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DEBU T 2012
DEBU T 2012
DEBU T 2012
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Preface
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Origin and Values
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The Collection
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Lange 1 – The Legend Among Lange Timepieces
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Lange 1
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Grand Lange 1
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Lange 1 Daymatic
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Lange 1 Moon Phase
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Lange 1 Time Zone
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Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar
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Lange Zeitwerk – The New Era of the Mechanical Watch
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Lange Zeitwerk
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Lange Zeitwerk Striking Time
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Saxonia – Superb Saxon Craftsmanship
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Saxonia
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Saxonia Automatic
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Saxonia Thin
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Saxonia Dual Time
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Saxonia Annual Calendar
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Langematik Perpetual
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1815 – In the Tradition of Ferdinand A. Lange
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1815
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1815 Chronograph
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Richard Lange – The Fine Observation Watch
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Richard Lange
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Richard Lange “Referenzuhr”
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Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite”
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Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite”
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The Ultimate in Watchmaking Artistry
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Datograph Up/Down
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Datograph Perpetual
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Double Split
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Lange 31
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Service at A. Lange & Söhne
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Dear reader, The 24th of October 1994 was one of the most exciting days of my life. Shortly before we presented our new wristwatch collection to the public at the Dresden Palace on this date, we showed it to the most eminent jewellers in the German-speaking region. With a degree of anxiety, we awaited their reaction – it was overwhelming: they all congratulated us and enthusiastically ordered our timepieces. Lots even had to be drawn for the last three of the 123 watches. Since that day, the Lange 1 has been the face of A. Lange & Söhne. The off-centre arrangement of the displays and the patented outsize date were pioneering elements and led the brand back to the top ranks of international precision watchmaking. With the Lange 1, we succeeded in creating a classic that at the same time represents the beginning of a new epoch for the manufactory. It stands for the courage and passion of our watchmakers and their unfaltering pursuit of the perfect timepiece. That’s why I am especially pleased that the Lange 1 watch family – as is the case this year – is joined by two siblings at once: with two grand complications, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is the so far technically most elaborate member. And the new Grand Lange 1 showcases a newly designed calibre and particularly well-balanced proportions. The ambition to never stand still keeps us committed and inspires us to constantly strive for improvements. This is also evident in the new Datograph Up/Down, the logically consistent yet circumspect evolution of a watch that for many connoisseurs is the perfect chronograph. On the following pages, you can discover many other watch models and interesting background stories related to our manufactory. I wish you very pleasant moments as you peruse them!
Walter Lange Glashütte, 25 January 2012
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Origin and Values
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Wealth Is Not Amassed by Taking Possession of Treasures, but by Skillfully Administering Them. The values of Lange’s precision watchmaking are deeply rooted in the Saxon homeland. Following the discovery of copious silver ore deposits and the recruitment of experienced miners by Otto, Margrave of Meissen, mining began in the 12 th century and with it, the rise of Saxony. Further commodities such as iron, cobalt, coal, copper, and tin, as well as an abundance of timber ushered in an early economic upswing and bestowed considerable riches upon the state’s rulers. They commissioned smiths, stonemasons, pewterers, carpenters, potters, and many other specialised craftspeople. Their continuously refined working methods constitute one of the main reasons behind the technical progress achieved in the region. Having been under the influence of the House of Wettin since the Reformation, the royal residential capital of Dresden is the hub of a prospering state. The Wettin dynasty established textile crafts and the manufacturing of musical instruments, for which Saxony is still famous today. In the 18 th century, Augustus the Strong can take most of the credit for transforming Dresden into one of the most illustrious European centres of science and culture. He inspired impressive structures such as the Frauenkirche and the Zwinger Palace. Saxony owes its unprecedented eminence to his enthusiasm for art, culture, and science. Precious objects, mirrors, porcelain, damask, paints, and tapestries are crafted to the apex of quality in 26 newly inaugurated manufactories, establishing the Saxon quest for perfection. He also decreed the systematic cataloguing of scientific measuring instruments at the Saxon Court that had been accumulated over the decades and gave them a new home in what would later be the Mathematics and Physics Salon. Astronomers and Court Clockmakers were commissioned to build especially precise horological instruments needed for determining the exact time within the scope of celestial observations.
Exhibition hall at the Mathematics and Physics Salon.
New Benchmarks Can Only Be Defined by Those Who Have Thoroughly Fathomed the Existing Ones. Because Saxony promoted the sciences, the precision watchmaking industry there soon attained a high level of competence. One of the clockmakers who gained fame far beyond the borders of the state was Johann Friedrich Gutkaes. At his Dresden manufactory for fancy clocks, he also crafted pocket chronometers that thanks to their precision were deployed around the world, among other purposes for time measurements in conjunction with astronomical observations. Shortly before he was appointed Court Clockmaker in 1842, he and his assistant built what is still one of the world’s most famous time-keeping instruments: the Five-Minute Clock in the Semper Opera House in Dresden. This young man aged 15, accepted by Gutkaes as an apprentice in 1830 in view of his horological talent, was Ferdinand A. Lange. Impressed by his skills in craftsmanship and great diligence, he gave him the opportunity to study the crafting of precision timepieces from the bottom up. After having successfully completed the apprenticeship and spending two further years with Gutkaes as an assistant, Ferdinand A. Lange travelled through France, England, and Switzerland as a journeyman. He painstakingly recorded his observations and ideas in his journey- and workbook. In particular, the calculations and detailed notes describing complex movement parts illustrate the perfectionism with which Ferdinand A. Lange pursued his studies. As a compendium of horological knowledge in the first half of the 19th century, it testifies to his insatiable curiosity and ingenuity. Many of the insights and ideas documented in the book later influenced his work and manifested themselves as key features of his pocket watches. To this very day, the journey- and workbook is the spiritual foundation on which every A. Lange & Söhne timepiece is built.
Ferdinand A. Lange (1815 –1875). Johann Friedrich Gutkaes (1785 –1845).
Some People Have the Potential to Achieve Great Things. Some Have the Ability to Also Awaken it in Others. On 7 December 1845, Ferdinand A. Lange transformed the dream of his own manufactory into reality by establishing the first production workshop for pocket watches. The fact that he chose, of all places, the secluded village of Glashütte for his venture is no coincidence. He wanted to offer a new perspective to the people there who had lost their livelihoods when mining was discontinued. And he was impressed by their great diligence, their skills in craftsmanship, and their inventive spirit. He hired 15 apprentices, trained them to become watchmakers, and encouraged them to specialise in certain fields such as the production of pinions, mainspring barrels, and hands. In the years that followed, he tirelessly evolved the craft of watchmaking with his ideas. Among others, he introduced the metric system and the Glashütte lathe to watchmaking and developed the three-quarter plate for improved movement stability – an invention that remains a key element shared by most A. Lange & Söhne watches. When Ferdinand A. Lange died in 1875, he bequeathed groundbreaking accomplishments and legendary timepieces to the world of precision watchmaking – and a flourishing business to his sons. Among their midst, his eldest son Richard Lange made the most significant contributions to the technical progress achieved by the manufactory. His prodigious creativity resulted in 27 patents. The probably best-known invention relates to the rate-improving characteristics of an alloy with an admixture of beryllium as described in 1930 in his patent application entitled “Metal alloy for watch springs”. To this very day, all over the world nearly all high-quality mechanical watches rely on this discovery. With his scientific approach and enthusiasm for research, he expedited the development of precision watchmaking in Germany, contributing significantly to its international prestige with precise, easily legible timepieces such as the “Large Observation Watches”.
Ferdinand A. Lange rejected the unsatisfactory bows originally used to power lathes and replaced them with flywheels. This made it possible to turn parts more quickly and precisely.
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Traditions Are Best Honoured by Breathing New Life Into Them. On 7 December 1990, after a wait of more than 40 years, a dream came true for Walter Lange: he re-registered the A. Lange & Söhne brand and established the new company – 145 years to the day, after his great-grandfather Ferdinand A. Lange had laid the cornerstone for German precision watchmaking in Glashütte. Shortly after World War II, in 1948, the existing manufactory was nationalised. The world-famous name disappeared from watch dials – and A. Lange & Söhne became a legend. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Walter Lange seized the opportunity in 1990 to turn this legend back into reality. He immediately began to design and craft the first Lange watches of the new era. As his great-grandfather had done, he relied on the people of Glashütte and embraced his vision to build “the world’s finest watches”. The name A. Lange & Söhne was impressively brought back to mind in the horological community with the watch collection developed between 1990 and 1994. It consisted of the Saxonia, the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite”, the Ark ade ladies’ watch – and the Lange 1. Unlike any other watch, the Lange 1 symbolises the vision of the A. Lange & Söhne brand. With the revolutionary off-centre dial layout and the patented outsize date, it defined new benchmarks and embodies the beginning of a new epoch for the brand. At the same time, by highlighting traditional features, it built a bridge to the manufactory’s legendary pocket watches.
In 1994, A. Lange & Söhne presented the first wristwatch collection of the new era.
