Those who served in the military probably remember that battalions were strictly prohibited from marching in step across a bridge. Presumably Armin Strom watchmaker Claude Greisler completed the strict Swiss conscription, because the Mirrored Force Resonance is a watch that works in the same way as a battalion that walks across a bridge out of step. The destructive phenomenon that causes bridges to collapse is called resonance and is a phenomenon in physics that occurs when there is vibration. A vibrating object (a group of marching soldiers) can cause another object (a bridge) to start vibrating because the vibrations are passed on through a secondary medium. When the second object starts vibrating in the rhythm of the original vibrations the resulting phenomenon is called resonance.
The phenomenon of synchronised motion in movements has fascinated watchmakers since the days of Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695). Huygens, the inventor of the pendulum movement, was the first to discover the resonance of two individual pendulum clocks of which he logically suspected that they were showing the time differently. However, when the pendulums were attached to the same beam the motion of the pendulums became synchronised. Research subsequently confirmed that the common wooden beam linked the vibrations together, creating resonance. The two individual pendulums functioned in synchronicity because of the beam. In the 18th century Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) demonstrated his mastery of the phenomenon by building a double pendulum resonance clock.
Resonance is a technique that is extremely difficult to master and is therefore seldom seen in modern watchmaking. With the Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance the company takes up the challenge to create a highly accurate movement. If the principle of resonance is applied properly it creates a very stable motion, which results in high precision, energy savings, a large power reserve and the exclusion of negative effects on the time measuring. Shocks do affect the two balances used, but because of the resonance they quickly recover their rhytm.
Resonating Caliber
The resonating Caliber ARF15 designed by Greisler is a classically constructed, hand-wound movement that ticks at 3.5 Hertz (25,200 vph). However, because of the symmetrical design and finish, the calibre, which is built in-house, looks very modern and the absence of two balance wheels is definitely not traditional either. A symmetrical seconds display can be seen on the front. This is possible because Greisler and his team created a resonance clutch spring that ensures the seconds are synchronised. It may sound simple, but it took over two years to get the vibrating entity to work properly. Potential buyers who wind the movement for the first time will have a 48-hour power reserve at their disposal, and will see that it takes 10 minutes for the balance wheels to start oscillating in the same rhythm. The price of this most complicated Armin Strom watch in the short history of the house is on application.
