Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665

The Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665, designated as Ref. ST25-RF.ZG, presents itself as a physical embodiment of an alternate horological history. It is a watch built around a compelling "what if" scenario: what would a resonance wristwatch have looked like if the great scientific minds of the 17th century had solved the engineering challenges of stable synchronization? This timepiece is conceived as a "relic from a future that might have been," a conceptual instrument that merges a centuries-old scientific quest with a mechanical solution that was only achieved in the modern era.



The "1665" in its name is a direct reference to the year that Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock, first observed the phenomenon of resonance. While experimenting with two pendulum clocks for use in maritime navigation, he noticed they would synchronize their swings when hung from the same heavy wooden beam. The micro-vibrations traveling through the shared structure were enough to couple the two oscillators, forcing them into a stable, mirrored rhythm. Huygens called this "sympathy of clocks," and it opened a theoretical pathway to creating a timekeeper of unprecedented consistency.



This discovery was not just an academic curiosity; it was a potential answer to the single greatest scientific and economic challenge of the 18th century: the Longitude Problem. While sailors could easily determine their latitude (north-south position) from the sun, finding their longitude (east-west position) was perilous guesswork. The only practical solution was to carry the precise time from a home port on the ship. An error of just a few minutes in timekeeping could mean an error of hundreds of miles in position, leading to catastrophic shipwrecks and lost trade.



The British government, in 1714, established the Board of Longitude and offered a massive prize to anyone who could solve the problem. Sir Isaac Newton himself, in a speech to Parliament, outlined the difficulty, stating that a practical solution was elusive "by reason of the motion of the ship, the variation of heat and cold, wet and dry, and the difference of gravity at different latitudes, such a watch hath not yet been made." He was right. Huygens's discovery, while brilliant, was too fragile. The "sympathy" was easily broken by the slightest external disturbance, making it useless on a rolling ship. This "Resonance Fragility Problem" rendered the concept a dead end for portable timekeepers for nearly 400 years.



The brand that would ultimately provide a modern solution, Armin Strom, began its life in 1967. It was founded by Mr. Armin Strom, a "local legend" in the town of Burgdorf, Switzerland, who was a revered master of hand-skeletonization and engraving. He built his reputation on his ability to pare away a movement's bridges and plates, transforming the mechanism into a piece of kinetic sculpture. This DNA of exposing the inner workings of a watch, of celebrating the mechanics, is the foundational root of the modern company.



In 2009, the brand was revitalized and transformed. Under the leadership of entrepreneur Serge Michel and Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler, Armin Strom moved from being a specialist workshop to a fully-integrated, vertically-capable manufacture in Biel/Bienne. This shift was pivotal. Greisler, a gifted movement designer, had a new vision: to not just skeletonize existing movements, but to design, develop, and produce entirely new in-house calibers that were technically innovative and built from the ground up to be open-worked.



This technical ambition led Claude Greisler to revisit the historical challenge of resonance. He was inspired by the work of 18th-century clockmaker Antide Janvier, who had also built complex resonance clocks. Greisler’s goal was to create a system that was not just sympathetic, but robustly and resiliently locked together, finally solving the fragility problem for a wristwatch. After years of research and development, he introduced his solution in 2016.



The breakthrough, which is the functional heart of the Zeitgeist 1665, is the patented Resonance Clutch. This is not a passive system that relies on faint vibrations traveling through the mainplate. Instead, it is a physical, precisely-shaped steel spring that directly connects the two balance springs of the watch's two independent regulating systems. This clutch acts as a more efficient and powerful intermediary, actively mitigating torque fluctuations and forcing the two balances into a stable, anti-phase synchronization. This system was so effective it was certified by the Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) for its ability to maintain a stable, resonant state even when subjected to the shocks and movements of a human wrist.



The Zeitgeist 1665 puts this entire technical narrative on full display through its dial. The watch is profoundly three-dimensional, presenting a mechanical landscape rather than a traditional flat face. The immediate focal point is the lower left quadrant, where the two large, mirrored balance wheels oscillate in contrary motion. They are the visible, beating heart of the resonance system, held in place by two large, skeletonized, cantilevered cocks that anchor them to the mainplate. Their constant, mirrored dance is the visual payoff of the entire mechanism.



Despite the mechanical complexity, the time is displayed with a clear, albeit asymmetrical, layout. The primary time-telling functions are grouped on the right side of the watch. An off-center ring, crafted from 18K white gold and finished with a deep, polished lacquer ("vernis laqué poli"), displays the hours and minutes. This clean, smooth surface provides a calm visual anchor against the dynamic backdrop of gears and oscillators.