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Some Expectations Are Impossible to Fulfil. And Some People Will Not Be Deterred by This. Some expectations are virtually impossible to fulfil – and certain people are simply not impressed by the odds. Ferdinand A. Lange was such a person. His ambition to define benchmarks with the timepieces of his manufactory is still reflected in every single timepiece it crafts today. The three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, the bearing jewels embedded in screwed gold chatons, the blued hands and screws, and the many artistic finishes and engravings are visible manifestations of what already made A. Lange & Söhne pocket watches so special in that era. The ultimate degree of individuality of A. Lange & Söhne watches is attributable to the hand-engraved balance cock: it is engraved with a floral pattern inspired by historic motifs. Yet each one of them is inimitable, making every single watch oneof-a-kind – thanks to the very personal signature of the respective master engraver. What applies to the balance cock on a small scale applies in the large perspective to each Lange watch that leaves the manufactory in Glashütte today: each one is crafted in the same spirit and ambition, as were the timepieces that Ferdinand A. Lange designed in his time. They are guardians of a culture of horology that is handed down from one generation to the next.
The Lange-style three-quarter plate with screwed gold chatons and ruby-red bearing jewels.
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The Limits of Feasibility Can Only Be Tested by Those Who Attempt the Impossible. For several generations, the watchmakers of the Lange family have been pursuing one goal: to craft timepieces that represent the pinnacle of international haute horlogerie. They follow a rule that Walter Lange once formulated: “There’s something one should expect not only of a watch, but also of oneself: to never stand still.” This quest for perfection comes to the fore very clearly in the two-fold assembly process. Once the individual components have been assembled into a smoothly functioning movement, a step follows that at first sight seems to be rather amazing: the movement is taken apart again. A second look, however, reveals why this step is quite logical: because each movement must be a masterpiece not only functionally but in the visual sense as well – and tiny scratches cannot be ruled out when the parts are initially adjusted –, the components are not cleaned, oiled, polished and lavishly decorated until after they have been assembled for the first time. Then, the movement is assembled a second and last time. The ongoing pursuit of refinement is also characterised by the constant review of proven mechanical solutions. This is why the Saxon manufactory repeatedly pioneered innovations such as the stop-seconds mechanism for the tourbillon, the double-rattrapante mechanism, or the fusée-and-chain transmission for wristwatches. With this attitude, A. Lange & Söhne has succeeded again and again in developing extraordinary masterpieces. Immediately after completion, the master watchmakers once again begin their tireless quest for further groundbreaking ideas and means of improvement.
With great virtuosity and many years of experience, Lange’s master watchmakers fine-tune the interaction of all movement parts by hand.
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L ange 1
L ange Zeitwerk
Sa xonia
1815
Richard L ange
The Ultimate in Watchmaking Artistry
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The Collection
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Lange 1 The Legend Among Lange Timepieces
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The Symbol of Lange Watchmaking Artistry The Lange 1 is the epitome of an A. Lange & Sรถhne watch. It embodies the knowledge and skills of an entire watchmaking dynasty that was established in Dresden in the early 19th century. Its probably most prominent feature, the outsize date, was inspired by the famous FiveMinute Clock in the Dresden Semper Opera. With its characteristic dial arrangement, the Lange 1 wrote a chapter of horological history on its own and is inseparably linked with the history and culture of Saxony.
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The First Lange Watch of the New Era A DREAM LONG NURTURED
The Lange 1 is the first watch produced after the new Lange manufactory was established. While Germany was divided, one man never abandoned the dream that someday, exquisite watches would again be crafted and signed A. Lange & Söhne: Walter Lange, Ferdinand A. Lange’s great-grandson. Immediately after Germany was reunited, he established the new manufactory. His ambition was clear: the first Lange watch of the new era should live up to the legendary quality of A. Lange & Söhne pocket watches and at the same time define new benchmarks. H OW A WAT C H BE C A M E A N IC O N
The Lange 1 is the result of this courageous fresh start. Endowed with traditional elements of Saxon watchmaking artistry such as the three-quarter plate, the screwed gold chatons, and the screw balance on the one hand, and featuring trailblazing innovations such as the off-centre dial configuration and the novel outsize date on the other hand, the Lange 1 wrote horological history. This exceptional combination of tradition and innovation transformed it into the epitome of Lange watchmaking artistry and, soon after its debut, it became an award-winning icon in the realm of high-end mechanical time-keeping instruments.
The complicated assembly of the tens cross for the outsize date.
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The Patented Lange Outsize Date
A Large Display in a Compact Space With the patented outsize date, Lange succeeded for the first time in integrating a date display of this format in a wristwatch. The date is indicated in a gold frame with numerals that are about three times larger than those in watches of comparable dimensions. This innovation not only makes the date much more legible, it also simplifies the setting process, because the date is not adjusted with the crown as is customary. Instead, it can be conveniently advanced day by day with a push piece. This is How the Outsize Date Works The patented outsize date consists of two separate display elements: the units disc and the tens cross. They revolve one above the other with a clearance of only 0.15 millimetres, which requires extreme dexterity during assembly. To correctly reproduce the date sequence, the disc and the cross must advance at irregular intervals. The ring-shaped units disc switches once a day, except at the transition from the 31st of a month to the 1st of the next month: then, it stands still for a day. The tens cross advances by one increment every 10 days. However, when the “3” is displayed, the cross advances after the 2 nd day, because the “3” is needed only to display the 30 th and the 31st of a month. To enable this irregular switching sequence, each display element is controlled by a programme wheel whose special toothing pattern assures that the date is advanced correctly.
The patented outsize date is displayed in two apertures with gold frames.
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Tens cross Units disc Base plate Programme wheel of the units disc Programme wheel of the tens cross
The programme wheel of the tens cross has four teeth. Two of them are close together so that the cross switches from the “3” to the blank field after only two days.
To make sure the “1” is displayed for two days at the transition from the 31st to the 1st day, two teeth were omitted in the programme wheel of the units disc.
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Lange 1
A PL ACE I N H ISTORY
Since it had its debut in 1994, the Lange 1 ranks among the watches of today that have won the most awards. With its unmistakable novel dial arrangement and its patented outsize date display, it secured a place in the history of precision watchmaking. TOTA L LY N E W A PPROAC H E S
While the heart of the Lange 1, the L901.0 manufacture movement, features traditional Lange-style elements such as the three-quarter plate, the master watchmakers totally abandoned the beaten track when they designed its dial. All the displays of the timepiece are asymmetrically arranged and form an isosceles triangle. So no indication ever overlaps another. This is what gives the Lange 1 its characteristic equilibrium. A TIMELESS CLASSIC
Its harmonious design and the outsize date display inspired by the Five-Minute Clock in the Dresden Semper Opera turned the Lange 1 into a timeless classic which has been crafted by hand virtually unchanged for 18 years. The presentation of the Lange 1 constituted the cornerstone for an entire family of pioneering timepieces – and, as a benchmark, inspired many of the manufactory’s further developments.
Calibre L901.0 Manually wound, twin mainspring barrel, 365 parts, 53 jewels (9 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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LANGE 1 Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold Reference 101.032
Functions: Off-centre time indication. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Patented outsize date. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 38.5 mm. Height 10.0 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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LANGE 1 Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold
LANGE 1 Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold
Reference 101.025
Reference 101.032
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LANGE 1 Case: 18-carat yellow gold Dial: Solid silver, champagne
LANGE 1 Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ, hour/
Hands: Yellow gold
power-reserve markers luminous Hands: Rhodiumed gold, hours, minutes, power reserve luminous
Reference 101.021
Reference 101.039
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Grand Lange 1
PERFECT PROPORTIONS IN NEW DIMENSIONS
With its characteristic face, the Lange 1 has become the inimitable ambassador of the manufactory. During the development of the new Grand Lange 1, the objective was to transpose this face and its harmonious proportions to the larger model. In this undertaking, the master watchmakers chose an uncommonly complex path: they first designed the optimised arrangement of the displays and then developed a custom movement that accommodated the architecture of the dial down to the very last detail. Only with this approach was it possible to realise a perfect likeness of the Lange 1 in new dimensions. BALANCE AND PRECISION
The Grand Lange 1 owes its elegance not only to the harmonious dial layout but also to its slender silhouette. With a diameter of 40.9 millimetres, the case is only 8.8 millimetres high – a well-balanced ratio of diameter to height. Despite its slimness, the Grand Lange 1 has a power reserve of 72 hours, thanks to its large barrel and long mainspring. To assure the maximum rate accuracy of the manually wound L095.1 calibre, it is endowed with a balance spring developed and manufactured in-house; only a handful of manufactories have the ability to produce this component.
Calibre L095.1 Manually wound, 397 parts, 42 jewels (7 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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GRAND LANGE 1 Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold Reference 117.032
Functions: Off-centre time indication. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Patented outsize date. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 40.9 mm. Height 8.8 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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GRAND LANGE 1 Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold
GRAND LANGE 1 Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold
Reference 117.025
Reference 117.032
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GRAND LANGE 1 Case: 18-carat yellow gold Dial: Solid silver, champagne Hands: Yellow gold Reference 117.021
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Lange 1 Daymatic
THE REINVENTION OF A LEGEND
May a legend be reinvented? As far as the master watchmakers at A. Lange & Sรถhne are concerned, it is a necessity. Even if a timepiece has long become an icon among connoisseurs and aficionados, they will question it and further refine it step by step. T H E F I RST L A NGE 1 W I T H A SELF-W I N DI NG MOV EM EN T
Visually, the Lange 1 Daymatic is a mirror image of the legendary Lange 1, but it takes a look through the sapphire-crystal caseback to discover the difference: it is the first model in this watch family with an automatic movement. MICROMECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND TRADITIONAL DESIGN
Its nucleus, the central rotor in 21-carat gold and platinum, occupies nearly the entire diameter of the calibre. The bridges and the cock are reminiscent of the traditional design of the Lange 1, as are the gold chatons, the first ever to be integrated in a self-winding Lange movement. Additionally, the technology in the Lange 1 Daymatic is state of the art. It is endowed with a proprietary balance and a balance spring manufactured in-house.
