The Pursuit of Harmony: Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Guilloché Dial
A well-trained opera singer is able to cause a tuning fork to vibrate simply by the power of their voice. The tuning fork absorbs the energy, and strives to vibrate at the same frequency. Should the tuning fork be interrupted by an external factor, it always tries to get back in line with its counterpart. This is called resonance.
In the 17th century, Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock, discovered that this phenomenon could also have a positive effect in the watchmaking industry. Nevertheless, in the years that followed, there were few watchmakers able to successfully implement this physical phenomenon in their watches.
Resonance in a watch – two connected balances
For oscillators to be able to synchronise with each other, they have to be closely tuned. Ideally, they will be identical. One can compare it with a toddler, trying to synchronise steps with an adult, who will inevitably only manage to last a few attempts.
Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Guilloché Dial – Steel
However, two oscillators do not necessarily have to be connected to each other. The opera singer can get the tuning fork vibrating simply through the frequencies travelling by air. But Christiaan Huygens discovered the crucial advantage of two connected oscillators, when his pendulums were attached to a common beam and the momentum of the one pendulum put the other one into motion. The pivotal energy source was the beam, which transferred the vibrations from one to another. It becomes noticeable that the pendulums oscillate synchronically – but mostly in opposite direction to each other.
Mirrored Force Resonance
In 2016, Armin Strom first introduced and patented the Mirrored Force Resonance with two balances that are connected with a tiny clasp, which transfers the vibrations. It is truly spectacular to observe in action.
When we first saw the watch, we couldn’t stop looking at the pulsing heart of the timepiece, which also offers an exciting open view. The spectacle is not only appealing to see, but also has a positive technical impact on the power reserve. When Christiaan Huygens first discovered the phenomenon, he became sceptical about any deviation of the pendulum influenced by another power source. However: they run in sync.
Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Guilloché Dial – Roségold
They even conserve energy by saving each other’s power. Furthermore, the Resonance mechanism contributes to better absorbing of external impacts. Any external impulse will cause one balance to slow down and the other one to temporarily speed up, before they slowly start to find the way back to their rhythm.
Armin Strom produces the mechanism for its Mirrored Force Resonance entirely in-house. In fact, ever since 2009, the brand has worked on creating movements in-house at its small manufacture in Biel. The manufacture is capable of producing nearly all components independently. The 2017 version of the Mirrored Force Resonance Guilloché Dial (available in steel or rose gold) are equipped with the ARF15 hand-wound movement and two independent, symmetrically mirrored regulators.
The hand-wound movement ARF15 with two symmetrically mirrored regulators
Armin Strom first presented it in 2017 with a guilloche dial crafted by hand. The man responsible for this new dial design was none other than Kari Voutilainen, a Finnish rock star among independent watchmakers, who is known to be a master of finishing cases and dials.
The dial designed by Kari Voutilainen
The energy generated by the two synchronically turning balances eventually discharges in the two synchronically turning seconds indications – however, they turn in opposite directions. Armin Strom therefore placed the digits of the one seconds indications so that it ran backwards. As a result, there appear to be two different things happening on the dial, however they actually share the identical function.
The two seconds indications can be set back at zero via the pusher at 2 o’clock. When looking at the two indications, it’s almost as though one seconds indication takes you back in the past, while the other pushes you into the future.
The pusher at 2 o’clock sets the seconds indications back at zero
The 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania founded watch brand Hamilton not only produced precise timepieces for the railroad and field watches for soldiers on the ground, but also precise watches for the timekeeping in the sky. However, not so much for the military but primarily for the pilots of the U.S. Airmail. That was 100 years…
Something of a curse within the Swiss watches industry is that almost every horology house lays claim to being the first of their kind: a record-breaker, an inventor, a pioneer. The same applies to the field of chronograph watches, aka a timepiece that offers precision timekeeping and measurement. And no wonder: it’s an extraordinarily vast…
Honestly, we aren’t often ones for rankings, but after numerous questions from our fans online, on Instagram, alongside countless discussions during the fair, we can't seem to resist. We all want to know: what are the most important mechanical watch innovations to emerge from Watches and Wonders 2023? Sit back and enjoy a very personal…
Like almost every year, OMEGA also in 2018 introduces a Speedmaster Special Edition. This year they celebrate 50 years of the Apollo 8 mission and surprise with a new skeletonized Moonwatch movement for their famous ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ watch. 50 years of Apollo 8 mission – the anniversary watch Speedmaster Dark Side of…
In the past years we have noticed a growing impact of smartwatch technologies amongst the traditional mechanical watch brands. It actually all started with smart electronic technology from commercial brands, but with this trend the traditional brands have been under pressure to deliver new innovative systems paired with their traditional way of watchmaking. A small…
Popping pastels and vacation vibes; Breitling's new SuperOcean Heritage ’57 Pastel Paradise Capsule Collection for women actually stems from a 1950s diver's watch for men. Now, however, it has transformed into a high quality, incredibly fashionable new timepiece. With the introduction of this series, Breitling is proving itself to be truly with the times, not to…
Shortly before his untimely death, pop art icon Andy Warhol created a painting of three timepieces with a rectangle case and a bracelet with horizontal lines on a 111.8 x 111.8 cm canvas. Their colourful outlines diagonally stretch across yellow, mint, black, pink and red areas. The title of the artwork from 1987: Anatom (Rado…
Alongside the news that Rolex is increasing the size of its new-generation Submariner models, the horology house has also decided to go large on its 2020 Oyster Perpetual watches, which are now available in 41 mm for the first time. What's more, Rolex has made space for the seven sizeable new watches by bidding goodbye…
It's fair to say that across the Swiss watch industry, it is men's and unisex watches that tend to be the most technically interesting. A timepiece that breaks this trend, however, is Van Cleef's Lady Arpels Heures Florales. Charmingly beautiful on the surface, this watch is in fact a horological masterpiece. Van Cleef & Arpels’…
Amongst other things, Bulgari specialises in ultra-thin watches. With the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, the brand has now set its tenth world record in this field in the last eleven years: the thinnest mechanical watch with a tourbillon. Heralding its first appearance at Watches and Wonders 2025, Bulgari is presenting this extraordinary watch, which is…
As an author who has spent over twenty years writing about mechanical wristwatches, being tucked away for two hours in a shadowy wine cellar in Cologne’s old town with thirty potential watch clients is truly exciting. It’s not just the rare wines they savoured together – including a Bordeaux from 1988 – but the open…
This year, 188-year-old Jaeger-LeCoultre is celebrating 90 years of its most iconic model, the Reverso. We want to take you on a journey to discover the watch's fascinating history, before introducing you to the bold and beautiful new watches themselves. Given the bright colour schemes, we'll also give tips on how to style these unusual…
Watches & Wonders Geneva is a haven for watch lovers, where the most renowned brands and manufacturers unveil their latest creations, technical innovations, and imaginative designs for the first time. As journalists, we frequently experience these premieres during exhibitors' 'Touch & Try' sessions, which keep our schedules fully occupied throughout the watch industry's flagship event…