Armin Strom represents a unique fusion of the swiss-german horological tradition with avant-garde ‘transparent mechanics’ and an unwavering commitment to horological innovation. Our watches are designed to both showcase how our movements actually work and to validate the attention to detail that goes into their production. Whether with a loupe or with the naked eye, with an Armin Strom timepiece there will always be something captivating to see.
Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition
1 375 000 kr
Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition
Science of movement
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 29 August 2024: Swiss independent watch brand Armin Strom celebrates the 15thanniversary of its fully-integrated Manufacture by reimagining its most historically significant innovation, the resonance complication, in an entirely new Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition. The new timepiece is presented in a hotly-anticipated 39-mm case size made in 18-karat white gold and limited to 25 pieces.
Embracing a symmetrical design language with two identical time dials, this First Edition timepiece comes in an elegant 39-mm round 18-karat white gold case. And like all Armin Strom First Editions, it includes a 10-year extended warranty.
Armin Strom once again demonstrates its mastery of ‘the science of movement’ with a finely-proportioned Dual Time Resonance timepiece, delivering unprecedented resilience against disruption of the Resonance phenomenon.
Reflecting on Armin Strom’s new Dual Time GMT Resonance, founder Serge Michel noted:
“Having two completely independent watch movements in a single timepiece creates the logical demand for an iteration that displays two time zones. The success of our first Dual Time inspired us to build a smaller and more elegant Dual Time Resonance watch. To do this, we further developed our concept and arranged the two movements vertically. And we couldn’t be happier with the result.”
ARMIN STROM PRESENTS ENTIRELY NEW DUAL TIME GMT RESONANCE TIMEPIECE
Armin Strom celebrates the 15th anniversary of our fully-integrated Manufacture by reimagining our most historically-important innovation in a slim 39mm white gold case. The Dual Time Resonance GMT showcases our uniquely resilient approach to harnessing the Resonance phenomenon as well as our longstanding commitment to extraordinary hand-finishing; culminating in a dial-side kinetic spectacle that's unlike anything else in contemporary watchmaking. Functionally, the Dual Time Resonance GMT displays two independent time zones, with indications of hours and minutes for each; while also supporting time zones that deviate from GMT by fractions of an hour. Day/Night indicators provide relevant AM/PM context for each time zone. The Dual Time Resonance GMT First Edition includes two compelling strap options and like all Armin Strom First Editions, it includes a 10-year extended warranty. Limited to 25 pieces.
Two dial-side kinetic elements unite to form a mesmerizing spectacle
The kinetic spectacle of Resonance is on full display on the dial side of the timepiece. The synchronized motion of two balance wheels operating in a state of Resonance, combined with the hypnotic pulsation of the clutch spring ‘breathing’ as it transmits vibrations between them, offers their owner a mesmerizing spectacle that brings a sense of wonder to the everyday.
Two fully independent time zones
Another valued aspect of the timepiece is its ability to set the two time zones entirely independently. Most dual time zone movements only permit independent adjustment of the hours, with only a few allowing half-hour settings. However, Armin Strom’s Dual Time GMT Resonance lets users set both the hours and minutes to any desired time on each of two identical dials.
Two movements in one new caliber
The Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition is powered by the new Armin Strom manufacture caliber ARF22, a manually-wound Resonance movement and the 18th caliber designed and produced in-house under the direction of Claude Greisler, Armin Strom’s co-founder and master watchmaker. Two independent, symmetrically mirrored oscillators operate in anti-phase to become synchronized mirror images of each other via the natural phenomenon of Resonance. The caliber features two mainspring barrels providing a power reserve of 42 hours, all wound by a single crown at 4 o’clock. Two separate gear trains drive the independent time displays. The engraved and mirror-polished day/night indicators depicting the sun and moon are mounted on 24-hour wheels directly on the movement. Two crowns positioned on either side of the case allow for the independent setting of each dial.
While many of the most visually-intriguing features are visible on the dial side, the case back further reveals the distinctive symmetrical architecture of the movement. The Dual Time GMT Resonance movement also offers a unique winding experience with a corresponding dial-side animation. The ratchet click system on the dial side of the timepiece provides this animation on the watch face, transforming the winding of the movement into a multi-sensory experience.