Calibre L021.1 Self-winding mechanism, central rotor with shock-absorbing suspension, central element in 21-carat gold, centrifugal mass in platinum. 426 parts, 67 jewels (7 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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LANGE 1 DAYMATIC Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold Reference 320.032
Functions: Off-centre time indication. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Patented outsize date. Retrograde day-of-week display. 50 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 39.5 mm. Height 10.4 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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Lange 1 Daymatic
THE MIR ROR IM AGE OF THE LEGEN D
The off-centre displays and the patented outsize date of the Lange 1 grace the Lange 1 Daymatic as well, but the characteristic dial is a mirror image of the original. It allows aficionados of the classic to instantly tell the two watches apart. A N EW DISPL AY
Where the original has a power-reserve indicator, the Lange 1 Daymatic features a retrograde day-of-week indication. Every day, just after midnight, its hand advances to point at the dawning day, and at the transition from Sunday to Monday, it jumps down to the beginning of the week.
LANGE 1 and LANGE 1 DAYMATIC in yellow gold.
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LANGE 1 DAYMATIC Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold
LANGE 1 DAYMATIC Case: 18-carat yellow gold Dial: Solid silver, champagne Hands: Yellow gold
Reference 320.025
Reference 320.021
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Lange 1 Moon Phase
THE ROLE MODEL
Since the dawn of humanity, people have been looking to a very special celestial body when it comes to measuring periods of time: the moon. Its regular rhythm can be easily tracked, and for thousands of years, it has been the foundation on which our calendar is subdivided into weeks and months. CONSTA N T MOV EM EN T
Inspired by the earth’s companion, the Lange masters developed the Lange 1 Moon Phase, a timepiece whose lunar disc like its role model never stands still: the Lange lunar disc crafted from solid gold moves continuously rather than being advanced merely once or twice a day. ACCU R AT E TO MOR E T H A N 122 Y E A RS
Once correctly adjusted, the moon-phase display will deviate from the true lunation by just one day after more than 122 years. And because such an accurate display calls for equally accurate settability, it can be set to the minute with a recessed push piece in the left-hand side of the case, if the watch is ever left unwound for a longer period of time.
Calibre L901.5 Manually wound, twin mainspring barrel, 398 parts, 54 jewels (9 of which in screwed gold chatons), solid-gold lunar disc
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LANGE 1 MOON PHASE Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold Reference 109.032
Functions: Off-centre time indication. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Moon-phase display. Patented outsize date. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 38.5 mm. Height 10.4 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold lunar disc, appliques, and crown. Hour and power-reserve markers as well as hour, minute, and power-reserve hands luminous. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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The Moon-Phase Display
ACCU R AT E TO 99.998 PER CEN T
Simpler displays round the lunation to 29.5 days. Accordingly, they have to be corrected by a day every two and a half years. In contrast, the moon-phase display of the Lange 1 Moon Phase reproduces the so-called synodic month of 29.531 days – or 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds – with an accuracy of 99.998 per cent. This is assured by an elaborately calculated transmission system that steps down the rotation of the hour wheel with a four-stage gearing arrangement. A N E XCEP T IONA L BLU E
In the Lange 1 Moon Phase, the Lange watchmakers display the moon at its best. They endowed the solid-gold lunar disc with a totally new, patented layer formation. The result is an exceptionally brilliant blue of the nocturnal sky.
The moon-phase display with its solid-gold lunar disc.
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LANGE 1 MOON PHASE Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold
LANGE 1 MOON PHASE Case: 18-carat yellow gold Dial: Solid silver, champagne Hands: Yellow gold
Reference 109.025
Reference 109.021
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Lange 1 Time Zone
THE 24 TIME ZONES
In 1884, the attendees of the International Meridian Conference resolved to adopt a shared time system: the world was subdivided into 24 time zones. But the conquest of watches with time-zone displays did not occur until the 20th century, when it became possible to quickly traverse several time zones on board an aircraft. A TIMEKEEPER FOR COSMOPOLITES
The Lange 1 Time Zone is the perfect companion for frequent travellers and cosmopolites: it shows home time and the time in a second zone at a single glance. The large numerals scale indicates home time, the smaller one shows that of a second zone. Each of the 24 time zones is represented by a city name on the city ring. An applied arrow marker at 5 o’clock points at the name on the city ring, which represents the time zone that is being displayed. A push piece allows the city ring and the zone time to be simultaneously advanced by increments of one hour, corresponding to an eastbound trip around the world. Thanks to luminous hands and markers, the new model version of the Lange 1 Time Zone in white gold can also tell the time in the dark. A COMPLEX MECHANISM
The patented outsize date of the Lange 1 Time Zone is always linked to the main dial. In the event of a longer stay in a different time zone, it is recommendable to have the main dial indicate the time at the destination. A user-friendly synchronisation mechanism makes this easy to accomplish.
Calibre L031.1 Manually wound, twin mainspring barrel, 417 parts, 54 jewels (4 of which in screwed gold chatons). The wheel train that drives the zone-time indication is visibly positioned above the three-quarter plate
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LANGE 1 TIME ZONE Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ, hour/power-reserve markers luminous Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel, hours, minutes, power reserve luminous Reference 116.039
Functions: Home time coupled with patented outsize date. Zone time with city ring. Separate day/night indicators for home and zone time. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 41.9 mm. Height 11.0 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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The Time-Zone Mechanism
This is How the Time-Zone Mechanism Works In an everyday situation, the zone-time wheel train is constantly in motion. However, the city ring remains stationary. They are mechanically disconnected at this time. This changes when a new zone time is set. Then, the city ring, the zone-time hand, and its day/night indicator must be advanced in concert. This task is handled by a complicated correction mechanism with 67 parts. Via corrector lever (1), the movement of the time-zone push piece is transferred to the four-toothed corrector star (2). It is rigidly connected to the corrector wheel (3) which engages with the gear rim of the city ring and advances it clockwise by one 24th of a turn, equivalent to 15 degrees. The motion of the city ring is transferred to the city correction pinion (4) and then to the zone-time correction wheel (5). Via the lower protruding teeth of the city correction pinion, this pinion and the wheel are only briefly engaged for the duration of the switching procedure; then, they are uncoupled again. Via the day/night indicator wheel (6) and an intermediate wheel (7), the rotary motion of the correction wheel switches the twelve-toothed hour-wheel pipe by one tooth, causing the zone-time hour hand to advance by one hour.
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Home time 1 Hours and minutes 2 Subsidiary seconds 3 Day/night indicator 4 Patented outsize date Zone time 5 Hours and minutes 6 Day/night indicator 7 Currently displayed time zone on city ring
A video affords further in-depth insights into this masterpiece: www.alange-soehne.com/videos
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LANGE 1 TIME ZONE Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodié Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel
LANGE 1 TIME ZONE Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold and blued steel
Reference 116.025
Reference 116.032
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LANGE 1 TIME ZONE Case: 18-carat yellow gold Dial: Solid silver, champagne Hands: Yellow gold and blued steel
LANGE 1 TIME ZONE Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ, hour/power-reserve markers luminous Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel, hours, minutes, power reserve luminous
Reference 116.021
Reference 116.039
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Standstill
THE TOURBILLON WITH STOP-SECONDS MECHANISM
The tourbillon is probably the technically most sophisticated device for improving the rate accuracy of a mechanical watch. Developed over 200 years ago, the principle was first used in pocket watches, then later in mechanical wristwatches as well: the rate-governing parts – balance, lever, and escape wheel – rotate in a cage around the stationary fourth wheel once a minute. This rotation offsets the rate-changing effect of gravity on possible centre-of-mass shifts of the balance. Timepieces endowed with this device kept the time very precisely, but there was a drawback: the tourbillon could not be stopped instantaneously, so it was impossible to set the watch with one-second accuracy. The patented stopseconds mechanism for the tourbillon developed by Lange in 2008 made it possible for the first time to stop the device at will – regardless of the angular position of the balance and the orientation of the cage – with an arresting spring, thus allowing the time to be set to the second.
The delicate tourbillon of the LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR consists of 69 parts and weighs less than half a gram.
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Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar HOROLOGICA L M ASTERPIECE W ITH T WO COMPLICATIONS
The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, the latest and most complicated member of the Lange 1 watch family, relies on unique mechanical and design solutions. The calendar mechanism with a peripheral month ring, instantaneously jumping displays, and a sampler for the durations of each month has never before been implemented in a timepiece in this way. The tourbillon, which can be halted with the patented stop-seconds mechanism to set the watch with one-second accuracy, assures the ultimate in precision. EXTREME PRECISION CONCEALED
The exact workings of the tourbillon can be observed through the sapphirecrystal caseback on the reverse. Beneath the central rotor in gold and platinum, its delicate carriage rotates about its own axis once a minute, thus compensating the influence of gravity on the balance wheel with its eccentric poising weights. The balance is exactly matched and fine-tuned to the Lange balance spring developed and crafted in-house; combined, they guarantee extreme precision and optimised rate accuracy. Although the movement is composed of 624 individual parts and incorporates two elaborate complications, the manufacture calibre L082.1 is only 7.8 millimetres high.
