The legibility remains strong despite the non-traditional dial layout, thanks to the high-contrast indexes and hands, which glow in low light for easy time-telling when needed.
Conclusion: A Modern Classic With a Blue Heart
Armin Strom’s One Week Manufacture Edition Blue champions the brand’s enduring idea — seven days of autonomy, expressed through transparent mechanics and a refined, contemporary aesthetic. By marrying a blue mainplate with an open, methodical movement display, Armin Strom invites both watch connoisseurs and casual wearers to appreciate the precision that unfolds beneath a slim, comfortable exterior. For collectors seeking a balanced blend of technical prowess, legibility, and an unmistakable blue signature, the Edition Blue stands out as a thoughtful progression in the One Week lineage.
