Claude Greisler is a Swiss master watchmaker and entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder and technical lead of the independent watch manufacture Armin Strom. Born in 1978 in Burgdorf, Switzerland, Greisler’s connection to horology began in childhood. His family had deep roots in the industry; his maternal grandparents produced stopwatches, and he received early training from his grandmother, who taught him to assemble and disassemble movements. His parents also operated an optician’s workshop adjacent to the original workshop of the legendary skeletonizer, Mr. Armin Strom.
Greisler pursued a rigorous formal education in watchmaking, completing a four-year program at the School for Watchmakers and Rhabilleurs in Solothurn. He then specialized for two years in movement restoration at the Centre Interrégional de Formation des Montagnes Neuchâteloises (CIFOM) in Le Locle. Following his studies, he refined his technical skills at Christophe Claret, a manufacture renowned for producing high-complication timepieces.
In 2008, Greisler partnered with his childhood friend, entrepreneur Serge Michel, to acquire the Armin Strom brand from its founder. Together, they transformed the company from a specialist workshop for hand-skeletonization into a fully integrated manufacture based in Biel/Bienne. Since 2009, Greisler has served as the Master Watchmaker, overseeing the development of the brand’s in-house calibers and engineering philosophy.
Under Greisler’s technical leadership, Armin Strom has become known for “transparent mechanics,” a design approach that showcases the movement’s architecture from the dial side. He is credited with several significant horological innovations, most notably the development of the Resonance Clutch Spring. Introduced in 2016, this patented system utilizes the physical phenomenon of resonance to synchronize two balance wheels, enhancing chronometric precision. Other milestones under his direction include the launch of the “One Week” caliber in 2010 and the Gravity Equal Force, the world’s first automatic watch with an equal force transmission mechanism.
Greisler remains a central figure in independent Swiss watchmaking, emphasizing a fusion of traditional hand-finishing with modern engineering. Beyond his professional life, he is an outdoorsman who enjoys backcountry skiing and windsurfing in the Swiss Alps.