Calibre L082.1 Self-winding mechanism, central rotor with shock-absorbing suspension, central element in 21-carat gold, centrifugal mass in platinum. 624 parts, 68 jewels (4 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 100 in platinum Reference 720.025
Functions: Off-centre time indication for hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial. Tourbillon with patented stop seconds. Perpetual calendar with outsize date, retrograde day-of-week display, month ring, and leap-year display. Moon-phase display. Day/night indicator. 50 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 41.9 mm. Height 12.2 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-platinum deployant buckle.
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Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar AN IDEAL PLATFORM FOR SUPERB LEGIBILITY
Despite the numerous displays provided by a perpetual calendar, the dial is a well-organised model of clarity. The date, day of the week, moon phase, and leap year are indicated outside the hour and minute dial without any overlaps. The display of the months with a peripheral ring substantially enhances readability and makes it possible to preserve the classic dial layout of the Lange 1. All calendar indications – and for the first time in a Lange watch, the outsize date as well – and the moon-phase display switch instantaneously to produce unambiguous readings at all times. To achieve these incremental jumps, energy is constantly accumulated in the movement. Thus, the extraordinary amount of force is released which is needed to advance the large month ring by 30 degrees on the last day of each month. The calendar of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar not only takes into account the different durations of the months in a year until 2100, it also recognises which years are leap years. In 2100, a secular year in which the 29th of February is omitted, the displays must be corrected by hand for the first time. This process, also called for if the watch should ever stop running, is conveniently handled with recessed push pieces separately for each display or collectively in one-day increments with the rapid correction push piece for the date.
Calibre L082.1 with the overhead calendar module
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LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 100 in platinum Reference 720.025
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The Perpetual Calendar Mechanism
The Secret of the Precise Jump A totally new mechanism was needed to execute the switching process for which the month ring has to traverse a relatively long distance because of its unusual position on the periphery. Thus, contrary to conventional mechanisms, the durations of the months are not coded on a separate programme wheel: they are sampled directly at the month ring. It features a contour with twelve recesses on its bottom side. A lever glides along this contour and “reads” the depths of the recesses. The deeper the recess, the shorter the month, and the earlier the switching process is triggered for the next month jump. In February, the extender of the sampler lever concurrently makes contact with a cam beneath the leap-year display. If it comes to rest against the larger radius of the cam, this means that the mechanism has to switch after 29 days (leap year). Otherwise, if it senses the smaller radius, the switching action in the month of February takes place after 28 days. The Force for the Jump A tremendous amount of energy is needed to simultaneously and instantaneously switch all calendar displays including the large month ring. This energy cannot be generated spontaneously – it has to be built up continuously. For this reason, Lange’s masters integrated two mechanical energy accumulators into the movement: one for switching the date, day of the week, and moon phase on a daily basis, and the second one for switching the month ring. The energy for the daily switching process is built up via a 24-hour wheel driven by the motion work. Its arbor carries a cam whose increasing circumference is sampled by a spring-loaded lever. Every 24 hours, it drops off the apex of the cam, instantly pushing it – and the respective displays – forward by one increment. The energy accumulator for the monthly switching process is designed according to the same principle: a further cam is advanced incrementally every day by the programme wheel of the date display. At the end of a year, this not only causes the month ring to advance from December to January, but also moves the leap-year display forward by one increment. In this particular moment, all five jumping displays advance at the same time.
1 4 1 Month ring 2 Sampler lever 3 Extender 4 24-hour wheel 5 Leap-year display 6 Cam for the daily switching process
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6 2 3 5
1
2
3
4
1 Calendar module 2 Tourbillon 3 Basic movement 4 Rotor
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Lange Zeitwerk The New Era of the Mechanical Watch
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Devoted to Mechanical Ingenuity When they developed the Lange Zeitwerk, Lange’s master watchmakers questioned everything – except the mechanical transmission. The result is a digital-display watch that no doubt ranks among the most progressive timepieces of our epoch. Its trailblazing concept with mechanically driven, precisely jumping numerals has won multiple awards and appeals even to individuals who could not imagine that they would ever wear a digital watch.
A New Way of Displaying Time
PIONEERING DESIGN
The Lange Zeitwerk is the first mechanical wristwatch that displays hours and minutes with jumping numerals. Its trailblazing design expresses the totally new concept. The time bridge is one of the most prominent design elements of its dial. It is part of the movement and constitutes the stage for all time indications. LUCID AND DIFFERENT
The apertures for the hours and minutes are arranged from left to right; the large numerals are crisply legible. With its ingenious digital display concept, the Lange Zeitwerk sets itself apart in the plethora of analogue mechanical watches, establishing a totally new category of its own. DIGI TA L DISPL AY – M ECH A N ICA L MOV EM EN T
In the past, the concept of the mechanical digital watch was implemented on several occasions but hardly in a reliable manifestation. Now, Lange’s masters have overcome the design challenges with a patented jumping numerals mechanism consisting of three discs. The tremendous force needed to advance the discs is delivered by a patented mainspring barrel, and the precise timing is controlled by a constant-force escapement.
New concept – dependable functionality: in the climate chamber, the LANGE ZEITWERK demonstrates robustness and resilience.
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Lange Zeitwerk
L A RGE , E A SI LY L EGI BL E N U M E R A LS
The Lange Zeitwerk tells the time with large jumping numerals. The hours in the left-hand aperture and the minutes on the right are crisply legible. The power-reserve indicator in the upper part of the dial and the subsidiary seconds dial in the lower part harmoniously balance its layout. The uncommon position of the crown, pointing at northeast, makes the watch more comfortable to wear and easier to wind. THE ESSENCE TO THE FORE
The German silver time bridge is arguably the most striking design element of this watch. It frames the hours, minutes, and seconds. With it, Lange’s masters brought to the fore what is most important: the movement. Indeed, the time bridge is part of the movement, which penetrates the dial in this place. The recessed transparent sapphire bearing jewel for the minute arbor reveals the fact that it belongs to the movement. MECHANICAL VIRTUOSITY
A glance through the sapphire-crystal caseback exposes the full mechanical opulence of the movement. It reveals the balance wheel with eccentric poising weights and the Lange balance spring, the hand-engraved balance cock, the superbly finished whiplash spring, and the constant-force escapement. A closer look at the constant-force escapement shows how it switches once a minute. It delivers the force that causes the numeral discs to advance.
Calibre L043.1 Manually wound, constant-force escapement, 415 parts, 68 jewels (2 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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LANGE ZEITWERK Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, black Time bridge: Rhodiumed German silver Hands: Rhodiumed gold Reference 140.029
Functions: Hours and minutes in a jumping numerals display. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 36 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 41.9 mm. Height 12.6 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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LANGE ZEITWERK Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Time bridge: Rhodiumed German silver Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 200 in platinum
LANGE ZEITWERK Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Time bridge: Untreated German silver Hands: Pink gold
Reference 140.025
Reference 140.032
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LANGE ZEITWERK Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, black Time bridge: Rhodiumed German silver Hands: Rhodiumed gold
Reference 140.029
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The Patented Jumping Numerals Mechanism The New Approach Many attempts have been made to develop the perfect mechanical digital watch. But none of the different approaches yielded an easily legible and dependable timepiece. So Lange’s master watchmakers had to explore totally new avenues. The simplest and so far best-known approach relied on creeping displays with continuously rotating numeral discs. However, the legibility of such watches was seriously compromised due to tiny numerals, often displayed at an angle, and the very fine minute disc scale. Conversely, in the jumping numerals mechanism, the minute numerals are arranged on two separate discs, which allows them to be generously formatted. As far back as the 19 th century, digital displays were integrated in pocket watches, for example according to the Pallweber or Dßrrstein principles. Because of technical constraints, the time was displayed vertically, with the minutes beneath the hours in a rather odd configuration. But the greatest weakness of this design was its susceptibility to wear: the considerable forces involved in the switching action caused noticeable scoring. An Ingenious Mechanism Lange’s patented jumping numerals mechanism overcomes these weaknesses. As usual in digital watches, it displays the time from left to right. The long-term functional integrity of the design is assured by a fly governor that absorbs the surplus energy after every switching cycle.
The time bridge of the LANGE ZEITWERK.
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2
1
3
4
5
1 German silver time bridge 2 Transparent sapphire bearing jewel 3 Tens-minute disc with the numerals from 0 to 5 4 Units-minute disc with the numerals from 0 to 9 5 Hour ring with the numerals from 1 to 12
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Squaring the Circle
The Basic Principle of the Mechanical Watch Another look at the underlying principle behind the mechanical movements of wristwatches makes the functionality of the LANGE ZEITWERK easier to understand. Such a movement obtains its energy from the mainspring. An elaborate device, the so-called escapement group, assures that after it has been wound, the mainspring does not relax instantaneously but instead splits its energy into numerous tiny steps. The duration of these tiny steps, audible as ticking, is defined by the interaction of the balance wheel and the balance spring. The better these two parts are matched, the more precise the watch. Five Steps per Second, One Step per Minute Each of these tiny steps is equivalent to a semi-oscillation of the balance. The steps are paced very quickly, usually five to ten times per second, depending on the balance system. Thus, the rotation of the hands of a mechanical watch takes place in several steps, or increments, per second. As evidenced by the movement of the seconds hand, the LANGE ZEITWERK also measures time by dividing it into five steps per second. Beyond this cadence, a further step is required once per minute, backed by enough energy to advance one, two, or all three numeral discs by exactly one interval. In other words, an additional mechanism is needed to deliver a distinctly higher amount of energy every sixty seconds.
