Independent Voices

From celestial complications to musical mechanisms, boutique watchmaking houses share the craftsmanship, creativity, and conviction behind their latest releases.

- Audrey Simon and Haziq Yusof SERGE MICHEL Founder of Armin Strom

Armin Strom

There is something quietly joyful about holding Armin Strom’s Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59. Nothing about the watch is frivolous; on the contrary, the watchmaking credentials are formidable. The brand’s patented resonance system, which is paired with a Westminster minute repeater, represents a genuinely serious horological proposition.

What will bring a smile to any enthusiast’s face, however, is the inclusion of an on-demand 12:59 strike. Via a dedicated selector, the 42mm watch toggles between chiming the current time and performing the full 12:59 sequence, the longest possible striking cycle of the repeater, comprising 12 hours, three quarters, and 14 minutes. The function has a simple purpose: an intuitive and on-demand means for the discerning collector to demonstrate the watch’s full mechanical range. It is, in the best sense, showing off made respectable.

SERGE MICHEL

Founder of Armin Strom

“This piece represents a fully new development for Armin Strom, both in terms of mechanical architecture and overall proportions. It embodies our most advanced expression of what we call the Science of Movement, combining two of the most complex domains of watchmaking: resonance and striking mechanisms.

“The integration of a Westminster minute repeater with our patented resonance clutch, combined with the introduction of the 12:59 function, creates a new type of interaction with the complication. It is both highly technical and deeply intuitive.

"The decision to combine resonance with a minute repeater, to develop a completely new calibre with 506 components, or to introduce a function like 12:59 anytime, these are not incremental decisions. They require a long-term vision and a willingness to take unconventional paths.