Hands-On: The Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance ‘Manufacture Edition’
When it comes to modern watchmakers working on resonance calibers, only a handful of makers come to mind. Armin Strom is a rarity in its ability to make the complication a core element of its brand identity over the past several years, as when it comes to things like resonance watchmaking, serial production is an impressive feat all in and of itself. Armin Strom’s Dual Time GMT Resonance ‘Manufacture Edition,’ the brand’s latest limited edition of 50 pieces, packs two timekeeping mechanisms into a single watch with the brand’s in-house ARF22 caliber and a new monochromatic aesthetic. Now in steel instead of the white gold of its predecessor, this latest version expands the line, and at $110,000, no, resonance doesn’t come cheap.
Resonance watchmaking, as the name implies, comes from the idea that two identical oscillating objects (implying that both objects share the same natural resonant frequency) would eventually synchronize their frequencies if mounted on a common medium while in close proximity. In watchmaking, the oscillating objects are the balance wheels, and the mount is the movement plate to which both balances are affixed. This very traditional form of resonance watchmaking was initially observed by Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens via two pendulum clocks sitting on the same wooden beam, and found its way into modern watchmaking, most notably through François-Paul Journe in his Chronométre à Résonance from 2000. It’s a bit of dark magic, the more you think about it, as it’s hard to wrap around the idea that a mechanism so small and delicate like the balance can manage to influence another object purely through vibrations (Journe describes the phenomenon in his watch as acoustic resonance, though the execution, technically speaking, is still a form of mechanical resonance).
Why even try this in the first place? Isn’t one balance wheel enough? Well, the idea is that each balance wheel would theoretically keep the other one in check, greatly enhancing the watch’s rate stability. The other balance wheel would eventually even out any deviations of oscillation frequency, stabilizing the watch’s timekeeping.
Armin Strom decided to approach resonance watchmaking differently. Instead of relying purely on vibrational transmission, the brand’s resonance watches use a patented steel clutch spring, crafted in-house, to link both balance wheels and achieve resonance. The twin balances and clutch spring are on display front and center at twelve o’clock on the Dual Time GMT Resonance, with the long and intricate steel piece affixed to each balance on one of the end studs. As the balances tug on each other via this clutch spring, a slower balance will be sped up by the other, and vice versa, as the spring slides up and down. It’s secured by a small capped post sitting in the middle of the spring’s curve, affectionately named by Armin Strom co-founder Claude Greisler as the “security mushroom.” In person, it’s a very captivating visual, as the spring bounces back and forth to the rhythm of the balances.
The straightforward design of the impressively compact 39mm steel case, with a height of 9.05mm and lug-to-lug measurement of 44.5mm, takes a backseat to allow the dial of the watch to do the bulk of the talking. It’s a mirrored structure, with identical elements appearing directly opposite each other. On the very bottom layer, two barrels above six o’clock provide the 42 hours of power reserve that operate each side of the timing mechanism, with the crown at four o’clock winding both. Each side has its separate gear train, which leads to the two opposing balances at the very top. What also grabs attention is the black polishing on the balances and the clutch spring, a striking look as the polished components go from bright steel to dark anthracite as the watch shifts in the light.
Taking up most of the visual space of the front are the two black dials, hovering above everything else. Each dial is intricately finished with a highly textured center, with the outer snailed ring housing the applied indices and printed minutes tracks. Day and night indicators are incorporated above the six o’clock indices, with the night visualized by a lunar texture femtolaser-engraved in relief, while the protruding rays of the sun for the daylight portion are black-polished and set in a flat laser-darkened background. It’s a beautiful yet subtle contrast.
Unlike most watches, the GMT complication here is not achieved through an extra hour hand pointing to a different time zone. Rather, the two dials can tell entirely different times, down to the minutes. While I know I’d personally find it very tedious to try to align both minute hands precisely, this dual-dial layout actually allows someone to travel or track any of the irregular time zones, like India’s 30-minute offset.
Flip the watch around, and it’s clear that all the dynamic parts of the caliber’s architecture were shifted to the front of the Resonance GMT. On the back, two bridges supporting the gear train are finished in matte black, while a large plate with Côtes de Genève striping holds the skeletonized barrels in place. An essay of text is embossed on the lower black plate, and it is certainly a visual detail I could have done without, though I suppose it works for this watch (and is found on other Armin Strom watches). While the design is industrial, the hand finishing certainly isn’t, as hand-polished anglage is present on the bridges as well as many of the gears.
For last year’s ‘First Edition’ of the Resonance Dual Time GMT in white gold, sky blue dials added a colorful punch to the watch as it debuted. As the sequel, this ‘Manufacture Edition’ manages to dramatically tone down the watch by swapping blue for black. This doesn’t mean, however, that the watch is, in any way, boring. In fact, the visual interest of the watch rightfully now rests on the two balances and the clutch spring.
It’s interesting to think about the journey of the resonance watch at Armin Strom — its first execution of a dual-time resonance watch, in the Masterpiece 1, was a sardine can on the wrist at 59mm wide by 43.4mm long, and a height of almost 16mm. To buy that piece was to purely support the exploration of resonance watchmaking, and certainly not to test the limit of your shirt cuffs.
So it seems quite miraculous that a few years later, the brand created a watch that applied the same principle in a case that would be considered casually-sized for a simple time-only watch these days. In the ‘Manufacture Edition’ of the Dual Time GMT Resonance, the new monochromatic look paired with an epic complication makes for a watch that I think will easily resonate with many collectors. A quick look at the market reminds anyone looking for such a watch that just not that many people are truly doing what Armin Strom is, and certainly not at the quantities the brand is capable of producing.
For more information, visit Armin Strom online.
Hodinkee