The constant-force escapement is a special escapement device that is briefly activated only once a minute.
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The complex constant-force escapement of the LANGE ZEITWERK, focused on the blued remontoir spring.
Two Interactive Escapements The solution is as complicated as it is ingenious. The energy of the mainspring does not reach the escapement group directly but instead is first routed to a similar device: the constant-force escapement. Within the span of one minute, this mechanism only gives the mainspring a tiny moment in which it can unfold its full power. This moment is used to advance the numeral disc(s) and at the same time, to retension a small remontoir spring. During the following 60 seconds, the remontoir spring passes the energy it just received to the escapement group and thus sustains the oscillation of the balance. It is retensioned again when the next numerals jump occurs. Enhanced Rate Accuracy The indirect drive via the remontoir spring offers another considerable advantage: as long as the watch is running, it powers the escapement group with a uniform amount of energy and thus assures that the watch remains highly accurate – in contrast to direct drive designs via strong mainsprings whose torque gradually declines as the watch continues to run, thus compromising rate stability.
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Lange Zeitwerk Striking Time A MASTERPIECE THAT SETS THE TONE
The Lange Zeitwerk Striking Time not only indicates the time with its jumping numerals, it also keeps track of it acoustically. Two gong hammers arranged under the two numerals apertures and two gongs intonate the time. Every quarter-hour, the right-hand hammer strikes a gong to produce a clear, high-pitched tone. At the top of the hour, the left-hand hammer performs its duty and generates a vigorous tone at a lower pitch. This intricate striking mechanism will sound only in 100 platinum cases, whereas the white-gold model is not limited. T H E PA S T I N S P I R E S T H E F U T U R E
The inspiration that suggested how the power of a movement could be harnessed for a striking mechanism came to Lange’s master watchmakers only recently while they were restoring calibre No. 42500, a complicated pocket watch with a minute repeater. The shape of the gong hammers is reminiscent of the history of the region in which Glashütte is embedded. Here, mining once flourished until the ore deposits were depleted and Ferdinand A. Lange gave the town a new perspective when he founded his manufactory there. To this very day, the coat of arms of Glashütte exhibits not only a dial but also the hammer and pick symbol, which stands for mining.
Calibre L043.2 Manually wound, constant-force escapement, 528 parts, 78 jewels (2 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Time bridge: Rhodiumed German silver Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 100 in platinum Reference 145.025
Functions: Hours and minutes in a jumping numerals display. A visibly configured striking mechanism chimes the quarter-hours and the full hours. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 36 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 44.2 mm. Height 13.1 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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The Striking Mechanism
V I S I B L E P R E PA R AT I O N F O R T H E S T R I K E
The mainspring of the Lange Zeitwerk delivers the ample power needed to advance the numeral discs. In the Lange Zeitwerk Striking Time, a small portion of this energy is required to operate the striking mechanism. Every time a numeral disc advances, the hammer that will execute the next strike visibly moves a fraction of the way toward the centre of the watch. This gradually tensions the spring that triggers the impact of the hammer against the gong. THE SEQUENCE IN DETAIL
The striking mechanism is activated by a three-pronged snail (1). The three prongs control the mechanism of the quarter-hour gong hammer (2a) on the right-hand side. Below it lies a fourth prong for the hour gong hammer (2b) on the left-hand side. Powered by the switching impulses of the jumping numerals mechanism, the snail rotates about its own axis by 60 small steps in the course of an hour. During this phase, one of the four prongs deflects its hammer via a lever (3a, 3b), thus tensioning its respective spring. Precisely every quarter-hour and at the top of each hour, the respective lever crosses over the apex of its prong and allows the spring to trip the hammer against its gong (4a, 4b).
4a
2b
2a
4b
3b
The quarter-hour gong hammer just before (above) it strikes three quarters and after the strike (below).
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1
3a
LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Time bridge: Rhodiumed German silver Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 100 in platinum
LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, black Time bridge: Rhodiumed German silver Hands: Rhodiumed gold
Reference 145.025
Reference 145.029
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Saxonia Superb Saxon Craftsmanship
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A Homage to Saxony The name of the Saxonia watch family is derived from its Saxon homeland. Saxony is a region that thanks to ideal historic prerequisites nurtured craftsmanship to its absolute finest. The state’s impressive landscapes inspired many artists, among them Caspar David Friedrich, one of the most influential painters of the Romanticism period. In the Saxonia watch family, Lange’s master watchmakers meld their artisanal skills with a style of watch design that showcases Saxony’s heritage in a particularly sublime manner.
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Origin Carries an Obligation
H I STOR IC A L LY GROW N E X PE RT I SE
The reign of Augustus the Strong (1670–1733) established Saxony’s reputation for extraordinary artisanal and technical accomplishments. He was a champion of the sciences and fine arts, focussing his attention on only the best and most progressive achievements of his era. Under his auspices, the manufacture of porcelain, the fabrication of musical instruments, Dresden’s architecture, and craftsmanship flourished. To this very day, the historically grown artisanal skills of the Saxons, their quest for perfection, and their affinity with beauty come to the fore in the masterpieces crafted at the Lange manufactory, especially those of the Saxonia watch family. PRIDE AND PERFECTION
All movements are lavishly decorated by hand with exquisite finishing and polishing techniques, and engravings. All cases are made exclusively of 18-carat gold and their prominent contours are graced with finely chamfered lugs. The solid-silver dials are lucidly and harmoniously configured to emphasise the key functions of the watch. The A. L A NGE & SÖHNE signature is clearly and proudly complemented with a reference to the Saxon origins of the watch: I/SA (in Saxony).
Chamfering edges with a wooden polishing peg.
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Saxonia
HARMONIOUS DESIGN
The Saxonia is a paragon of well-balanced dial design. Positioned at 12 o’clock, the A. L A NGE & SÖHNE signature is counterbalanced by the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. The semi-open minute scale adds spaciousness to the dial, while the slender solid-gold baton hour markers endow it with fine but distinctive accents. LUCID LINES
The three-part cases are sculpted from 18-carat white, pink, or yellow gold. The slender brazed lugs and the chamfer on the inside of the bezel underscore the sleekness and elegant silhouette of the cases. THE QUEST FOR PERFECTION
The calibre L941.1 movement of the Saxonia also reveals the ambitions of Lange’s master watchmakers with respect to perfection in craftsmanship. The lavishly and meticulously finished surfaces and the three-quarter plate in German silver express the Lange quest for perfection just like the handengraved balance cock, the screwed gold chatons, and the classic screw balance.
Calibre L941.1 Manually wound, 164 parts, 21 jewels (4 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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SAXONIA Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold Reference 216.032
Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. 45 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 37.0 mm. Height 7.7 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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Traditional Decorations
F I N I SSAGE OF L A RGE R SU R FAC E S
Ribbing is a linear, striped surface finish that traditionally adorns the plates and bridges with a larger surface of the Saxonia models. A cloud-like decoration called perlage is applied to both visible and concealed parts. The stipples are created by hand with a small circular grinding peg, and the uniform distance between the individual stipples depends solely on the dexterity of the finisseur.
1
1 Perlage on the base plate. 2 Ribbing on the three-quarter plate.
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SAXONIA Case: 18-carat yellow gold Dial: Solid silver, champagne Hands: Yellow gold
SAXONIA Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold
Reference 216.021
Reference 216.026
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Saxonia Automatic
REDESIGNED FROM THE BOTTOM UP
The Saxonia Automatic not only features a clearly balanced dial layout. Lange’s master watchmakers also perfected its dimensions according to aesthetic criteria. The height of its case is only 7.8 millimetres, thanks to the all-new L086.1 manufacture calibre that itself measures a scant 3.7 millimetres from top to bottom. T H E M A N U FAC T U R E ’S T H I N N E ST SE L F-W I N DI NG MOV E M E N T
This makes it the thinnest self-winding movement ever crafted by the master watchmakers at A. Lange & Söhne. Its central rotor, suspended in ball bearings, has a heavy platinum centrifugal mass. Interacting with the winding train, it assures that the maximum power reserve of 72 hours is available after just a short time on the wrist. DOU BLY PE R F EC T
Lange’s master watchmakers exercise very special care when assembling the movement of the Saxonia Automatic. After the initial assembly process, which lasts several weeks, the perfectly running movement is completely taken apart again. Now, all parts are cleaned, carefully inspected, and finally decorated with intricate finishing, polishing, and engraving techniques. In the second and last assembly process, the parts are then put together to create a movement that addresses the strictest expectations. The jewelled version of the Saxonia Automatic with a dial in mother-of-pearl and a bezel set with brilliant-cut diamonds perpetuates the tradition of sophisticated creations.
