The Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance now with Guilloché Dials by Voutilainen

Recently, we had the opportunity to spend some quality hands-on time with the new Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance, and it now receives some superb guilloché dials. Creating an outstanding contrast between technology and modernity (the movement) and tradition (the dials), the creation of this new watch involved more than Armin Strom’s watchmakers… We had previously seen the watch at SalonQP in London, but it wasn’t quite ready for publication then, so we had to hold off until now to share all the tantalising details with you. We’re pretty sure you’ll agree though, that it was definitely worth the wait. 

Mirrored Force Resonance

Launched in 2016, the Mirrored Force Resonance remains one of the most innovative timepieces we have seen in recent years. In fact, here on MONOCHROME, we have described it as “revolutionary”, not once, but several times, and we absolutely stand behind that assertion. If by some miracle you’re not already familiar with this incredible story, I highly recommend reading Xavier’s in-depth article (you can find it here), which covers not only the history behind the concept of resonance in watchmaking but also the science.

The appearance of resonance in watchmaking is not particularly new, although it is still rather unusual. The original idea was conceived by Christiaan Huygens in the mid-17^th century, later explored by Astide Janvier and Abraham-Louis Breguet, and then further developed by Beat Haldimann and François-Paul Journe in the 20^th century. Essentially, the resonance principle dictates that two oscillating bodies in close proximity influence each other and eventually synchronize.

I am of course oversimplifying here for the sake of brevity but the key thing to understand is that this theory calls for the use of two regulators, complete with two independent gear trains and two independent oscillators, all with no mechanical connection to each other. According to the resonance effect, these regulators should beat in harmony, with one theoretically offsetting the errors of the other and vice versa.

Armin Strom took this concept several steps further by pioneering a steel resonance clutch spring, connected to the balance spring studs. The two balance wheels get coupled by the tiny vibrations in the spring. This revolutionary, patented mechanism causes the two oscillators to synchronize while making their revolutions in opposite directions. The two balances find a concurrent rhythm in opposite directions so as to continuously average out errors for maximum accuracy.

As you can imagine, many people were somewhat sceptical when Armin Strom first announced their ground-breaking advancement with this centuries-old technology, as resonance in this instance is practically impossible to see without assistance. That’s one of the reasons why the company has been working with the famed Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM), a research-and-technology institute established in 1984 that exists to cooperate with Swiss companies. The work with CSEM has not only officially confirmed that Armin Strom’s Mirrored Force invention is in resonance, it’s also helping the brand figure out how its resonance clutch spring can be optimised to provide maximum benefit.

No new developments have been announced as yet with regards to the resonance clutch spring, but we do certainly have some stunning new guilloché dials to share with you.

Guilloché Dials

Earlier this year, Armin Strom introduced the Mirrored Force Resonance Water, which featured a more accessible steel case, paired with a white dial with blue accents (you can read Brice’s article here.) It was, and still is, a very attractive watch, however, in some ways I felt like the understated appearance of the dial didn’t do justice to this incredible marvel of modern-day watchmaking.

It seems Armin Strom may have felt the same way and so the brand has recently introduced a second steel version of the watch, but this time paired with a with superb, hand-executed guilloché dial, created by none other than Master Watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. We got our hands on the blue dial version (pictured here) but we’ve been told that the guilloché dials will be available in several colors (blue, black, anthracite, red or bi-color), and in several different pattern options (sun-ray, concentric waves or barleycorn), depending on the client’s wishes.

The dials are manufactured in Voutilainen’s Môtiers-based workshop, on century-old engine-turning lathes, which can only be controlled by hand. The intricate patterns, obtained by chiselling a smooth metallic plate with extreme precision and care, are true pieces of art, reflective of the craftsmen’s skills and virtuosity.

To say these new guilloché dials completely change the look of Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance timepiece would be an understatement. Before, it was hard to tear your eyes away from the mesmerising ballet of the of the two oscillators with the connecting spring, but now, when the guilloché dial catches the light just so…wow! For me, this is the ultimate realisation of this timepiece.

Everything else remains unchanged, including the incredible AFR15 manual wound movement. The only exception is the strap, which is now a genuine black alligator horn-back strap closed with a stainless steel ardillon buckle (the strap on the first steel version was blue.) The case still measures 43.4mm x 13.0mm high and sits very comfortably on the wrist. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this an everyday watch, but it’s definitely not designed to just sit in a safe somewhere.

Pricing is set at CHF 59,000, which is a premium of CHF 5,000 on the Mirrored Force Resonance Water version, but given the additional complex production processes required for the guilloché dials, I think collector’s will see this as more than justified. More details on www.arminstrom.com.