Celebrating the launch of Lange 1 in October 1994, high complications watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne has been presenting a limited-edition classic from the Lange 1 watch family every month, beginning with the Lange 1, a limited edition of 250 watches at the SIHH in January 2019. This was followed by the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase in February, the Little Lange 1 in March, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in April, and the Lange 1 Time Zone in May – all limited editions of 25 timepieces each. Read on for a sneak peek at their latest three timepieces…
Grand Lange 1 “25th Anniversary”
The Grand Lange 1 is 2.5 millimetre larger than the classic Lange 1. The fact that the dial proportions are enlarged in comparison with the original is not visible, except when the two models are viewed side by side. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Lange 1, The Grand Lange 1 is now available in a 25-watch limited edition in white gold with blue accents.
On the asymmetrical dial, the proportionally enlarged displays for the time, the outsize date and the power-reserve indicator are arranged so that they do not overlap. What at first seemed trivial had far-reaching consequences: Because the hand arbors had to be slightly shifted toward the periphery, it was necessary to develop a bespoke movement for this model.
The manually wound calibre L095.1 reflects the prominent dial architecture down to the smallest detail. The larger movement diameter of 34.1 millimetres allows a more compact arrangement with only one spring barrel. Thus, in comparison with the Lange 1, the case is thinner but the power reserve is still 72 hours.
The argenté-coloured, recessed dial of the special model is graced with thermally blued steel hands and blue inscriptions. A blue alligator leather strap and a white-gold prong buckle emphasise the elegance of the watch. Visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback, the movement consists of 397 parts lavishly finished by hand. Seven of the 42 bearing jewels are seated in gold chatons secured with blued screws. The oscillator, composed of a classic screw balance and a Lange balance spring, is suspended beneath a hand-engraved balance cock. The discreet signature of the “25th Anniversary” collection is integrated in its blue-filled motif: a framed 25 that echoes the Lange outsize date.
Lange 1 Moon Phase “25th Anniversary”
The sixth model of the anniversary collection shows the moon by day and by night. In 2017, with the Lange 1 Moon Phase, A. Lange & Söhne took a new approach to depicting the moon phases by combining the eponymous astronomical display with a day/night indicator. To mark the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Lange 1, it is now presented in an exclusive 25-watch limited edition in white gold with blued steel hands.
The moon stands out especially in the dark. By day, the sun usually outshines it, but even then, it accompanies us. The Lange 1 Moon Phase makes that visible. During the daytime, the moon is depicted against a bright blue starless sky; at night, it contrasts against the dark blue heavens with 383 sparkling stars. Thus, the moon always shows itself against a realistic background that doubles as a day/night indicator. This makes it easier to set the time because it assures that the date switches at midnight and not, inadvertently, at 12 noon.
The combination of the moon-phase display with a day/night indicator has two layers. It consists of a solid-gold celestial disc with blue gradation. The disc completes one full revolution about its own axis every 24 hours, mapping the rhythm of day and night. Against this background, the white-gold moon performs its synodic orbit in 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds with such precision that it takes 122.6 years before a correction by one day is needed.
An exciting interplay of silvery and blue hues unfolds on the asymmetrical, argenté-coloured dial. The thermally blued steel hands and the colour-matched inscriptions harmonise with the gradated blue tones of the celestial disc. The watch features a blue alligator leather strap with a solid white gold prong buckle.
Finished to the strictest Lange quality standards, the manually wound calibre L121.3 of the Lange 1 Moon Phase is based on the generic Lange 1 calibre L121.1 launched in 2015. The 70 additional parts for the moon-phase display and the day/night indicator were integrated in the movement so compactly that the watch is only 0.4 millimetres thicker and has an unchanged diameter of 38.5 millimetres. It continues to stand out with the same technical features. They include a twin mainspring barrel with a power reserve of 72 hours, a power-reserve indicator with the Up/Down inscription and a precisely jumping outsize date display. The escapement, consisting of a cam-poised balance and a freely oscillating Lange balance spring, runs at a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour.
Like all other models of the “25th Anniversary” collection, the Lange 1 Moon Phase is endowed with a special movement detail: The anniversary number 25 is integrated in the manually engraved, blue-filled balance cock. As regards typography and form, it corresponds to the Lange outsize date which is set to 25 in all photos. The same number also refers to the strict limitations of all anniversary models.
Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”
The automatic sibling of the Lange 1, The Lange 1 Daymatic was introduced in 2010 as the self-winding mirror image of the Lange 1 that celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Featuring a retrograde day-of-week display, this white-gold model with blue accents belongs to the ten-timepiece anniversary collection that comes in limited editions of just 25 watches.
At first sight, the Lange 1 Daymatic looks like a typical Lange 1. Nonetheless, it differs from the manually wound original in a key aspect: its asymmetrical dial is mirrored. The hours and minutes have been shifted to the right, the subsidiary seconds and the outsize date to the left. The power-reserve indicator of the Lange 1, located adjacent to the crown, has been replaced in the Lange 1 Daymatic with a retrograde day-of-week display on the opposite side. This is based on the realisation that in a self-winding watch, the weekday information is more relevant than the current state of wind. Additionally, the day-of-week display ideally complements the outsize date.
The special features of the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary” include a white-gold case with a diameter of 39.5 millimetres and an argenté-coloured, recessed dial with blued steel hands. The inscriptions, including the numerals of the Lange outsize date, echo the blue hue of the hands. A blue hand-stitched alligator leather strap with a solid white-gold buckle underscores the two-colour concept.
The self-winding L021.1 manufacture calibre has a maximum power reserve of 50 hours. A large central rotor with a peripheral centrifugal mass in platinum efficiently provides ample winding power. It rotates above the decorated movement and hence reveals Glashütte ribbing, perlage and other finishing techniques. Relying on a Lange balance spring, the indexless oscillation system is adjusted with six cams on the balance rim. The hand-engraved Lange-style balance cock of the “25th Anniversary” edition stands out with a special detail: set to 25, the iconic Lange outsize date is engraved in the floral pattern filled with blue.