Calibre L086.1 Self-winding mechanism, central rotor with shock-absorbing suspension, centrifugal mass in platinum. 209 parts, 31 jewels
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SAXONIA AUTOMATIC Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold Reference 380.026
Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 38.5 mm. Height 7.8 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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Lavish Polishes
BR I L L I A N T LY F I N I SH E D
The edges of all steel levers and springs in the movements of the Saxonia watch family are chamfered and polished. The edges of the plates, bridges, and balance cocks are also finished in this way. Even tiny details such as the heads and driver slots of the screws are manually polished. Ranking among the most sophisticated decorations, the flat polish of the escape wheel endpiece requires several hours of manual work.
1
1 Chamfered edge of a balance cock. 2 Flat-polished endpiece of the escape wheel.
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SAXONIA AUTOMATIC Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold
SAXONIA AUTOMATIC Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Rhodiumed gold
Reference 380.032
Reference 380.026
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SAXONIA AUTOMATIC Case: 18-carat yellow gold 68 brilliant-cut diamonds, approx. 0.8 carats Dial: Solid silver, white, faced with natural mother-of-pearl Hands: Yellow gold
SAXONIA AUTOMATIC Case: 18-carat white gold 68 brilliant-cut diamonds, approx. 0.8 carats Dial: Solid silver, white, faced with natural mother-of-pearl Hands: Rhodiumed gold
Reference 840.021
Reference 840.029
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SAXONIA AUTOMATIC Case: 18-carat pink gold 68 brilliant-cut diamonds, approx. 0.8 carats Dial: Solid silver, white, faced with natural mother-of-pearl Hands: Pink gold Reference 840.032
Calibre: L086.4, self-winding mechanism. Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 37.0 mm. Height 8.4 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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Saxonia Thin
REDUCED TO THE ESSENCE
One thought dominated the minds of Lange’s master watchmakers while they were developing the Saxonia Thin: how to condense the characteristic features of a Lange watch in as thin a space as possible. Measuring 5.9 millimetres in height, the result is the eminent Saxon brand’s flattest timepiece so far. It is exclusively available in 18-carat pink and white gold. A F I N E WAT C H W I T H N O C O M PRO M I S E S
The creation of such a thin timepiece necessitated the design of a totally new manually wound calibre – the new L093.1 movement is only 2.9 millimetres high. In return, the height of every single part was reduced to an absolute minimum, but without tolerating any compromise as regards functional reliability. As all movements built by the manufactory, this one also underwent and passed the strict endurance tests devised by the master watchmakers. F L AW L E S S A R T I SA NSH I P
The Saxonia Thin concentrates on the essential functions of a mechanical watch: the indication of time in hours and minutes. Even then, the master watchmakers resolutely implemented the typically elaborate finissage of all individual parts. The minimalistic dial layout sets an impressive stage for the benchmark craftsmanship embodied by this watch.
Calibre L093.1 Manually wound, 167 parts, 21 jewels (3 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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SAXONIA THIN Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold Reference 211.026
Functions: Hours and minutes. 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 40.0 mm. Height 5.9 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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Precious Cases
A STRIKING APPEARANCE
All cases of the Saxonia watch family consist of three parts: the caseback, the middle, and the bezel. They are crafted exclusively from precious metals, meticulously polished by hand, and engraved with a serial number. The solidgold winding crowns exhibit an embossed Lange signature. All lugs are individually brazed to the case, after which their chamfers are polished. The edges where they fuse with the case are angled and also polished, giving each Saxonia a striking appearance.
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1 Lug with polished chamfer. 2 Three-part polished case with crown.
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SAXONIA THIN Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold
SAXONIA THIN Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold
Reference 211.032
Reference 211.026
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Saxonia Dual Time
T H E P E R F E C T C O M PA N I O N F O R G L O B E T R O T T E R S
The Saxonia Dual Time is an ambassador that takes Lange watchmaking artistry far beyond the borders of Saxony. With its comfortably adjustable second zone time and its excellent legibility, it is the perfect companion for individuals who are at home around the world. T H E W HOLE WOR LD W I T H I N PUSH-BU T TON R E ACH
As long as the watch is used at home in the basic mode, only the gold hour hand is visible – the blued-steel hour hand runs underneath and with it, out of sight. It does not appear until the gold hour hand is set to the time zone of the owner’s travel destination. This is easily done with one of the two push pieces on the lefthand side of the case. Each time the upper push piece is actuated, the gold hour hand will advance by one hour; the lower push piece moves it in the opposite direction. CONNECTED TO HOME
Now, the blued hour hand indicates the time at home. Additionally, a small 24-hour display at 12 o’clock provides crucial information. It is synchronised with home time and indicates whether it is day or night at home.
Calibre L086.2 Self-winding mechanism, central rotor with shock-absorbing suspension, centrifugal mass in platinum. 268 parts, 31 jewels
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SAXONIA DUAL TIME Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel Reference 385.026
Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Second zone time. 24-hour display with day/night indicator. 72 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 40.0 mm. Height 9.1 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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Blued Steel
R IC H LY CON T R A ST I NG DE TA I LS
The blued screws not only add a touch of aesthetic elegance to the movements of the Saxonia watch family, they are also highly corrosion-resistant. The blued hands contrast sharply against the dial and enhance legibility. The steel parts are blued by slowly and carefully heating (annealing) them to 300째C. In the process, the metal is coated with an ultra-thin layer reflecting a cornflowerblue hue.
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1 Three blued screws secure a gold chaton. 2 Blued hour hand for home time.
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SAXONIA DUAL TIME Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold and blued steel
SAXONIA DUAL TIME Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel
Reference 385.032
Reference 385.026
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Saxonia Annual Calendar
A N A N N UA L C A L EN DA R W I T H A LUCI D A PPE A R A NCE
The Saxonia Annual Calendar clearly and legibly unites a number of calendar functions. Apart from the time, it indicates the outsize date, the month, the day of the week, and the phases of the moon. An elaborate mechanism automatically recognises which months have 30 and 31 days. The display must be updated only once a year, at the transition from February to March. A UNIQUE MECHANISM
The patented Zero-Reset mechanism is a Lange-specific convenience feature. It enables fast and precise timesetting. When the crown is pulled, the movement stops and the seconds hand jumps to zero. This allows the minute hand to be precisely aligned with the respective minute marker, and the watch can be accurately restarted, for instance when an acoustic time signal sounds. PI N NACLE OF PER F ECT ION
A glance at the movement of the Saxonia Annual Calendar reveals the utmost in perfection. The delicately embossed three-quarter rotor in 21-carat gold and platinum oscillates above the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver. The rotor is configured such that it never conceals the delicate screw balance and the hand-engraved balance cock.
Calibre L085.1 SAX-0-MAT Self-winding mechanism with bidirectional three-quarter rotor, centrifugal mass in platinum. 476 parts, 43 jewels
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SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Blued steel Reference 330.026
Functions: Hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds dial. Patented ZERO-RESET mechanism. Annual calendar with outsize date, day of week, and month. Moon-phase display. 46 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 38.5 mm. Height 9.8 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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Radiant Solarisation
FA SC I NAT I NG PL AY OF L IGH T
Solarisation is a decorative finish for circular surfaces. It derives its fascination from a unique play of light: when the watch is tilted, the light reflected from its surface moves in a circle. In the Saxonia Annual Calendar and the Langematik Perpetual, solarisation is found on the surface over which the rotor skims. Invisible to observers, the same decoration is also applied to the mainspring barrel, concealed deep within the movement.
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1 Detailed view of solarisation. 2 Solarisation beneath the three-quarter rotor.
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SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold and blued steel
SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Blued steel
Reference 330.032
Reference 330.026
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Langematik Perpetual
T H E PER PET UA L OU TSIZE DAT E
The Langematik Perpetual is the world’s first mechanical wristwatch that combines a perpetual calendar with an outsize date. The perpetual calendar automatically displays the correct date, day of week, and month. It takes into account the different durations of the months, including leap-year deviations. The moon-phase display is no less precise than the perpetual calendar. It has been calculated to remain accurate for 122 years. CON V E N I E N T LY A DJ USTA BL E
Because of a peculiarity of the Gregorian calendar, the Langematik Perpetual needs to be corrected by one day, but not until the year 2100. All calendar indications and the moon-phase display can be advanced either individually with separate push pieces or collectively with a main push piece. PER PET UA L ACCU R ACY
In the Langematik Perpetual, the spirit of perpetuity is leveraged by its timeless styling: its dial is made of solid silver, the hour markers of solid gold. Hands filled with a luminous compound assure good legibility – after sunset as well. The self-winding movement with the patented Zero-Reset mechanism and a three-quarter rotor in gold and platinum is designed to work reliably for many generations to come.
Calibre L922.1 SAX-0-MAT Viewed from the dial side. Solid-gold lunar disc, 478 parts, 43 jewels. Self-winding mechanism
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LANGEMATIK PERPETUAL Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold
Reference 310.032
Functions: Hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds dial. Patented ZERO-RESET mechanism. Perpetual calendar with outsize date, day of week, month, and leap-year display. Moon-phase display. Day/night indicator. 46 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 38.5 mm. Height 10.2 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hour and minute hands luminous. Hour markers luminous. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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Custom Engravings
UNIQUE SIGNATURES
Master engravers use free-hand techniques to lovingly decorate the balance cock of each watch, turning it into a one-of-a-kind treasure. Every engraver has an inimitable personal style. So even much later, it is always possible to ascertain which master engraver decorated a part. On request, specific components of a watch can be adorned with personalised engravings.
