Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665

Armin Strom took the watch industry by storm in 2016 when it unveiled the Mirrored Force Resonance, a watch that exploits the physical phenomenon of resonance in an ingenious and unprecedented way. This is all possible due to Armin Storm’s patented Resonance Clutch, the brand’s innovation to modernize resonance in watchmaking. The Resonance Clutch is able to reach and remain in a state of resonance faster and for longer than any other popular methods in watchmaking (through vibrations passed through air and the mainplate). This results in a consistent rate that’s more impervious to shocks and positional rate variances.

On this latest edition of the Mirrored Force Resonance – the Zeitgeist 1665 – Armin Strom imagines what the brand’s signature timepiece may have looked like if created centuries ago. It’s a truly fascinating experiment in design, turning a timepiece as thoroughly modern as the Mirrored Force Resonance into something aesthetically grounded in the 18th century. A future imagined through the past, this edition oozes steampunk – a mechanical history (or future) that never was. 

The Zeitgeist’s case is crafted in stainless steel, featuring alternating brushed and polished finishing across its 43mm diameter. Below the sapphire crystal, the large skeletonized off-centre dial provides a bold contrast with the classicaly styled, rose-gold colored PVD movement underneath. This speaks to the aesthetics of a much earlier era in watchmaking. Paired with a dark grey Alcantara strap with grey stitching, this new interpretation blends mechanical innovation with timeless elegance. At 11.55mm in height, this is an overall slimmer and more ergonomic case than previous models. 

The raised sapphire glass box reveals the innovative and truly one-of-a-kind movement from multiple angles, revised from earlier models and reworked for a more open, three-dimensional look. The pusher at 2 o’clock allows the two running seconds indicators – which rotate in mirrored clockwise and counterclockwise motions – to be reset to zero and visually track the state of resonance.

Turning the watch over reveals the extent of the movement’s complete redesign compared to earlier models. Inspired by the golden age of precision marine chronometry, Caliber ARF21_ZG’s highlights the ingenuity of the resonance complication  with its two movements beating in sync. With independent energy sources and gear trains, the symmetry of the movement is accentuated with its mirrored layout of the barrels seen through the open caseback. This execution also allows the Armin Strom Manufaktur to showcase its expertise in hand finishing with hand-beveled and polished bridges, black-polished screws, and perlage – all exude a distinctly haute horlogerie quality. Limited to 25 pieces, the Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 is available now.