It has been familiar to car buyers for a number of years, in some cases even going as far as replacing the bricks and motor showroom for car makers. But it is only now starting to gain traction in the watch industry. What is it? It’s the “configurator”. Basically it’s an application that allows you to choose the individual components of your watch. The reason that it has not caught on earlier is that many watch brands do not have full control over the components that they use in their watches and cannot therefore offer such a choice. But with the increasing possibilities of watch customisation, such applications are becoming more widespread.
Such a configurator is what allows Armin Strom Watches Buy Replica to boast, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that it is presenting 180 new models at Baselworld this year. Since the brand’s annual production is barely more than a couple of thousand watches, the figure seems staggering. But it is also virtual. The fact that Armin Strom can offer this service at all is thanks to its extremely high level of vertical integration. Around 95% of the components in an Armin Strom watch are produced internally at the company’s workshop in Bienne, Switzerland.
The very first bit of the three is the Armin Strom Manual Gumball 3000, which features the AMW11-GB hand-wound motion, offering a 5-day power book. This calibre is observable through the display case back and has a clear look of the Old West about it. I can not quite put my finger on it, but something about the almost wood-like graining and also the fashion of the engraved script cries Saloon Bar to me personally (which I absolutely love). The equilibrium bridge is a finely crafted curve which plays a distinctive second fiddle to the twist balance wheel. The balance itself, which is, as many of Armin Strom’s components are, refreshingly chunky and easy to observe. Making a centrepiece of the real mechanics is a great way to create a watch look busy. The situation appears to be bursting with motion, which, in the case of the this opinion, is doubly important given the plainness of this motion decoration.I really like the sense of space and strength of complete on the back of this Armin Strom Manual Gumball 3000, and the build quality is, of course, excellent, as we’ve gotten used to watching by Armin Strom. With a price tag of $15,200, nevertheless, it really is aimed at a demographic that has the capacity to enter and complete the Gumball 3000 rally. I find the dial side to be a little more exciting than the back, using the classic, off-centre cutaway dial revealing the bare metal of this movement, that was engraved using a playing card motif that encircles the 9 o’clock sub-dial. And it is there that we see the true branding of the Gumball 3000!
It all starts with the movement, which buyers can choose from the range of the brand’s existing mechanical calibres. But since Armin Strom also has its own in-house galvanising department, it can also offer a choice of colours, finishes and engravings for the movements, or just for individual components. The buyer can then complete his or her watch with their own choice of case material, the style and colour of the dial and hands, the clasp and even the colour of the stitching on the strap. The price is constantly adapted on screen as the different options are chosen, even though the watches bought via the configurator are no more expensive than the brand’s series production models.
Such systems call into question the relationship between the brand, its retail network and the customer, however, since the configurator effectively bypasses the in-store retail experience. The customer can even choose to pick up their watch directly from the workshop in Bienne, with a free tour of the factory thrown in. But Armin Strom Watch Snob Replica stresses that its Watch Configurator will also be an indispensable tool for its authorised dealers to assist customers with their choice of a watch.
