Armin Strom Resonance Cluch Spring System
It wasn’t too long ago, in late 2021, that independent Swiss watch brand Armin Strom unveiled its one-of-la-kind Zeitgeist watch. The highly complicated $170,000 timepiece takes the concept of resonance technology to all new levels thanks to an innovative new system and years of research and development. This watch has so many implications for aciieving perfect resonance – perfect cadence and rhythm – that it may well go down in the history books of the second decade of the new millennium. But first, we need to understand what is resonance in watchmaking and why does it matter.
Armin Strom Zeitgeist Resonance Technology
Armin Strom Zeitgeist watch is a one-of-a-kind piece that sets records.
The new Zeitgeist watch celebrates the brand’s fifth anniversary of in-depth resonance technology and the patented Resonance Clutch Spring crated by the brand. The complex, cutting-edge Resonance Clutch Spring is said to offer the most consistent timing available today. Resonance, a concept that dates back centuries, is all about offering consistency to the release of power. It relies on the ability of two oscillating mechanisms (in this case, balance wheels) to transmit energy between each other and, in turn, affect each other’s rate. With the new Clutch Spring system Armin Strom has developed, waves of energy are shared so that each of the oscillators become perfectly synchronized and remain at a constant rate,
The Armin Strom patented Resonance Clutch Spring is made from a single piece of stainless steel and boasts two oscillators that vibrate energy to keep one another in sync.
Not only is the technology superb, but also, and maybe even more exciting, is that the entire patented clutch spring mechanism is visible on the dial side in the brand’s newest caliber – the ARF21_ZG. The hand-wound movement consists of two mainspring barrels and the regulating system is actually two independent systems connected by a resonance clutch spring. A flexible suspension connects the two hairsprings with its balance wheels. The initial technology was developed seven years ago and the first iterations from the brand included its Mirrored Force Resonance, Pure Resonance and Dual Time Resonance, as well as the ensuing Minute Repeater Resonance (a first in the watch world).
Armin Strom Zeitgeist
View of the new Armin Strom Zeitgeist movement, ARF21_ZG, from the back.
The Zeitgeist is the fifth Resonance system developed by the brand. The new 260-part movement is housed in a 43mm platinum case with a transparent sapphire crystal and case back that allow for viewing of the Resonance Clutch Spring, dual balance wheels and cantilevers. The movement offers 80 hours of power reserve, and the case is water resistant to 5 ATM. The dial is made of 18-karat white gold and the stainless steel hands are manufactured by Armin Strom. While this unique piece retails for $170,000, it is expected that, in time, we may see additional renditions of the Zeitgeist.
Armin Strom Zeitgeist as seen during a sneak-preview at Dubai Watch Week 2021. Photo: R. Naas
“We decided to create something unique for this fifth anniversary: a work of art that honors our resonance technology and pays tribute to our roots in skeletonization,” says Claude Greisler, Armin Strom’s modern-day Co-Founder and Master Watchmaker. “Zeitgeist’s movement was painstakingly produced, piece by piece, clearly emphasizes the resonance mechanism. This has never been done before.”
Not only is the patented resonance clutch system of the $170,000 Armin Strom Zeitgeist noteworthy, but also the entire new movement is a work of art and mechanics.
