Armin Strom unveiled a very special edition of its Edge Double Barrel timepiece which has been developed in collaboration with a racecar driver Max Chilton. This is the second watch that the Swiss manufacturer has introduced in honor of the British pro driver.
Max Chilton
This year, Max Chilton is racing for Chip Ganassi Racing Team in the IndyCar Series where he finished seventh in the 250-lap race and first among the rookies, which is a quite success for a young racing driver.
Armin Strom Max Chilton Edge Double Barrel watch features rugged look and audacious design. This newcomer commemorates Chilton’s debut at North American Verizon IndyCar Series and boasts several details from Chilton’s turbocharged Chevrolet racecar. As you can see on these images, all Arabic numerals are colored in the eye-catching blue color, which is the clear association of Chilton’s blue-colored Chevrolet racecar. Also, his number in the IndyCar competition has also been incorporated into the watch’s design.
Underneath the front sapphire glass, Chilton’s lucky number 8 appears in the small seconds counter. From the rear, a special plate reveals his “Max” logo and notes that this special edition piece is limited to just eight exemplars.
The rugged timepiece is housed in a large-sized case crafted from the brushed and sand-blasted black PVD-coated stainless steel. Its round and masculine case measures 46.80mm in diameter and 13.20mm in thickness. The bezel is enhanced with a series of cutouts. The case construction offers a decent water resistance up to 50 meters (approximately 165 feet).
The beating heart of the new Armin Strom wristwatch is the in-house Armin Strom caliber ARM16 manual-winding movement which is tooled with a double going barrel. The impeccable mechanism provides the usual functions of hours, minutes and small seconds. Furthermore, it offers generous eight days of power reserve. The hand-wound caliber is built from 194 individual parts and oscillates at the frequency of 18,000 alternation per hour (2.5 Hz).
In addition, the movement includes an unconventional cross-grinding decoration of the hand-beveled bridges which intensifies the industrial feel of the watch, a spider-shaped crown wheels that are visible from the dial side, an escape wheel and pallets crafted from gold with hardened functional areas, as well as a screwed balance with a Breguet overcoil.
The off-centered dial has been enhanced at the 9 o’clock position with the small seconds register which is combined with an “up-down” eight-day power reserve indicator. Just like the original Edge Double Barrel, this special edition timepiece features hands applied with bright luminescent material for perfect legibility of the time regardless of lighting conditions.
The Max Chilton Edge Double Barrel watch (ref. ST16-EB.05) comes with a black alligator leather strap, fitted with a double-fold clasp in black PVD steel. There is also an additional black rubber strap included in the presentation box. The retail price of the watch is 26.900 CHF (about $28,000).