Above the main time dial are two smaller sub-dials for the seconds. These are the visual proof of the system's function. The sub-dial on the left ticks away, while the one on the right runs in the opposite, counter-clockwise direction. This "twin second fly-back" feature serves as a constant readout that the two independent gear trains are perfectly synchronized and locked in resonance. A pusher at the 2 o'clock position can be used to reset both hands to zero simultaneously.



The aesthetic and color palette of the watch are central to its "reimagined history" concept. The mainplate and several key bridges are treated with a warm, rose-gold-toned finish. This provides a rich contrast to the silvery, rhodium-plated components of the two independent gear trains and the large balance cocks. To ensure legibility and add a touch of classical watchmaking, all the hands—for the hours, minutes, and both small seconds—are crafted from stainless steel and heat-blued to a vibrant, deep blue.



This entire mechanism is driven by the manually-wound Caliber ARF21 ZG. This is a 260-part, 39-jewel movement designed and built entirely in-house. It operates at a frequency of 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz) and features two independent mainspring barrels. These two barrels unwind in parallel, one providing power to each of the two independent gear trains. This dual architecture is critical: the two systems are mechanically separate from the barrel all the way to the escapement. The only thing that connects them is that all-important Resonance Clutch spring. This setup provides a generous 80-hour power reserve.



All of this is housed within a 43mm stainless steel case. With a height of 11.55 mm and a lug-to-lug dimension of 49.60 mm, the watch has a modern, substantial presence on the wrist, yet its dimensions and contoured lugs are engineered for comfortable, everyday wearability. The case is finished with a combination of polished and brushed surfaces, allowing the intricate dial-side mechanics to remain the undisputed focal point. Both the front crystal and the caseback display window are made of sapphire with an anti-reflective treatment. The watch maintains a water resistance of 3 ATM (30 meters).



The watch is paired with a dark grey Alcantara strap. This material, known for its use in high-performance automotive interiors, has a soft, suede-like texture that complements the technical, instrument-like feel of the watch. The strap is finished with contrasting grey stitching and is secured to the wrist with a stainless steel pin buckle.



Turning the watch over reveals a view through the sapphire caseback that is just as mechanically engaging as the front. Here, the view is dominated by the two large, symmetrically-placed, and open-worked ratchet wheels for the mainspring barrels. Their size is a clear indication of the long 80-hour power reserve. The rose-gold-toned plate continues onto the back, beautifully engraved with "Zeitgeist" and the watch's individual limited-edition number (e.g., "1 OF 25").



The "future imagined from the past" ethos is perhaps best understood through the finishing. The watch is adorned with exemplary, high-level decorative techniques. Bridges are hand-beveled with polished anglage, surfaces feature traditional Perlage (circular graining) and Côtes de Genève (Geneva stripes), and even the screw heads are black-polished to a mirror-like sheen. This is a core value of the Armin Strom manufacture: every single component, whether visible or hidden, receives meticulous artisanal attention.



This obsessive finishing is applied to a design that feels less like a piece of jewelry and more like a high-precision scientific instrument. The bridges are not ornate; they are architectural, functional, and strong. The entire layout is a deliberate expression of the brand's philosophy, which it calls the "Science of Movement." The open-worked design is not just for aesthetics; it is an act of transparency, allowing the owner to see the solution to a 400-year-old physics problem in real time.



What this system ultimately achieves is not just precision, but chronometric consistency. This is a crucial distinction. It means the watch is engineered to gain or lose the exact same number of seconds each day, without the fluctuations that wrist motion, gravity, and mild shocks would normally cause. This reliable, predictable rate is exactly what those 17th-century marine navigators were so desperately searching for.



The Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 is a bold tribute to the history of resonance watchmaking and a tangible celebration of Armin Strom's milestone achievement. As a highly exclusive creation, it is presented in a limited edition of just 25 examples. The price for this piece of reimagined horological history is set at 82,000 Swiss Francs (CHF).



Case: Stainless steel, 43 mm diameter, 11.55 mm height, 49.60 mm lug-to-lug. Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment. Water resistance: 3 ATM.

Movement: Caliber ARF21 ZG, manual winding. Two independent barrels, 80-hour power reserve. Frequency: 25,200 vph. 39 jewels, 260 parts. Diameter: 36.60 mm, Height: 7 mm. Features two independent regulation systems connected by a resonance clutch spring and a twin second fly-back.

Dial: 18K White Gold with “vernis laqué poli” finish, off-center layout. Hands are heat-blued stainless steel, manufactured by Armin Strom.

Strap: Dark grey Alcantara strap with grey stitching. Stainless steel pin buckle.

Price: CHF 82’000

Reference Number: ST25-RF.ZG

Notes: Limited edition of 25 pieces. The watch features Armin Strom's patented Resonance Clutch, designed to provide stable and resilient synchronization between the two balance wheels, solving a problem that dates back to Christiaan Huygens in 1665.