Unlike traditional click mechanisms connected to ratchets, the Dual Time GMT Resonance’s three-dimensional ratchet mechanism is connected to a pinion that is positioned between the two barrels to distribute the load more evenly. This two-part system consists of a bottom gear with Breguet teeth fixed to the main plate, and a top element with a spring connected to the axis. This approach provides more precise engagement and disengagement of the winding mechanism resulting in more consistent performance, more efficient energy transfer, reduced friction and wear on components, smoother operation and better overall durability for the winding system.
Two symmetric dials
The Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition features two symmetric sky-blue dials, each with a grenage finish. Armin Strom offers the only Resonance timepieces in active production with dual symmetric time dials.
Two symmetric day/night indicators
Dual engraved and mirror-polished day/night indicators depict the sun and moon to indicate AM/PM for each of the time dials.
Two symmetric crown
Two crowns, positioned on either side of the case at 4 and 8 o’clock, allow each dial to be independently set.
Two straps
Secured by an 18-karat white gold pin buckle, the Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition comes with two straps: A matte gray alligator strap with sky-blue stitching and a light gray alligator strap with pearl-gray stitching.
Artisanal craftsmanship
For the First Edition, the dials feature a sky-blue grenage finish, surrounded by black azurage chapter rings set with applied polished baton indexes that complement the faceted hands. The engraved and mirror polished day/night indicators depicting the sun and moon are mounted on 24-hour wheels directly on the movement. For the first time, the twin balance bridge is crafted from steel and designed with a flat surface that is hand-polished to achieve a mirror finish in accordance with the highest standards of traditional haute horlogerie decoration.
The lavish hand-finishing and decoration of this caliber includes hand-polished bevels, screws and countersinks, along with circular graining, perlage and Geneva stripes. The juxtaposition of anthracite and silvery tones further emphasizes the visual depth and dramatic contrast.
What is Resonance?
In watchmaking, a state of Resonance is generated by housing two movements in a single case in such a way that the balance wheels of both movements will naturally influence and regulate each other in real time via the mutual sharing of almost imperceptible vibrations. This sharing enables the twin balance wheels to become fully synchronized and regulate each other in a natural state of Resonance, thereby counteracting the negative effects of gravity and wrist movement on timekeeping. The key benefits of Resonance, in timepieces that can resiliently maintain the phenomenon, are its ability to maintain consistent timekeeping and to maximize timekeeping precision. Chronometric consistency means that a timepiece will gain or lose precisely the same number of seconds every day. Chronometric consistency was historically sought after for hundreds of years in order to solve the “Longitude Problem”, which required consistent timekeeping for more precise calculations of longitude in the context of maritime navigation.
How is Armin Strom’s approach to Resonance different from others?
Armin Strom’s approach to Resonance is fundamentally different from other Resonance timepieces in several key ways. Armin Strom Resonance timepieces utilize a patented, built-for-purpose suspension system known as a “clutch spring”, inspired by Antide Janvier’s Resonance Clock, to act as a vibrational intermediary between the balance wheels. This is in contrast to others who rely on legacy parts of the movement, such as a main-plate, to transmit vibrations. By virtue of its resiliency against disruption, Armin Strom’s innovative approach can leverage Resonance to proactively prevent oscillation-rate deviations caused by external factors such as wrist motion, gravity and temperature changes rather than merely remediating oscillation-rate errors after-the-fact (when affected balance wheels would otherwise eventually drift back into a state of Resonance). For these reasons, alternative approaches cannot offer the same resilience, predictable chronometric benefits and chronometric consistency as does an Armin Strom Resonance timepiece. This differentiated approach very effectively ensures that the twin balance wheels of an Armin Strom Resonance timepiece will remain synchronized in all positions with resilience against disruption, thereby providing unparalleled chronometric consistency and precision.
As noted by master watchmaker and co-founder Claude Greisler:
“Huygens had his wood beam transmitting the necessary vibrations between his pendulum clocks and Antide Janvier had the shared suspension of his pendulums. Their accomplishments inspired us to develop a built-for-purpose suspension for the reliable transmission of vibrations between the two balance wheels of a Resonance wristwatch in order to achieve the resilience against disruption that Huygens had so ambitiously imagined in the year 1665.”
About Armin Strom
Armin Strom is an independent watch company based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Armin Strom timepieces offer a unique fusion of the Swiss-German horological tradition, avant-garde “transparent mechanics” and an unwavering commitment to horological innovation. The hallmark of the brand’s low-volume, artisanal approach to watchmaking is its commitment to exposed dial-side movement mechanics, with every part hand-finished to the highest haute-horology standards.
