Strike Force: The New Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition

For connoisseurs of complications, one of the most buzzed-about releases at Watches and Wonders 2026 was the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition from Armin Strom.

Yes, it’s an unwieldy name, but the keyword in this moniker is “resonance.” Let’s check it out.

Every watch with a mechanical oscillator works because of the principle of mechanical resonance, or the tendency for a system to oscillate at its greatest amplitude when it is excited at its natural frequency. Way back in the 17^th century, Christiaan Huygens first discovered the principle when he noticed that his pendulum clocks were ticking together in perfect unison.

After nudging one clock to desynchronize it, he noticed a moment of chaos before the ticking fell back into harmony. Huygens deduced that micro vibrations traveling between the clocks helped synchronize their cycles. Later, Antide Janvier (b. 1751 – d. 1835) applied this theory to a single timekeeper, his “double pendulum.”

In 2016, Armin Strom revived this system with the Mirrored Force Resonance, which coupled two regulators beating at the same frequency using a patented resonance-clutch spring. Within a few minutes of activation, the regulators synchronize for optimized chronometry.
 

In music, the word “resonance” has another meaning. Acoustic resonance is the phenomenon in which an acoustic system responds strongly to sound waves whose frequency matches one of its own natural vibrations.

With the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition, Armin Strom has captured the good vibes of both mechanical and acoustics for a chiming watch that has charmed the horological hoi polloi.

Since its launch a decade ago, the Resonance collection has been a pillar of Armin Strom’s catalog. The Swiss watchmaker has delivered variations on the theme on an almost yearly basis. For example, in 2019, the brand pushed the concept further with the first dual-escapement resonance watch with a minute repeater.

This year, for Watches and Wonders 2026, the company is introducing a completely new take on that combination with the Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition.
 

Why is it called First Edition? In its press materials, the brand calls it “A New Benchmark,” inspired by another Armin Strom model, the 47.7mm Masterpiece 2, but expressed through new proportions and mechanical architecture. It’s a first because the maison literally went back to the drawing board to start anew.

The most obvious improvements include a Westminster chime with four hammers and gongs. This allows for two distinct striking modes: “On Time” and “12:59 Anytime.” While precision is still provided by the patented resonance clutch, the clever trick of this new caliber is the column-wheel switch for striking modes.

(Fun Fact: One reason that more brands don’t use a resonance system is the degree of difficulty in building such a calibre – it’s basically building two mechanisms in one.)
 

As for the “12:59 Anytime” appellation, the striking system of this has been expanded from two to four hammers and four gongs, while a dedicated selector allows for the wearer to press a pusher to ring out the conventional indication of time or to activate the hourly 12:59 sequence – the longest possible strike of the mechanism.

As any musician will tell you, a good venue helps amplify sound. For chiming watches, the case is the venue. Consequently, the architecture of the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition features redesigned proportions of both case and calibre. The 42mm titanium case is slimmer and more compact, allowing for this piece’s expanded striking system. Titanium also produces a louder, brighter sound than heavier metals.

The display is also more discreet than previous iterations of the Resonance. While remaining fully openworked, the resonance clutch has been reoriented to animate upward, bringing the oscillating interaction to the forefront, while the twin balance wheels remain visually anchored on the dial side.
 

The layout of the in-house Calibre ARR25 is centered and symmetrical, reinforcing the strong sense of harmony between the watch’s essential elements: the resonance system, the four hammers and gongs, and the visible flying governor that regulates the cadence of each strike.

All this mechanical mastery is nicely balanced with touches such as hand-decorated hour and minute hands and a matte grey alligator strap with dark grey stitching and a titanium pin buckle.

The Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition is limited to 25 pieces and is priced at $513,000. Check out the Armin Strom website for more information.