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1 A perfect engraving. 2 A balance cock being engraved by a master. 3 Burins – the engraver’s tools.
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LANGEMATIK PERPETUAL Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodié Hands: Rhodiumed gold
LANGEMATIK PERPETUAL Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold
Reference 310.025
Reference 310.032
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The Quest for Perfection
T WOFOL D A SSE M BLY
Countless hours are invested in assembling each Lange movement with utmost virtuosity. Afterwards, the interactions of all mechanical parts are adjusted to the highest degree of perfection. But then, the movement is totally taken apart again. Now, all parts are painstakingly cleaned, and many of them are lavishly decorated and polished. Even parts that later remain unseen are enhanced in this way. Only then is the movement reassembled for the second and last time, and carefully lubricated at over 50 oil sinks and bearing points with up to eight different greases and oils. Completed in this meticulous way, the calibre of a Lange watch can now perform its work smoothly and virtually friction-free.
In the final assembly pass, the jig screws used in the first fitting phase are replaced with flawless blued screws.
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1815 In the Tradition of Ferdinand A. Lange
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A Watch With a Personality The 1815’s name stands for the birth year of Ferdinand A. Lange, the courageous man who established Germany’s precision watchmaking in 1845. He was a pioneer in mechanical timekeeping and had the ambition to craft the world’s finest watches. It was a vision he pursued with passion and, by providing jobs and a fresh perspective for the people of Glashütte, with a strong social commitment. In the course of the years, he succeeded not only in building a manufactory but also in laying the cornerstone for an entire watch industry. The 1815 watch family expresses his quest for the perfect watch and his noble personality.
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Substance Over Semblance
LOFTY AMBITIONS
The 1815 embodies the ambitions of Ferdinand A. Lange and his quest for the perfect watch. In this watch, the focus is on the essence, on intrinsic values. Its outward appearance is both noble and modest. PRECISION IN THE CLASSIC STYLE
The probably most characteristic feature of the 1815 is its dial with a peripheral minute scale reminiscent of a railway track. This watch builds a bridge into the era of the industrial revolution and the advent of rail travel at the time when Ferdinand A. Lange founded his company in Glashütte. A S PE R F E C T A S F E R DI N A N D A . L A N G E ’S P O C K E T WAT C H E S
With its Arabic numerals, the 1815 tells the time in the 21st century just as perfectly as Ferdinand A. Lange’s historic pocket watches did. Its inner life is endowed with many traditional features such as the three-quarter plate for enhanced stability of the movement as well as the blued screws, the gold chatons, and the hand-engraved balance cock.
Blued screws constitute traditional colour accents on every calibre of the 1815.
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1815
A TIMEPIECE OF SLEEK ELEGANCE
In every facet, the 1815 reflects the personality of Ferdinand A. Lange. On the outside, it projects noble understatement. The case is unpretentious and classic, be it in gold or – in its limited edition of 500 watches – in platinum. The sapphirecrystal caseback reveals the movement finished to a degree of perfection that more than lives up to the manufactory’s rigorous standards. INSPIRED BY TRADITION
The solid-silver dial with the recessed central segment borrows its iconic design from Lange’s legendary pocket watches and endows the 1815 with unprecedented depth. The railway-track minute scale that encircles the classic Arabic numerals assures optimised readability. As in hunter-cased pocket watches, the subsidiary seconds dial is arranged at a 90° angle relative to the winding crown. T H E I N T R I N S I C VA L U E S O F T H E 18 15
True to tradition, all 188 parts of the manufacture calibre are lavishly finished by hand. Beneath the hand-engraved balance cock, the intricate screw balance performs 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour. When fully wound, the watch has a power reserve of 55 hours; it features a stop-seconds mechanism that allows the time to be set with one-second accuracy.
Calibre L051.1 Manually wound, 188 parts, 23 jewels (5 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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1815 Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Blued steel Reference 233.032
Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. 55 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 40.0 mm. Height 8.9 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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1815 Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 500 in platinum
1815 Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Blued steel
Reference 233.025
Reference 233.032
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1815 Case: 18-carat yellow gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Blued steel
1815 Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Blued steel
Reference 233.021
Reference 233.026
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1815 Chronograph
I N N OVA T I O N A N D T R A D I T I O N
The 1815 Chronograph melds traditional values with advanced mechanical ingenuity in a rare and unusual way. The arrangement of the subsidiary dials with the seconds at 8 o’clock and the 30-minute counter at 4 o’clock was inspired by the classic faces of the historic pocket chronographs crafted by A. Lange & Söhne. PERSEV ER A NCE EN NOBLED BY ACCU R ACY
With an impressive power reserve of 60 hours, the 1815 Chronograph addresses contemporary needs. Its patented, precisely jumping minute counter delivers a doubt-free reading of the minute count. Additionally, the railway-track minute scale features subdivisions that allow stopped times to be determined with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. STOPPING TIMES IN A FLASH
With one actuation of a single push piece, the 1815 Chronograph can be reset in the middle of an ongoing time measurement; when the push piece is released, the next measurement begins instantaneously. This so-called flyback function (functional principle see page 167) dates back to the advent of aviation in the early 20th century – and it has lost none of its charisma.
Calibre L951.5 Manually wound, 306 parts, 34 jewels (4 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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1815 CHRONOGRAPH Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Blued steel Reference 402.026
Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Chronograph with flyback and precisely jumping minute counter. 60 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 39.5 mm. Height 10.8 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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1815 Chronograph
PRECISION EVEN AT THE TOP OF THE MINUTE
Many chronographs have a minute counter that advances minute by minute rather than continuously. The switching process sometimes takes one or two seconds. If such a watch with a delayed-action minute counter is stopped in the vicinity of a full minute, it is often unclear whether the counter hand has already incremented forward or not. T H E PR EC I SE LY J U M PI NG M I N U T E COU N T E R
The 1815 Chronograph, however, is equipped with a precisely jumping minute counter. It advances by one graduation exactly after 60 seconds have elapsed, even if the time measurement is stopped at that very moment. This useful mechanism was already incorporated in historic pocket watches and high-end wristwatches crafted during the last century. But Lange’s calibre engineers refined it in an ingenious way: a patented switching lever now allows the watchmaker to precisely determine the timing of the minute counter jump without having to disassemble the movement.
The precisely jumping minute counter mechanism.
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1815 CHRONOGRAPH Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Blued steel
1815 CHRONOGRAPH Case: 18-carat white gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Blued steel
Reference 402.032
Reference 402.026
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Richard Lange The Fine Observation Watch
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The Rediscovery of Precision With the Richard Lange, Lange’s masters breathe new life into a storied category of timepieces: observation watches. Because of their superior rate accuracy, excellent legibility, and ruggedness, they were indispensable precision instruments for many famous scientists, researchers, and explorers in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. Richard Lange was probably the most inventive member of the dynasty of Lange watchmakers and commanded respect as a prominent scientist of his era. With numerous discoveries and patents, he decisively inspired the refinement of precision watchmaking. With its name, the Richard Lange watch family pays tribute to this horological pioneer.
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The Observation Watch Reinterpreted
FOCUS ON PRECISION
Every facet of the Richard Lange watch family is subordinate to two objectives: to achieve the ultimate in precision and to assure superb legibility. With these assets, it reinterprets the concept of scientific observation watches. THE LANGE BALANCE SPRING
The models of the Richard Lange watch family are endowed with highly precise proprietary balance springs that are manufactured in-house. They embody the ambitious claim to precision for which the watch family stands and assure the superb accuracy of the timepieces. They unite the latest scientifically corroborated insights of Lange’s masters with one of Richard Lange’s discoveries. In his famous 1930 patent application, he described that a small admixture of beryllium decisively improves the rate characteristics of balance springs. THE SUBTLE DIFFERENCE
Only one detail distinguishes the Richard Lange models from their robust historic role models. The use of the most noble materials and the lavish finissage of their movements make them excellent companions for festive occasions as well.
Only very few manufactories have the ability to develop and produce their own balance springs. Even the tiniest dimensional deviations render these crucial accuracy-determining parts useless.
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Richard Lange
T H E F I R S T O B S E R VA T I O N WA T C H F O R T H E W R I S T
With superior rate accuracy and eminent legibility, the Richard Lange continues the tradition of scientific observation watches at A. Lange & SÜhne. The case has comparatively generous dimensions: with a diameter of 40.5 millimetres, it is conveniently legible. The solid-silver dial features the slender Roman numerals that were typical for scientific observation watches during Richard Lange’s epoch. PRECISE SETTABILITY AND PRECISE RATE
The sweep-seconds hand is made of blued steel and contrasts well against the dial. When the crown is pulled, it stops instantly. This allows the watch to be set to one-second accuracy. Readily visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback, the sweep-seconds wheel train is integrated between the three-quarter plate and a separate, hand-finished bridge. The Richard Lange owes its precision to a balance spring developed and manufactured in-house that beats at a rate of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour.
