A new Gold Tone for the Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N

The Mirrored Force Resonance by independent watchmaking brand Armin Strom is, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating watches of recent years. Its spectacular movement builds on an idea first explored in 1665, when Christiaan Huygens observed the synchronisation of two pendulum clocks: resonance. First unveiled in 2016, Armin Strom refined the century-old concept to a point few watchmakers could, by coupling two independent regulating systems through a patented resonance clutch. Now in its second generation, the Mirrored Force Resonance received a highly special treatment with the Zeitgeist 1665 edition, featuring rose gold-coated bridges. Now, the model comes back in a new 3N version, where the mainplate and bridges are coloured in yellow gold, bringing a more classical character to its contemporary architecture.

While technically identical to all other editions of the Mirrored Force Resonance, the original Zeitgeist 1665 edition brought something truly special in terms of style. An imaginary vintage version, where the brand envisioned what such a watch would have looked like when Huygens discovered the concept of resonance, back in 1665. Classic lacquered white dial over a rose gold-coated movement that almost looked like patinated German silver – a style that we also chose for our own Montre de Souscription. And just like the first edition, Claude Greisler once again wondered what a portable resonance watch might have looked like if it had been conceived centuries ago, with the watchmaking design codes of that time, delivering a highly appealing retro-futuristic design and a potentially even more striking version.

Before talking about the design, we need to go back to the incredible technical solutions deployed in this watch in order to achieve consistent, chronometrically viable resonance. Indeed, only a few watchmakers even dared to tackle the problem, and even fewer came close to resonance – Abraham-Louis Breguet and Antide Janvier were the first ones, and in more recent years, F.P. Journe, Vianney Halter, and Beat Haldimann also worked on the concept. But until 2016, the solution for stable and resilient resonance remained rather elusive. Armin Strom changed everything with the Mirrored Force Resonance and its patented clutch. Here, two independent regulating systems transmit their vibrations through Armin Strom’s patented resonance clutch, allowing the balance wheels to synchronise through the physical phenomenon of resonance. Unlike historical attempts, the system is engineered to maintain that synchronisation on the wrist, improving chronometric stability in real-world conditions.

Like the first edition, the Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N comes in a 43mm stainless steel case, measuring 11.5mm in height and just under 50mm lug-to-lug. The case, polished on flat surfaces and vertically brushed on the flanks, is a classic for the brand, and includes the signature lip at 6 o’clock (though much smaller than the brand’s older watches). It is paired with a dark grey Alcantara strap with grey stitching.

It’s through the sapphire crystal that all the attention should be. New for this Zeitgeist 1665 3N edition, the movement’s mainplate and bridges are coloured in 3N yellow gold, accentuating even more the contrast between the complication’s and decoration’s classic character, and the contemporary architecture of the movement. These plates are given a matt finish, creating a restrained backdrop for the hand-bevelled and polished edges and black-polished screws. The left side of the movement is where the magic happens, as the skeletonised mainplate opens up the architecture around the resonance mechanism, where you can see the two independent regulating systems beating in synchrony, while connected by the clutch.

Another change compared to the previous Zeitgeist version: the new 3N comes with a black polished lacquered (vernis laqué poli, as named by the brand) chapter ring on top of the movement, in order to indicate the hours, minutes, and the twin-seconds. This brings a better, more striking contrast with the movement underneath. The latter operates at 3.5Hz (25,200 vibrations/hour) and provides an 80-hour power reserve from two independent barrels. The movement also includes a flyback mechanism that allows both seconds hands to be reset simultaneously, thanks to the pusher at 10 o’clock. And as you expect from Armin Strom, the finishing is exemplary and the watch is assembled twice – “once to make it work, and once to make sure it works exactly as it should.”

Released in a limited edition of 25 pieces, the Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N is priced at CHF 82,000. For more details, please visit www.arminstrom.com.