Hands-On With The New Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition

Sometimes, execution is a decisive factor in turning a simple concept into an awe-inspiring one. Armin Strom has mastered that art perfectly with its Tribute 2 series. Creating a watch powered by a caliber with a 100-hour power reserve is a simple goal on paper. With the Tribute line, Armin Strom has shown how to tackle it in many exciting ways. The latest proof of this comes in the form of the Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition, which features a stunning gold-coated tremblage mainplate. I was lucky enough to take it for a spin.

It is no secret that we love Armin Strom at Fratello. The brand is responsible for some amazing timepieces that are clearly inspired by classic watchmaking but executed in a modern way. The Tribute series takes the idea of a watch with a 100-hour power reserve in a unique direction. The design balances out the technical wizardry by prominently showing the motor barrel, with classic watchmaking prowess displayed by the off-center dial. But whereas the Tribute 1 takes a stylish and sophisticated route, the Tribute 2 is a rawer, open-worked take on that idea, as the new Aurum Edition shows.

The idea of the new Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition

Last September, Armin Strom released my favorite from the Tribute series, the Tribute 1 Sandstein. This homage to the brand’s home base of Burgdorf came in a nice, soft sand color, which is a nice contrast to the technical nature of the watch. It put the spotlight on the series for me, and when asked to review the new Tribute 2 Aurum Edition, I realized it could have easily been one of my personal favorites of 2025. But that’s all water under the bridge. It’s 2026, and Armin Strom releases the new Tribute 2 Aurum Edition.

As mentioned, the Tribute 2 is a partially open-worked version of the Tribute 1. As a result, the motor barrel is skeletonized, and you can see some of the caliber’s inner workings. Armin Strom contrasts those components with a beautiful hand-finished baseplate, which adds great texture and detail. The last Tribute 2 we covered was the Copper Edition, which Mike wrote about in December 2024. It featured a copper-colored mainplate with a stunning gratté texture. For this new Tribute 2 Aurum Edition, the brand chose a gold-coated brass mainplate with a beautiful tremblage finish.

The details of the Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition

The basics for this new Tribute 2 Aurum are the same as for the previous editions. The watch features a 38mm stainless steel case with a 9.38mm thickness, a 44.35mm lug-to-lug, and a 50m water resistance rating.

The case is nicely proportioned and features the brand’s signature lugs, which add great character when viewed from above. Additionally, the case features a nice mix of polished and brushed surfaces, adding to its visual appeal. However, in all fairness, the standout feature is the hand-finished mainplate, complete with tremblage finishing and a gold-colored coating.

Tremblage is a decorative, engraved manual finish that requires a significant amount of time. The finish is delicately hammered onto the mainplate, giving it a finely textured surface and adding great depth and detail to the  Tribute 2 Aurum. Additionally, it contrasts beautifully with the larger elements, which are also finished beautifully.

The contrast of the Tribute 2 Aurum Edition is striking

Sitting atop the mainplate is an off-center gray fumé dial with a hand-polished stainless steel border. The dial features a mix of applied and painted hour markers. Additionally, you will see the brand’s logo at the top and the two screws that affix the dial to the mainplate. Hovering over the off-center dial are gold-colored hands that feature a polished finish and Super-LumiNova. The hands display the hours, minutes, and seconds.

The dial is contrasted by the brand’s signature large hand-finished skeletonized barrel. Additionally, you can also see the click bridge and winding wheels, which feature beautiful circular graining to add detail. All in all, the face of the watch looks nicely balanced. It offers a great mix of technical elements and more refined details. As a result, the Tribute 2 doesn’t appear cold and technical, nor does it look too classical.

The in-house Armin Strom AMW21 caliber

But that is not where the story ends. If you turn the watch around, you will see the Geneva stripes and hand-finished anglage on the three-quarter plate of the AMW21 caliber. This manual-winding movement comprises 137 parts, operates at 25,200 vibrations per hour, and offers a generous 100-hour power reserve. This means that owners will only need to wind the watch via the crown every four days after a full wind.

Furthermore, the case back and the backside of the caliber feature a significant amount of text detailing the various aspects of the Tribute 2 Aurum Edition. Among them will be the unique LE number of the 10 pieces that Armin Strom will produce. As you can see, we had a prototype that doesn’t have that unique number, but the final production versions will. Finishing the look of the watch is a nice taupe leather strap with matching stitching and a stainless steel buckle. Additionally, it comes equipped with quick-release spring bars, making it easy to change the look of the watch. If you ask me, though, the look on the taupe leather strap is rather striking.

Wearing the Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition

We only had the watch in the office for a few days, but I had a great time wearing the Tribute 2 Aurum Edition. My last longer hands-on experience with an Armin Strom watch was with the One Week Manufacture Edition, which is a significantly larger watch. But this Aurum 2 offers a completely different experience. Its modest 38mm case size makes it a handsome and very wearable watch that fits my wrist nicely.

Additionally, the larger elements on the dial side are not as pronounced as they may seem in some of the images. Overall, it was a very well-balanced design that perfectly brought the brand’s intentions to life. I love how Armin Strom makes its technical mastery not just visible but also an integral part of the design. Because of this, the skeletonized elements look natural rather than contrived.

However, the big star of the show is, of course, the gold-coated mainplate. The level of detail is truly remarkable. I kept coming back to it for quick peeks during the day. Additionally, I took out a loupe multiple times to admire the manual finishing in all its glory. And that’s exactly what you should expect from a striking timepiece like this.

Final thoughts on the new Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition

Overall, the watch is super comfortable, and its remarkably slim 9mm profile makes it a wonderful daily companion. And when you need to wind the watch, the crown offers a great winding experience. I love it when a crown provides a great feeling when winding the caliber, and that was perfect with this Tribute 2. It’s an ideal mix of smoothness and resistance, serving as another reminder of why we love Armin Strom so much.

As mentioned, Armin Strom will create 10 numbered examples of this limited edition, each with a price of CHF 27,000. After wearing the watch for a few days, I have zero doubts that all 10 pieces will sell quickly and mesmerize their new owners. For me, the Tribute 2 Aurum Edition is further proof of the magic of the Tribute series and why it has become my favorite line from Armin Strom. It’s always nice when a new release confirms that, but the special way in which this watch does so deserves a huge compliment.

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