For the Anniversary: „Homage to F. A. Lange Special Edition

This year, A. Lange & Söhne presented three extraordinary models of the 1815 watch family with the epithet „Homage to F. A. Lange“. The three limited editions with cases made of honey gold as well as special movement decorations and dials are dedicated to Ferdinand A. Lange and the foundation of the manufactory 175 years ago.
IN 2020, A. Lange & Söhne is celebrating not only its 175th anniversary, but also the 30th anniversary of a courageous new beginning. Inspired by long-standing tradition, the watchmakers of A. Lange & Söhne today strive to advance precision watchmaking with innovative ideas and excellent craftsmanship. Their driving motivation of never standing still is also reflected in the new anniversary edition „Homage to F. A. Lange“.

The 1815 watch family, which bears the birth year of the founder in its name, is inspired by tradition and therefore primarily stands for the classic side of A. Lange & Söhne. The family’s design transports the spirit of the pocket watches of yesteryear to the mechanical wristwatches of today. Central to this are values such as distinguised restraint and the demand for precision.
The unifying element of the three new limited editions is the case material honey gold. Additionally, all three models are characterised by special movement decorations and a special dial.

The 1815 watch family, which bears the year of the founder’s birth in its name, is strongly inspired by the Trdition and thus stands above all for the classic side of A. Lange & Söhne. Their design transfers the spirit of the pocket watches of yesteryear to the mechanical wristwatches of today. Central to this are values such as forward-looking restraint and the pursuit of precision.
The unifying element of the three limited edition watches is the honey gold case material. Furthermore, all models are characterised by special movement decorations.

1815 Thin Honeygold „Homage to F. A. Lange“

With a diameter of only 38 millimetres, this timelessly elegant two-hand wtch is a mere 6.3 millimetres high. With Arabic numerals and a railway-track minute scale, the intricately hand-made enamel dial emphasises the design inspired by Lange pocket watches. This wristwatch is limited to 175 pieces.
The 1815 Thin Honeygold is powered by the in-house calibre L093.1. This hand-wound movement offers a power reserve of 72 hours.

1815 Rattrapante Honeygold „Homage to F. A. Lange“

This is the first watch from A. Lange & Söhne which places the classic complications of timekeepking – chronograph and rattrapante – in the spotlight in their pure forms. Additionally, for this watch (which is limited to 100 pieces) the honey gold case was used for the first time in combination with a black dial made from solid silver.
The 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold is powered by the new hand-wound calibre L101.2, which operates at a frequency of 3 Hz and offers excellent precision.

Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold „Homage to F. A. Lange“

Only 50 pieces of the most complex timepiece of the new anniversary edition will be made. Two of its five complications – tourbillon and fusée-and-chain transmission – have the single purpose of further increasing the accuracy of the watch. Orchestrating the perfect interaction between chronograph, rattrapante and perpetual calendar is a major watchmaking challenge. The dial is made of black-rhodiumed honey gold with raised numerals and scales that stand out from the dark background as a ground relief.
The calibre L133.1 features not only elaborate finishes but also an outstanding complexity. It consists of 684 individual parts.

These limited watches from the special anniversary edition „Homage to F. A. Lange“ will undoubtedly quicken the pulse of every collector.

A. Lange & Söhne Langematik Perpetual Honey Gold

A. Lange & Söhne has reissued its classic Langematik Perpetual 18 years after its introduction in a limited edition, equipped with a sophisticated honey gold case and slightly reworked some of the decorative elements on the dial.
The watch manufacturer’s glorious history dates backt to 1845, when it began its second golden age in 1994. In the 25 years that followed, a. Lange & Söhne succeed in becoming an icon of the German art of watchmaking, which among other things produces one of the best perpetual calendars around.

The honey gold used by A. Lange & Söhne for the case and details on the dial is an alloy that is proprietary to the manufacture and reserved exclusively for the company’s most exclusive models. But this gold was not only created for aesthetic purposes; it is also more scratch-resistant than conventional gold alloys – or platinum. Less brass than yellow gold, warmer than white gold and less copper than red gold, this alloy manages to charm everyone. The only disadvantage of honey gold is that it is extremely difficult to process. This is one of the reasons why A. Lange & Söhne does not use it in its normal production.
Thanks to the honey gold case, the new Langematik Perpetual can be seen as even more elegant than its predecessors. A. Lange & Söhne has polished the bezel and lugs. With a diameter of 38,5 mm and a height of only 10,2 mm, the case is very understated proportioned.

The solid silver Argenté dial once again reveals the attention to detail for which A. Lange & Söhne is renowned. Against its background, the hands and Roman numerals in honey gold clearly stand out. The embossed circle of hour indexes further enhances the plastic effect. In order to achieve ideal legibility, A. Lange & Söhne has equipped the hands with lume.
The characteristic oversized date window dominates the upper third of the dial. An auxiliary dial at 9 o’clock  displays the day of the week and the day/night indication, while a second dial at 3 o’clock displays the month and – slightly offset downwards – the leap year. a third subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock offers space for the small second and the moon phase display. It is also designed for long periods of time and only needs to be adjusted by one day every 122,6 years.

