A Closer Look at the Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance, and Its Brilliant 12:59 “Show Off” Mode

The idea of combining the resonance effect and a minute repeater isn’t new to Armin Strom. The independent watchmaker already, back in 2019, presented a technically impressive watch (what else to expect, as everything the brand does is technically impressive), the Masterpiece Minute Repeater Resonance. Regarding pure watchmaking, there was nothing to complain about here. As for the execution and wearability, it could have been improved. And that’s exactly what Armin Strom has done with its new Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition. And not content to re-launch the resonance/repeater combination, the men behind the brand pushed the limits of technicality much further. And, in a very non-Swiss move, even added a trick that is here just to impress… But after all, such watches are here for our pleasure first and foremost. So, sit back and relax, as we have a complete video review of this new Minute Repeater Resonance for you.

As we already went hands-on with this watch in this article, I am not going to talk about all the technical aspects. For that, our initial article will provide the necessary details. Instead, I am here going to focus on two points that are, in our books, particularly interesting: wearability, design and ease of use on one side, and the superb chiming mechanism and its 12:59 mode on the other…

The Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance in a nutshell

What is this watch? Well, it’s the direct descendant of a watch that was already combining the concept of resonance – a speciality of Armin Strom – and a minute repeater. And yes, these two mechanisms are some of the most complex in the industry and, as you can imagine, they take space. As such, the 2019 Masterpiece Minute Repeater Resonance was not a small watch by any means, at 47.7mm by 16.10mm. Not something you can casually wear on a daily basis. But in recent years, Armin Strom has worked a lot on refining its main watches, such as the classic Mirrored Force Resonance or the Dual Time GMT Resonance.

The same idea has been applied to the Minute Repeater Resonance, which now comes in a far more restrained execution. But more on that in a bit. It follows the earlier Masterpiece Minute Repeater Resonance (2019, now retired), yet almost every aspect has been reconsidered. It is, actually, an entirely new watch. What matters is that Armin Strom brings here its signature, patented resonance clutch, which connects two complete and independent regulating organs. Each oscillator has its own barrel, gear train, escapement and balance wheel. Through the clutch spring, the two balances influence each other and synchronise, effectively averaging out positional errors and improving rate stability.

Then, its dial-side design has also evolved: while still openworked, the architecture is different, with a centralised time display rather than the off-centred subdial. The hours and minutes are indicated centrally on a suspended chapter ring. The lower half is almost entirely occupied by the regulation system, with twin balance wheels connected by a resonance-clutch spring. At 12 o’clock, the hammers and their corresponding gongs are fully exposed, forming a symmetrical arc across the upper section. The flying governor is positioned beneath the hammers and plays an important role. As the repeater is activated, it regulates the speed of the striking sequence, ensuring that the notes are evenly spaced and acoustically consistent. And everything you can see through the dial, or actually the absence of a dial, are mechanical parts that are meticulously decorated and contrasting with a lightly frosted, gold-tone background (which is actually the movement). The result is technical, yet elegant and refined.

Wearability is key

As said, the previous generation of Minute Repeater Resonance was, let’s be honest, quite a gigantic watch to sport on the wrist. This new version is a game-changer. First of all, it is housed in a case made from titanium, which comes with two benefits. The first is obvious: lightness and comfort. The second is something you can experience only in real life (or through our video review): sound. Every material used in watchmaking has its own characteristics, and titanium, with its strength and structure, brings a very crystalline sound to the watch that, in a certain way, matches the whole concept of Armin Storm as a brand. It’s sharp, with a high volume. Different from what gold could produce, with a more rounded and warmer sound.

Beyond lightness, there are the facts. The case of the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition is impressively compact considering what movement it has to protect. Measuring 42mm in diameter, the most impressive measurement is the thickness… 11.70mm in total, for a watch that packs a movement comprising no fewer than 506 components. Some time-only sports watches can’t even compete. The lug-to-lug is given at 48mm and, all in all, it makes this watch a joy to wear… Like, if you could wear it on a daily basis and not even care. Water-resistant is even rated at 30m, which, in the world of repeaters, is nothing to be ashamed of.

The repeater and the “show off” 12:59 mode

Besides having a resonance regulator, this new Armin Strom is also a minute repeater. But not just a simple repeater. It actually has a so-called Westminster chime, one of the most complex and musically pleasing versions of this complication. On a “standard” minute repeater, the time is chimed by a pair of hammers striking their respective coiled gongs. A Westminster chime doubles the fun with 4 hammers and 4 gongs coiled around the movement (which is all the more impressive considering the compactness of the watch). This sequence, familiar from clocks such as Big Ben, divides the time into hours, quarters and minutes using a more elaborate melody for the quarters, as you can hear in our video at the top of this article.

But what if you want to enjoy this to the max… If you buy a supercar, you need a racetrack to exploit the entirety of its performance. With a minute repeater, you will only hear the full sequence of the chime twice a day, at precisely 12:59 AM or 12:59 PM. Sure, other sequences are a joy to hear, but considering the rather serious amount of money that such a watch requires, you might want to use it to the max, and potentially to make others in the room benefit from the full experience.

And that’s where the Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 brings the fun… An unprecedented feature, which explains the very name of the watch, it features a “12:59” mode, or what we decided to call the “show off” mode. The left side of the watch isn’t only the repeater’s slider, but also a function selector linked to a column wheel. In standard mode, the watch will perform a classic sequence, as its repeater mechanism will read and play the current time indicated on the dial. Press the button again, and you enter party mode, as the watch will perform the longest possible sequence: twelve hours, three quarters and fourteen minutes, making the repeater a demonstrator of its capabilities, showcasing the full complexity of the Westminster mechanism, on demand. Is it necessary? No. Is it absolutely cool? Oh yes, very much.

And beyond the technical mastery that lies behind this new development, the two aspects above are what make the Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition even more desirable. A spectacular watch to discover in our latest video review.