Armin Strom’s latest Mirrored Force Resonance takes one of contemporary independent watchmaking’s more technical ideas and gives it a warmer, more historical frame.
The Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N keeps the brand’s twin-regulator architecture at the centre of the watch, but surrounds it with 3N yellow gold-coloured movement finishing, black lacquer dial elements and heat-blued hands.
It’s a limited edition of 25 pieces, priced at CHF 82,000.
At a glance
- Armin Strom has introduced the Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N as a 25-piece limited edition.
- The watch combines a 3N yellow gold-coloured PVD mainplate and bridges with exposed resonance mechanics and polished black lacquer dial elements.
- Powered by the hand-wound calibre ARF21_ZG, it is priced at CHF 82,000.
A warmer take on Armin Strom’s resonance architecture
The Zeitgeist 1665 3N builds on a concept Armin Strom has used to imagine how a resonance wristwatch might have looked in an earlier age, had watchmakers then possessed today’s mechanical understanding.
The reference to 1665 points to Christiaan Huygens, the Dutch scientist who observed that two pendulum clocks placed near one another could synchronise their oscillations.
That phenomenon, known as mechanical resonance, describes the exchange of energy between oscillating systems through a shared connection.
It later interested watchmakers including Abraham-Louis Breguet and Antide Janvier, and it remains one of the more demanding themes in modern mechanical horology.
Armin Strom introduced the Mirrored Force Resonance wristwatch in 2016, using two balance wheels linked by a patented resonance clutch spring.
The idea became a signature of the collection, followed by a unique Zeitgeist watch in 2021 and a stainless steel Zeitgeist 1665 in 2025.
This new 3N edition doesn’t alter the underlying principle, but it changes the atmosphere around it.
The mainplate and bridges are treated with 3N yellow gold-coloured PVD and given a matt finish, setting a warmer stage for the open architecture.
Gold tones, black lacquer and visible mechanics
The watch balances its technical layout with details that feel deliberately classical.
Polished black vernis laqué dial elements carry the off-centre hours and minutes, while twin seconds indications echo the symmetry of the two regulating organs.
Heat-blued stainless steel hands, made and hand-finished by Armin Strom, add another traditional note against the darker dial work.
The exposed movement architecture remains the visual point of the watch.
The skeletonised mainplate reveals the resonance mechanism and gives the clutch spring a suspended quality inside the calibre.
Hand-bevelled and polished edges, black-polished screws, perlage and circular graining sit against the matt 3N yellow gold-coloured surface.
Armin Strom also states that hand-finishing is applied to components that are rarely visible, reinforcing the watch’s mix of mechanical intent and craft-led execution.
The calibre ARF21_ZG and the resonance system
The hand-wound manufacture calibre ARF21_ZG measures 37.2 mm across and 6.7 mm thick.
It comprises 260 components and 39 jewels, runs at 25,200 vibrations per hour, or 3.5 Hz, and uses two independent barrels to deliver an 80-hour power reserve.
Its two regulating systems are connected by Armin Strom’s resonance clutch, which transfers vibrations between them to encourage synchronisation.
Armin Strom says the arrangement is designed to improve chronometric stability in real-world conditions.
The movement also includes a twin-seconds flyback mechanism, allowing both seconds hands to be reset simultaneously.
Each watch is assembled twice by the manufacture, first to establish mechanical operation and then to verify that it performs as intended.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Armin Strom |
|---|---|
| Model | Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N |
| Reference | ST26-ZG.90 |
| Case size | 43 mm diameter, 11.55 mm height, 49.6 mm lug to lug |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Off-centre black vernis laqué poli dial with twin seconds indications |
| Movement | Hand-wound manufacture calibre ARF21_ZG |
| Movement dimensions | 37.2 mm diameter, 6.7 mm thickness |
| Components | 260 components, 39 jewels |
| Frequency | 25,200 vibrations per hour, 3.5 Hz |
| Complication | Mirrored Force Resonance with twin-seconds flyback mechanism |
| Power reserve | 80 hours from two independent barrels |
| Crystals | Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment and sapphire case back |
| Water resistance | 30 metres, 100 feet |
| Strap | Dark grey Alcantara strap with grey stitching and stainless steel pin buckle |
| Production | Limited to 25 pieces worldwide |
| Price | CHF 82,000 |
The case back is individually engraved “1 out of 25”, a small but direct reminder that this is one of Armin Strom’s more focused exercises in resonance watchmaking.
For collectors drawn to open mechanics but wary of starkly modern finishes, the Zeitgeist 1665 3N gives the manufacture’s signature technology a more traditional visual language without softening the complexity underneath.
