The Armin Strom x Horomariobro Pure Resonance Ultimate Sapphire

What started as a unique collaboration between Armin Strom and Horomariobro, a US watch collector and Instagram celebrity known as the “King of Macro photography”, has spawned a ten-piece limited edition. Based on the brand’s breakthrough resonance technology, Horomariobro’s request for his dream watch has resulted in a minimalist, monochromatic beauty, highlighting the symmetry of the movement and the exquisite hand-finishings. Meet the Armin Strom x Horomariobro Pure Resonance Ultimate Sapphire limited edition.

Horomariobro, the name of a collector renowned for his macro photography and videography of watches, is something of an Instagram celebrity among cogheads. His up close and very personal photographs/videos taken with an iPhone and a loupe expose a fascinating microcosm of microscopic mechanics. While some brands might be quaking in their boots when Horomariobro takes his lens to the finishings they were sure would never be revealed in such detail, others, like Armin Strom, are proud to reveal their secrets. With his acquisition of an F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu in 2014, Horomariobro’s passion for independent watchmakers kicked off. His latest commission was a unique piece by Armin Strom based on the phenomenon of resonance. Known as the Pure Resonance Ultimate Sapphire, the brand was so thrilled by the design that it has been converted into a limited edition of ten pieces. As somebody as obsessed with revealing the inner soul of a watch, it won’t come as a surprise that Horomariobro requested a sapphire dial..

Readers of MONOCHROME will be familiar with Armin Strom’s resonance technology, introduced inside its revolutionary Mirrored Force Resonance watch of 2016. As a brand that descended from a watchmaker famous for his hand-skeletonised movements (Armin Strom), all Mirrored Force Resonance watches are openworked to appreciate the unique spectacle of two hearts synched to beat as one. Recently we interviewed @WineWhiskyWatches to share his thoughts on his Mirrored Force Resonance model and chatted with Claude Greisler, co-founder and head watchmaker of Armin Strom, to understand the history and impact of resonance in watchmaking.

The watch Horomariobro commissioned, initially as a unique piece, differs from other Mirrored Force Resonance and Pure Resonance pieces in several ways. Horomariobro’s requests included the incorporation of a sapphire crystal dial for the hours and minutes, the elimination of the double seconds counters feeding off the twin resonance counters and the removal of the signature lip on the case at 6 o’clock. Closer in spirit to the Pure Resonance of 2018, the steel case shares the same 42mm diameter and 13mm thickness without the lip.

With fewer elements on the dial, the kinetic spectacle of the resonance clutch spring connecting the two balance wheels can be truly appreciated on the left side of the dial. The see-through grey metallic sapphire crystal ring framing the off-centred hour and minute dial features white Arabic numerals on the chapter ring and reveals parts of the movement and the keyless works. Unlike the Pure Resonance, this model has no small seconds counter. Below the sapphire crystal dial are two black PVD-coated gear train bridges decorated with a unique and contemporary barleycorn pattern by Kari Voutilainen. All other decorations – hand-bevels, circular graining, frosting, mirror-polishing and the tremblage on the winding bridge – are executed in-house by Armin Strom. The steel hour and minute hands are also made in-house and treated with Super-LumiNova. Interesting to note that even the brand name has been removed from the dial, but there is a subtle AS symbol engraved on one of the movement parts. Can you spot it?

The sapphire crystal on the reverse side reveals the beautiful finishings of the highly symmetric in-house manual-winding calibre ARF16. In a departure from other models powered by the ARF16, the crown wheel’s improved ratchet system is now exposed and the pin that usually bears the inscription Resonance CAL ARF16 is now engraved with Horomariobro 0/10. You can see the two mainspring barrels feeding the two independent regulators and the guilloché work on the plate that echoes that of the gear train bridges on the dial. Beating at 3.5Hz, the movement delivers a 48h power reserve and is wound by hand.

Availability and Price

The monochrome spirit of the dial is picked up on the black fabric strap with light grey stitching accompanying the watch. The Pure Resonance Ultimate Sapphire is a limited edition of 10 pieces and will be available exclusively through Oster Jewelers in Denver, USA and retails for USD 59,000.

For more details, please consult arminstrom.com.