The Langematik Perpetual demonstrates the full mastery of Lange’s craftsmanship and perfectly displays the date up to the year 2100 without the need for adjustment. Correctly set, the date at 12 o’clock does not have to be manually corrected until 2100, as this does not include February 29 due to an exception in the Gregorian calendar.

A. Lange & Söhne is using the same calibre in the new Langematik Perpetual in honey gold that powers the first 2001 model – the L922.1 SAX-O-MAT. The movement scores with a power reserve of 46 hours, is beautifully decorated and can be seen through the sapphire crystal back.

The A. Lange & Söhne Langematik Perpetual Honey Gold is a limited edition comprising only 100 pieces.

Elegant AND Cool: The Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase „Lumen“

In 2013, A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Grand Lange 1 „Lumen“, a watch with a semi-transparent sapphire-crystal dial that exposes the ingenious disc configuration of the Lange outsize date. It was followed a year later by the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase with a prominent in-dial moon-phase display that reproduces the lunations with an accuracy of 99.998 per cent. Now, the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase „Lumen“ combines these two remarkable accomplishments in one watch.
The watches of A. Lange & Söhne are known for being elegant, sophisticated, elaborate and understated – not exactly „cool“. But with the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase „Lumen“ the watch manufacturer presented a watch, being all what we expect from A. Lange & Söhne while being – well – cool.

The dial of the new model is made of blackened silver with ample apertures and black-tinted, semi-transparent sapphire-crystal glass. The special clothing applied to the glass blocks most of the visible light but not the UV spectra that „charge“ the luminous pigments on the outsize-date mechanism and cause them to glow in the dark. The tens cross is coated with a white luminous compound and printed with black numerals. Conversely, the units disc, also featuring black numerals, is made of transparent glass and rotates in front of the luminous background of the date aperture.

Different from Lange’s previous moon-phase models with solid-gold lunar discs, the Grand lange 2 Moon Phase „Lumen“ has a disc made of glass. Initially, its surface is treated with a coating process. In a second step, a laser is used to cut out 1164 stars and the moon. Thanks to the luminous compound behind the lunar disc, they shimmer with vibrant radiance.
The large moon-phase display occupies a prominent position on the main dial. Once properly set, it only needs to be corrected by one day every 122.6 years. Between one and four o’clock A. Lange & Söhne placed a big power-reserve indicator, at five o’clock there’s a small second.

The watch is powered by he manually wound calibre L095.1. It is elaborately finished, the three-quarter plate made is decorated with Glashütte ribbing. The large mainspring barrel delivers power for 72 hours.
The calibre is housed in a 41-millimetre platinum case.

The Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase „Lumen“ is a limited edition of only 200 watches.

Time For An Update: The Lange 1 Moon Phase of Lange & Söhne

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The Lange 1 Moon Phase by A. Lange & Söhne is around since 2002. The Lange 1 received an upgrade quite recently and now it’s the turn of the Lange 1 Moon Phase. The watch now comes with a new calibre and the moon phase has also changed: it now contains a day/night indicator as well.

The arrangement of the moon phase display is based on a new, particularly realistic concept. A separate solid-gold moon pursues its orbit in the foreground. Behind it, a celestial dis – also made of solid gold – performs one revolution every 24 hours. On the disc, the different times of day are represented by varying blue hues caused by interference effects. During the day, it shows a bright sky without stars, while at night it depicts a dark sky with prominently contrasting laser-cut stars.
The lunar cycle endures 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds on average. The Lange 1 Moon Phase displays it so accurately that it takes 122.6 years for the display to deviate from the true synodic period by just one day.

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The asymmetric solid-silver dial sets a harmonious stage for the luminous time and power-reserve indications complemented with an outsize date, the moon-phase display, and the day/night indicator. Hours and minutes are displayed on a big subdial at 9 o’clock, the power-reserve indicator lies below the date at 3 o’clock. And A. Lange & Söhne incorporated the small seconds in the moon-phase display.

The now 20th (!) Lange calibre with a moon-phase display is based on the Lange 1 movement introduced two years ago, and it has the same performance attributes. This includes the maximum power reserve of 72 hours and the precisely jumping outsize date display. It beats with a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour.
The 70 parts for the moon-phase display were so integrated in the L121.3 manufacture calibre that it is only marginally larger than the calibre L121.1 inside the Lange 1.

The Lange 1 Moon Phase is available in white gold with a black dial (39.500€), in pink gold with an argenté dial (35.900€) and in platinum with a rhodié dial (52.000€).
Also, A. Lange & Söhne can now be found on Instagram. Apart from news and new models the manufacturer wants to offer exclusive looks behind the scenes.

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