Armin Strom was established in 1967 by Mr Armin Strom, a legend in the art of hand-skeletonization. In 2006, the stewardship of Mr Strom’s legacy became the responsibility of Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler and businessman Serge Michel, who together revitalized the brand with the opening of Armin’s Strom’s first fully-integrated Manufacture in 2009. Today the brand designs, develops, mills, embosses, galvanizes, hand-finishes and assembles all of its own watches in-house, enabling Armin Strom to bring even the most complicated ideas to life without any of the compromises that typically stem from reliance on a supply chain.
Technical specifications:
Reference:
- WG24-DT.90
Indications:
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Two independent time displays each indicating hour, minutes and day/night
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Left crown for setting time of left dial; right crown for setting time of right dial and winding
Distinctions:
- Two independent regulation systems connected by a resonance clutch spring.
- Two independent time displays indicating hour, minutes and day/night.
Movement:
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Movement: Armin Strom manufacture Caliber ARF22
Anthracite PVD-colored main plate - Winding mechanism: Manual winding
- Regulating system: Two independent regulating systems connected by a resonance clutch spring
- Power reserve: 42 hours
- Dimensions: 34.15 mm × 4.92 mm
- Frequency: 3.5 Hz (25,200 vph)
- Jewels: 40
- Number of components: 231
Case:
- 18-karat white gold
- Sapphire crystal and caseback with anti-reflective treatment
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Diameter: 39.00 mm
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Height: 9.05 mm
- Lug-to-Lug: 44.50mm
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Water resistance: 5 ATM / 50 m
Dial:
- Sky-blue grenage dials with black azurage chapter rings and applied polished baton indexes, rhodium-plated day/night discs
Hands:
- Rhodium, faceted and polished
Strap:
- Delivered with two straps – a matte-gray alligator strap with sky-blue stitching and a light-gray alligator strap with pearl-gray stitching – with 18-karat pin buckle
Edition:
- Limited to 25 pieces
About Armin Strom
Armin Strom is an independent watch company based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Armin Strom timepieces offer a unique fusion of the Swiss-German horological tradition, avant-garde “transparent mechanics” and an unwavering commitment to horological innovation. The hallmark of the brand’s low-volume, artisanal approach to watchmaking is its commitment to exposed dial-side movement mechanics, with every part hand-finished to the highest haute-horology standards.
Armin Strom was established in 1967 by Mr Armin Strom, a legend in the art of hand-skeletonization. In 2006, the stewardship of Mr Strom’s legacy became the responsibility of Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler and businessman Serge Michel, who together revitalized the brand with the opening of Armin’s Strom’s first fully-integrated Manufacture in 2009. Today the brand designs, develops, mills, embosses, galvanizes, hand-finishes and assembles all of its own watches in-house, enabling Armin Strom to bring even the most complicated ideas to life without any of the compromises that typically stem from reliance on a supply chain.
When ‘Mr. Armin Strom’ retired from watchmaking, he transferred ownership of his brand to two boys (by then adults) who had had frequented his workshop so often together in childhood: businessperson Serge Michel and Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler.
In 2009, the revitalized Armin Strom built upon Mr. Strom’s historical legacy with the opening of its first fully-integrated Manufacture; located in Biel, Switzerland.
Today the Manufacture produces all of our timepieces in-house and with great reverence for the Swiss-German watchmaking tradition. Our extraordinary team of dedicated engineers and artisans, led by Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler, uphold that tradition with uncompromising passion and commitment.
Serge Michel is the scion of one of the most prominent families in Switzerland. His unwavering passion and commitment to the business of the Armin Strom Manufacture have made him both the sponsor and the driving business force behind the brand.
Fascinated by watchmaking and watch collecting from a young age, he and his childhood friend Claude Greisler shared a dream of co-founding a watch company; one that would someday produce watches of the very highest quality in the Swiss-German tradition. Today that dream has become a longstanding reality.
Beyond his life in the Manufacture, Serge is a husband and proud father of two girls. His other passions include global travel and wine collecting. Nothing brings a bigger smile to Serge’s face than introducing the latest Armin Strom creation to good friends over a dinner paired with several bottles of fine wine.
