I have a recollection of Claude Greisler, technical director at Armin Strom, mentioning the term “Mirrored Force Resonance” to me at one of the many watch shows around the world and telling me to watch out for it. The intriguing concept was since lost among the glut of press releases we receive every day at WorldTempus… until now. The small, discreet but fully-fledged manufacture in Bienne positively blows the competition out of the water at this year’s SalonQP by presenting a brand-new in-house movement that uses a new, patented, technology developed exclusively by the brand.
Although the concept of resonance has been known in the field of horology for some time, dating back to the use of pendulums in clocks, very very few watchmakers have incorporated it into timepieces, probably because of the extreme precision required to achieve resonance within the small confines of a watch movement. Not to be confused with oscillation, which is the physical motion that provides the power in a quartz watch, for example, and has also been used in mechanical watches such as the TAG Heuer Mikrogirder, the phenomenon of resonance involves two oscillating bodies (in this case, two balance wheels) vibrating at exactly the same frequency. To achieve this, one balance wheel acts as the “exciter”, transmitting its energy to the other (the “resonator”), which absorbs it with the result that the two bodies become perfectly synchronized. To achieve this, the distance between the two bodies must be calculated to perfection.
The specific benefits of resonance in a mechanical watch movement are the stabilization of the movement’s going rate, conservation of energy and a reduction in the negative effects of shocks. The latter benefit is particularly interesting, since in the case of a shock to one of the two balance wheels, the other one will automatically speed up to compensate before the oscillation of the two balance wheels once again reaches equilibrium. In the case of the new Armin Strom Calibre ARF15, this takes just a few minutes, while 10 minutes is required to achieve resonance when the watch is wound up from standstill.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the greatest of them all?
While the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure Watch Replica Skeleton Pure watches also have skeletonized movements and hand-engraving, the outcomes are somewhat more contemporary and less “cosmetic,” with no intricate patterns and textures found on the surfaces of the motion. “Actual” in this case refers to the simplicity of the plan and how Armin Strom managed to decrease the ARM09 movement to its bare minimum. In reality, they renamed the motion at the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure watches into the ARM09-S (“s” for skeleton) because of its minimalized look at feel.The surfaces of these motion bridges have been brushed while the edges are beveled making for a fine, albeit much simpler look as compared to the impact we saw on the Armin Strom One Week Skeleton. Honestly, the Actual gap between the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure and One Week Skeleton is that the decorations on the skeletonized movement surfaces. The 1 Week Skeleton is a portion of a more limited edition (of just 50 bits) with all the patterns and fine details, while the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure is available as two limited editions of 100 bits, with the same style of motion skeletonization but without the decorative features – though there is still a great deal of hand polishing.
Speaking of the two equilibrium springs brings us neatly to something called a resonance clutch spring. It’s the elaborately shaped steel spring that is connected to the balance springs. What it does is that it provides a mechanical link to both balance springs, allowing force to be transmitted from one to another as they seek to maintain equilibrium and beat in tandem.The motion is Armin Strom’s Calibre ARF15, that really uses two full going trains to achieve the resonance effect. It is a hand-wound movement made from 226 components and features a pretty decent power reserve of 48 hours. Additionally, it oscillates at a rather unusual rate of 25,200 beats per hour.For me, the Armin Strom Skeleton Watch Price Replica Mirrored Force Resonance watch is easily Armin Strom’s most interesting watch, and I find that this new version in stainless steel to become even more desirable than the last. There’s always something to be said about a brand that truly conducts their craft and Armin Strom continues to show off such prowess with each new model. If you’ve been keeping up with releases from Armin Strom this year, you have likely had a chance to have a look at our first hands-on with the Armin Strom Edge watch here. It is a tasteful implementation of modern, industrial design combined with traditional finishing techniques that cover everything you’d expect from authentic high-end watchmaking.
Although there are other watch movements on the market that use the phenomenon of resonance, the new Calibre ARF15 by Armin Strom works differently. It is the only one whose construction has a physical connection between the two balance wheels, in the form of a patented resonance clutch spring that has taken the brand over two years to develop because of its highly complicated shape. This spring drives the symmetrical seconds display, which is arranged vertically on the dial. Compared with other resonance movements, this spring connects not the balance wheels themselves but the balance spring studs, the exact point on the balance that receives the impulses from the pallet fork. The addition of this spring also offers a much better visual appreciation of the resonance phenomenon, while the two balance wheels rotate in opposite directions to each other (hence the “mirror” in the mirrored force resonance).
This exciting new technology debuts today at SalonQP in London in an 18-carat red-gold case with a diameter of 43.4mm. The new watch would not be an Armin Strom Mens Watches Replica if it did not show off all the beauty of this new movement design to the full, complete with its meticulous fine watchmaking finishing, through one of the brand’s typical skeleton dials and a transparent sapphire crystal case back.
Also true to the Armin Strom Mens Watches Replica ethos, the Mirrored Resonance Fire model is exclusive (a limited edition of 50 pieces) but by no means excessive in terms of its price, particularly given the precious metal case and the years of development work involved. The 67,000 Swiss franc price tag is entirely reasonable for such a technological breakthrough.
