There are many reasons why Armin Strom isn’t your “typical” Swiss watchmaking brand. Based in Biel, they are one of the few “Swiss-German” brands in an industry dominated by the French-speaking areas in and surrounding Geneva and Vallée de Joux. The aesthetic is also far from traditional Swiss – it’s more Bauhaus-inspired, industrial and openworked. Beyond these two reasons though, what makes Armin Strom far from typical is its use of resonance.
In the history of watchmaking, there are simply very few watchmakers and brands that dive into mechanical resonance. Christiaan Huygens, Abraham-Louis Breguet, Antide Janvier– titans in the early development of precise mechanical timekeeping – all dabbled and experimented with resonance. In modern horology, the list of watchmakers with resonance timepieces is almost the same length: F.P. Journe, Beat Haldimann, Vianney Halter, and Armin Strom. Fundamentally, resonance refers to the mechanical principle where two oscillating balance wheels interact with each other in such a way that they begin to synchronize their motion. This synchronization leads to improved timekeeping stability and energy efficiency.
Today, we’re diving into Armin Strom’s development of the brand’s Resonance Collection. Fortunately, we were able to speak with Claude Greisler, Co-Founder and Chief Horologist, about the decision to pursue resonance and the journey to make it work.
Before Armin Strom, the earliest ideas for resonance
There are questions whenever we examine Armin Strom’s Resonance timepieces: How and why did the brand step into such rare territory in watchmaking? The backstory is really quite simple. When we spoke to Claude, he mentioned that he first encountered the concept of mechanical resonance directly after his graduation from watchmaking school in the early 2000s. “I worked in the restoration of complicated and antique timepieces. This was the first time I encountered a double pendulum clock that used resonance for chronometric performance. I was very interested in the mechanics of resonance; it grasped my attention.”
For Claude, the idea of resonance in watchmaking took hold of his imagination as a young watchmaker. His interest in these mechanics led him to reach out to Beat Haldimann, the Swiss-German independent clock- and watchmaker. Haldimann’s workshop wasn’t far from Claude in Switzerland, and he was able to visit Haldimann to see one of the watchmaker’s own double pendulum clocks. Inspired by the earliest work on resonance by Christiaan Huygens, the first scientist to observe resonance in the 1600s. Claude was able to discuss with Haldimann all about his experiences working on resonance timepieces – long before Armin Strom was established.
The key takeaway from the conversations with Haldimann, as well as Claude’s dive into the history of resonance in watchmaking, is that there needs to be something to connect both pendulums (or balance wheels in a watch). For Huygens, Antide and Haldimann, both pendulums were fixed to the same point on the clock. This allows the vibrations from each pendulum to connect more directly – there’s less dissipation and interference. Years later, this insight was applied to one of Armin Strom’s most fascinating innovations – the Resonance Clutch.
Armin Strom’s innovation – the Resonance Clutch
Some ways to create resonance in watchmaking are better than others. Often, the phenomenon is achieved by placing two balance wheels close together. Air coupling as well as subtle vibrations through the mainplate push the mechanics in the direction of resonance. But this method is far from ideal. The mainplate, for example, has other vibrations that move through it besides those created by the balance wheels. Energy from the barrel, moving through the going-train, will add an additional layer of chaos and interference.
For Armin Strom, the only way to ensure that resonance is facilitated in the most streamlined way possible is to return to the basics of history – find a way to directly connect both balance wheels. This is where the patented Resonance Clutch Spring enters modern watchmaking history.
Named because it “clutches” the twin balances, this innovation facilitates the efficient transmission of vibrations. It consistently transfers vibrations between the balance wheels to maintain resonance synchronization. The Resonance Clutch Spring doesn’t tug, push, pull or coerce the balance wheels. It simply ensures that synchronization occurs faster, and is maintained better over time, especially relative to synchronization through air or mainplate vibrations.
The point about the Resonance Clutch is that it not only ensures a more direct line in maintaining synchronization between balance wheels but It also ensures more resilience against shocks and everyday wear and tear. Because the synchronization between balance wheels is more directly mediated, this ensures that any disparity between balance wheels caused by a shock to the watch is overcome with resonance re-establishing more quickly.
It’s a massively creative endeavor for Armin Strom to design and develop their Resonance collection. Claude praised the team behind the scenes for their courageous spirit and willingness to experiment with the design of the Resonance Clutch. “We realized that our team is very talented, very motivated to experiment, and there is a lot of trust in finding solutions and learning new things along the way,” said Claude as he described how the brand decided to explore improvements to resonance in watchmaking. “It took three years of prototyping, more than 30 different shapes for the Resonance Clutch to be developed. In the end, we got there with great success.”
Armin Strom’s pursuit of resonance isn’t just about reviving a rarity in watchmaking history. It’s about reimagining what’s possible when modern engineering know-how meets fearless experimentation. In a landscape where tradition often defines success, the brand has forged its own path by leaning into that experimental spirit. With the Resonance Clutch as its mechanical heart, all of the brand’s Resonance timepieces show that independent watchmaking can still break ground, challenge norms, and push mechanical timekeeping into the future.