Claude Greisler is “a watchmaker’s watchmaker.” His greatest passions are watches (past and present) and complicated watchmaking. In actual fact, watchmaking has been a Greisler family profession for generations. Claude’s training began in his grandfather’s workshop, which led to his formal training, beginning with his completion of a four year program at the “School for Watchmakers and Rhabilleurs” in Solothurn, Switzerland; followed by a two-year program in movement restoration at Centre Interrégionalde Formation des Montagnes [CIFOM] in Le Locle; and then a further two-year program at CIFOM focused on the development and construction of complicated timepieces. Upon the completion of his 8 years of watchmaking education, Claude honed his craft as a watchmaker at Christophe Claret (a brand known for its ultra-complicated timepieces) as the next step in his longstanding ambition: to dedicate himself to the design and production of horologically significant timepieces. Beyond his watchmaking obsession, Claude is also a passionate skier and outdoorsman. Together with his wife, Gaby, Claude explores the Swiss backcountry as often as his responsibilities at the manufacture will allow.
Manufacture
At Armin Strom, we’re obsessed with every detail of every watch that we make. We develop, mill, emboss, galvanize and hand-finish all of our watches in-house. We adhere to the very highest haute-horology standards because we know that Armin Strom collectors appreciate looking at more than just the time.
At Armin Strom, our highly qualified and dedicated team invests an incredible amount of enthusiasm, passion and effort to create watches that are mechanically exceptional and meticulously well-finished. “The only difference between the possible and the impossible is that the impossible takes a little longer.” [Mrs. William Tilton, “The Washington Herald”, 1921].
Our passion for ‘transparent mechanics’ is at the core of our watchmaking design philosophy, but perfection in our execution and in the long-term reliability of our watches is always paramount. These priorities are the hallmarks of the Swiss-German watchmaking tradition. We honor that tradition with every watch that we produce at the Armin Strom Manufacture.
Decoration
Hand engraving
Every piece is unique.
Steel burins in various sizes and wax-coated holders are the tools of the engraver.
In the engraver’s hands, each workpiece becomes a unique work of art. The engraver draws their own motif design on the workpiece with a needle according to their original drawings; working under the microscope.
Polishing
Embellishing every part of a movement makes every Armin Strom watch akin to a hand-crafted piece of jewelry.
Working bare brass or steel by hand is time-consuming work: edges of plates, bridges and levers must be perfectly chamfered or, as watchmakers call it, beveled. Every part is then polished to perfection, even when the embellishment won’t be visible in the finished watch.
Beveling and polishing requires a trained eye and fingertip sensitivity together with both patience and perseverance. For example, even a relatively small part like a pallets bridge will require at least half an hour to complete – and often more than that.
Traditional Grinding
Here a classic fine watch-making finishing technique known as “Geneva Stripes” (Côtes de Genève), is displayed. They’re created via the use an abrasive disc that’s applied in perfectly straight lines to create the Côtes de Genève on the workpiece.
Circular graining (Perlage) is a decorative motif reminiscent of clouds, typically used on main plates. To achieve this pattern, the watchmaker uses an abrasive pencil and gently makes contact with the workpiece, gradually working across the whole surface. This creates the characteristic overlapping circular grained motif.
All rotating parts of an Armin Strom movement are embellished with a circular grinding pattern.
Assembling
Up to this point, they were all just individual parts – turned, milled, polished and decorated. Now the watch will begin to take shape.
The watchmaker uses a pressing tool to insert the jewel bearings for the spindles of the toothed wheels into the plate and bridges. This is a crucial operation. The way the jewels are pressed in influences the correct vertical play of the gear-train. Do the gear-wheels and pinions mesh together correctly? Does the height need adjusting by a few hundredths of a millimeter? Once the gear-train is adjusted, the bridges and plates are screwed down, and the mainsprings are assembled in the going barrels, then the movement is ready to receive the escapement. With the installation of the escapement, consisting of the escape-wheel, the pallets and balance-wheel, the watch comes to life.
After the first assembly, the movement is completely disassembled and each individual part is then cleaned, dried, reassembled and lubricated. After the second assembly, the movement is meticulously regulated before the watchmaker sets the hands and re-inserts the movement back into the case. The back of the case is then fixed in place. The completed watch is subjected to a multi-day rate test on a watch winder. Water resistance is also tested. Once the watch has passed these quality tests, it is finally certified as complete.