March 20, 2016

Armin Strom Cognac Watch – the watch with a drop of 1762 Gautier Cognac has been launched at BaselWorld

Swiss Independent Watch Manufacture Armin Strom has released the Cognac Watch, a wristwatch with a drop of the world’s oldest cognac. This unusual project premiered at the BaselWorld 2016 fair. The limited edition consists of only 40 timepieces and was made especially for the clients of Wealth Solutions.

Premiera Cognac Watch

On 20th March 2016, during the BaselWorld 2016 fair, Armin Strom and Wealth Solutions presented a limited edition of wristwatches with a drop of the oldest cognac ever sold at a public auction. Swiss independent watch manufacture Armin Strom, well recognized for its unusual and innovative products, has designed a special capsule for this antique liquor and a safe way of inserting it into the interior of a mechanical watch. Wealth Solutions, a company which is an art advisor and specialist in providing rare and unique spirits for collectors, has sacrificed one of its the most precious treasures – a bottle of Gautier Cognac from 1762. Thanks to this cooperation, the Cognac Watch was born – the first Swiss wristwatch with the drop of alcohol. The mission to design and create the Cognac Watch was accepted by Claude Greisler, Armin Strom’s chief horologist. He devised a concept of a special sapphire crystal capsule and positioned it at 5 o’clock.

The beverage used in this project is not just a rare liqueur. This cognac comes from year 1762. It is a time capsule. It is 250 years closed in a bottle. This alcoholic beverage was purchased by Wealth Solutions in 2014 during an auction of rare wines and liquors organized by Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers in NYC. The Gautier cognac bottle dating back to 1762 was, during the event, granted the title of the oldest cognac sold at a public auction to-date. It was opened in Poland on 4th November 2015 to mark the commencement of co-operation between Wealth Solutions and Armin Strom.

– This bottle comes from the time of Louis XV and George III, pre-revolutionary France. It connects us to 18th-century Cognac and shows us a liquor, which today could not be produced. Normally we can only read about this long forgotten world in history books, but today we have the opportunity to touch it. It is something, which could happen only once in our life and this time is now – said Edward Bates, educator of the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac.

The watch, a manual wind with a five-day power reserve, was produced in stainless steel (30 pieces), 18k rose gold (8 pieces) and titanium cases (2 pieces). On the reverse, a hand-engraved design of a bunch of grapes decorates the base plate. The demand for Armin Strom Cognac Watch has been such that all timepieces were sold by Wealth Solutions in presale before the official launch.

– We always try to deliver uniqueness and rarity to our clients who – which is no surprise – love watches as much as they love old liquors. The idea of adding drop of the world’s oldest cognac to a watch, which itself is a piece of micromechanical art, perfectly fits our philosophy. Serge Michel and Claude Greisler shared our enthusiasm and brought this idea to life. The fact that this watch was sold even before it was officially presented proves that we both made a great job.– said Maciej Kossowski, President of Wealth Solutions.