In Depth: Armin Strom Masterpiece 2 Minute Repeater Resonance

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It is not everyday that a watch brand announces a new minute repeater And one like the Armin Strom which combines the striking works with their signature forced resonance double escapement calls for a deep hands-on.

We covered the basics in our announcement article:

Armin Strom Masterpiece 2 Minute Repeater Resonance Announcement

Armin Strom Masterpiece 2 Minute Repeater Resonance

The sound

The be all and end all of a repeater is the sound And the Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance does not disappoint.

Listen to the the strikes in the video below Apologies for the slightly out of focus on the watch, this was recorded in a rather dark room, and the camera’s autofocus was having a difficult time keeping focus But the sound is clearly recorded

We also note that this is a traveling prototype, and the watch could do with a tuneup of the gongs and striking system for optimum performance

The case, dial and hands

The case is the traditional Armin Strom round case in 43mm diameter and made from titanium.

The watch as a whole felt very lightweight on the wrist and on the hand A huge crown with fluted edges and the minute repeater slide mechanism adorns the case side.

The hour and minutes are mounted on a sapphire glass disc in a smoked grey finish and applied Roman numerals as hour markers A minute chapter ring is mounted on the periphery of this glass disc.

The twin gongs curve sensuously around the hour/minute subdial forming a very beautiful flowing shape The hammers are at 12, and have an unusual shape The hammers are magnificently finished in black polish.

The two balance cocks supporting the two balances are large and visible from the dial side The cocks are in gold and finished in a hand-engraved tremblage pattern with high polish on the anglage This tremblage is particularly atrractive, and provides a contrast in textures on the dial side

The movement

The movement is a collaboration between Claude Grissler of Armin Strom and his old friend Alain Schiesser, founder of Cercle des Horlogers, with whom he had worked with in the past at Christophe Claret.

The development work of combining the striking works with the resonance escapement presents some significant challenges Claude had wanted to have all the action visible on the dial side – which means that the resonance double escapement and the clutch spring and the gongs were to occupy prominent space on the dial side

With this limitation, the traditional gong shape of going around the case inside perimeter was not possible, as the resonance clutch and balance wheels were at 6 o’clock.

The risk of either or both the balances or the resonance clutch spring touching the gongs in the event of a shock was quite high So the solution was to have the gongs go around the hour/minute subdial The particular shape of the gongs are an aesthetic approach, while it allows the length of the gongs to achieve a loud sound.

Armin Strom also chose a titanium case, which they []

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