Introducing The New Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Blue

Armin Strom took the watchmaking world by storm in 2016 when it introduced the concept of resonance inside its Mirrored Force Resonance wristwatch. Hailed as a veritable breakthrough in watchmaking, the brand’s dramatic staging of the balance wheels on the dial propelled the 17^th-century concept of resonance into a 21^st-century setting. Following in the footsteps of last year’s redesigned, latest-generation Mirrored Force Resonance First Edition, the brand presents its Manufacture Edition of 50 watches with a grainy blue grenage dial and openworked elements on the dial for maximum viewing pleasure.

Resonance In a nutshell

Christiaan Huygens discovered the phenomenon of resonance in 1665 after observing how two identical pendulum clocks hanging from the same wooden beam would spontaneously synchronise over a period of time. Achieved by remarkably few contemporary watchmakers, Armin Strom managed to miniaturise the concept of resonance inside its 2016 Mirrored Force Resonance. To replicate the conditions needed to produce resonance – and its desired outcome of regulating rate precision over time – Armin Strom’s ingenious watchmaker Claude Greisler connected twin oscillators with a steel spring attached to their studs (the brand’s patented resonance clutch spring). United by this common structure, even the slightest vibrations are shared, adding or subtracting a small force from the opposite oscillator until their rate is averaged and they beat in perfect synchrony. For a more technical description, we invite you to read Xavier’s in-depth article on resonance.

Like the design overhaul practised on the 2022 First Edition, this Manufacture Edition comes in a more streamlined 43mm stainless steel case with shorter lugs and a smaller lip at 6 o’clock. Finished with brushed surfaces on the sides and polished upper surfaces, the case shares the same slimmed-down height of 11.55mm as last year’s model.

Exposed by a box-shaped sapphire crystal, the layout of the elements on the dial is the same, but the time indications are now enhanced with a splash of blue. The off-centred dark blue dial with skeletonised steel hands for the hours and minutes (made in-house by Armin Strom) is decorated with grenage in its centre and a snailed chapter ring with applied indices. Intersecting the dial, the twin resonance counters, relaying the seconds and rotating in opposite directions, feature a similar snailed blue ring with white numerals for enhanced legibility. The dual seconds dials can be reset and synchronised with the pusher on the case at 2 o’clock.

The two balance wheels are exposed on the left side of the dial with openworked bridges to offer the best view possible. In between the two oscillators is the patented resonance clutch spring that connects the two balance wheels like the wooden beam used in Huygens’s experiments.

The reverse side reveals the beautiful symmetry of the ARF21 in-house manual-winding movement with its engraved bas-relief text on the mainplate and mirrored arrangement of open bridges and gears beautifully decorated by hand. The calibre beats at 3.5Hz and delivers a power reserve of 48 hours.

aVAILABILITY & pRICE

A dark blue Alcantara strap with white stitching and a double folding clasp in steel underscores the blue colour theme. Limited to 50 pieces, the Mirrored Force Resonance Manufacture Edition retails for CHF 63,000 / EUR 70,000 / GBP 62,000 / USD 63,000. For more information, please consult arminstrom.com.