Calibre L041.2 Manually wound, Lange balance spring, 199 parts, 26 jewels (2 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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RICHARD LANGE Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel Reference 232.025
Functions: Hours and minutes. Sweep seconds with stop seconds. 38 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 40.5 mm. Height 10.5 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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Richard Lange (1845–1932)
THE SCIENTIST AND INVENTOR
Richard Lange is Ferdinand A. Lange’s first-born son. In 1868, he was appointed director of the manufactory. His goal was to advance precision watchmaking with the latest insights in research and science. He can take credit for no fewer than 27 patents. His most important discovery was the subject of patent application No. 529 945 filed in 1930 and entitled “Metal Alloy for Watch Springs”: the accuracy-enhancing properties of an alloy with an admixture of beryllium. To this very day, nearly all high-quality mechanical watches utilise this discovery. T H E O B S E R VA T I O N WA T C H
Richard Lange’s invention boosted precision in the domain of watchmaking. It also encouraged the evolution of a timepiece category characterised by high rate accuracy: the observation watch. A. Lange & Söhne ranked among the premier purveyors of such precision instruments. One of them, Large Observation Watch No. 83193, was sold to the Zeppelin Yards at Friedrichshafen on 18 December 1935. The Richard Lange reflects its characteristic design and reinterprets it for our era.
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1 Large Observation Watch No. 83193 was sold to the Zeppelin Yards on 18 December 1935. 2 For many years, Richard Lange (1845 –1932) was the driving force at A. Lange & Söhne. The scientist had a strong impact on the evolution of precision horology.
A film about the RICHARD LANGE portrays the scientist Richard Lange and offers profound insights into this masterpiece: www.alange-soehne.com/videos
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RICHARD LANGE Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodié Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel
RICHARD LANGE Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold and blued steel
Reference 232.025
Reference 232.032
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The Lange Balance Spring
Accurate is Not Enough The production of balance springs is one of the most complicated processes in precision watchmaking. Only a handful of watchmaking companies master the operations, among them the Lange manufactory, where particularly high quality standards are attained. First, a metal wire is drawn and then rolled to a strip with accurately specified dimensions. At Lange, the tolerance is one ten-thousandth of a millimetre, a hundredth of the diameter of a human hair. In these minuscule dimensions, quality controls based on laser measurements are no longer sufficient. To verify compliance, it is also necessary to weigh a defined length of the strip with a precision balance. Mathematical Precision – Guided by Hand This strip is coiled into a raw spring, a filigreed component with a diameter of barely 5 millimetres. It is heated so that it will retain its shape. Then, the real challenge begins – the bending of the terminal curve. For the first time, Lange’s developers described the optimised terminal curve with a correct mathematical formula. Despite this accurate definition, the many individual bending steps cannot be performed by machines and must be executed by hand. The tolerance range in the bending process is equivalent to the thickness of the coiled strip: about two hundredths of a millimetre. It takes at least two years of practice for a specialist to develop a feeling for the delicate material.
The balance spring: the component that determines the rate accuracy of a mechanical watch.
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1 Four rolled strips are threaded in at an angle of 90째 and then coiled jointly. This results in the final spiral shape and the clearances between the individual windings. 2 Under a microscope, the spring is placed on a template. Then, the individual bending points are copied to the spring. 3 With a special set of pliers and a sleeve, the bends are executed at the calculated positions in the exact angles.
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Richard Lange “Referenzuhr”
A HOM AGE TO T H E T I M E-K EEPI NG SERV ICE OF T H E M AT H EM AT ICS AND PHYSICS SALON
The Richard Lange “Referenzuhr” pays tribute to the Time-Keeping Service of the Mathematics and Physics Salon in 18 th- and 19 th-century Dresden. As the “guardian of time”, this scientific institution was responsible for determining the precise local time and making it available to the population of Dresden. The inspectors of the facility used astronomical observations to define the exact time. A precision pendulum clock in the institute’s main hall was set according to their results. Special pocket watches were then used to “carry” the time to the public clocks and synchronise them. THE TRANSPOSITION OF TIME
The Richard Lange “Referenzuhr” is also ideal for synchronising larger collections of timepieces. Its new Zero-Restart function makes it possible to quickly and easily synchronise the seconds hand with an acoustic time signal at the top of a minute: actuating the push piece above the crown sets the seconds hand to zero. The push piece is released when the time signal sounds, and this instantly restarts the seconds hand. The reference time saved in this manner can now be carried to other timepieces.
Calibre L033.1 Manually wound, Lange balance spring, 276 parts, 34 jewels (1 of which in a screwed gold chaton)
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RICHARD LANGE “Referenzuhr” Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodié Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel Edition: 50 in platinum Reference 250.025
Functions: Hours, minutes, and “large” subsidiary seconds. Subsidiary seconds dial with ZERO-RESTART. Power-reserve indicator, 38 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 40.5 mm. Height 11.2 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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The Zero-Restart Mechanism
THIS IS HOW THE ZERO-RESTA RT MECH A NISM WORKS
The Zero-Restart mechanism features a tiny vertical disc clutch (1) and a zero-reset heart cam (2). This cam makes it possible to set the seconds hand to zero along the shortest path, be it clockwise or anti-clockwise. The clutch and the zero-reset heart cam are carried by the arbor (3) that moves the seconds hand. Until the Zero-Restart function is activated, the fourth-wheel arbor with its hand is driven by the friction of the closed clutch. When the push piece (4) is actuated, two separator clamps (5) lift the upper of the two clutch discs and thus interrupt the transmission of force. At the same time, the heart lever (6) contacts the zero-reset heart cam: the seconds hand jumps to zero and stays there, but the movement continues to run and thus always displays the correct time.
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5 Functional drawing of the ZERO-RESTART mechanism.
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RICHARD LANGE “Referenzuhr” Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodié Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel Edition: 50 in platinum
RICHARD LANGE “Referenzuhr” Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold and blued steel Edition: 75 in pink gold
Reference 250.025
Reference 250.032
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Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite”
MECHANICAL FINESSE AND SUPERB REFINEMENT
The Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite” is a rare precision instrument with a fusée-and-chain transmission dedicated totally to the accurate measurement of time. The attribute “Pour le Mérite” indicates that the movement is one of the manufactory’s most elaborately crafted and precise calibres. REDUCED TO THE ESSENCE
As in Lange’s legendary pocket chronometers, the dial of the Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite” is crisply designed and reduced to the essential functions: the display of hours, minutes, and seconds. The subsidiary seconds dial features a stop-seconds mechanism for precise timesetting. A L I M I T E D - E D I T I O N O B S E R VA T I O N WA T C H
With a case diameter of 40.5 millimetres, the Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite” is adequately dimensioned for an observation watch. The clear layout of the precious enamel dial and the antireflection-coated sapphire-crystal glass guarantee excellent legibility. The exclusivity of this precision instrument is underscored by its limited edition of 200 pink-gold watches.
Calibre L044.1 Manually wound, fusée-and-chain transmission, Lange balance spring. 279 parts, including the chain which consists of 636 parts. 33 jewels (2 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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RICHARD LANGE “Pour le Mérite” Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Enamel, white Hands: Blued steel Edition: 200 in pink gold Reference 260.032
Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. 36 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 40.5 mm. Height 10.7 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
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Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite”
A R A DI A N T LY W H I T E E NA M E L DI A L
In the Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite”, attention to detail is ubiquitous. Its aesthetic appeal comes to the fore especially with its radiantly white enamel dial. It is a masterpiece of artisanship composed of three parts: a main dial for the display of hours and minutes, a recessed central segment with the Lange signature, and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. AESTHETIC PERFECTION
Before the dial can occupy its position beneath the sapphire-crystal glass, each of its three elements needs to be crafted in an elaborate process consisting of numerous steps: the repeated application and firing of enamel layers followed by drilling and grinding – always with the risk that despite the utmost of care, a small contaminant particle might be fused into the surface or that a corner of the brittle material could break off. The reward for this effort is an immaculate, radiantly white enamel surface that forms a high-contrast background for the blued steel hands.
The subsidiary seconds dial of the RICHARD LANGE “Pour le Mérite”.
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RICHARD LANGE “Pour le Mérite” Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Enamel, white Hands: Blued steel Edition: 200 in pink gold Reference 260.032
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Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” T H R EE COM PLICAT IONS FOR GR E AT ER ACCU R ACY
With a fusée-and-chain transmission and a one-minute tourbillon, the Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” incorporates two of the most effective complications that increase rate accuracy. Its third complication is the patented stop-seconds mechanism. Thanks to this device, the tourbillon – and with it the entire movement – can be stopped and set to one-second accuracy. Additionally, the watch features a new pivoting-dial segment mechanism. Between 6 and 12 o’clock, a small auxiliary dial segment covers the cut-out portion of the hour dial from VIII to X o’clock. This allows an unambiguous reading of the hour at all times. E XCEP T IONA L DESIGN
The Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” displays the hours, minutes, and seconds in separate zones that form an isosceles triangle. This prominent arrangement was inspired by precision chronometer No. 93 crafted by Johann Heinrich Seyffert, a gifted watchmaker who in the late 18 th century established the fundamentals of precision timekeeping in Saxony. Alexander von Humboldt, a famous German explorer, relied on Seyffert’s precision instruments and expressed particular appreciation for his work.
Calibre L072.1 Manually wound, fusée-and-chain transmission, Lange balance spring. 352 parts, including the chain which consists of 636 parts. 32 jewels (3 of which in screwed gold chatons, and 1 diamond endstone)
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RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON “Pour le Mérite” Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodié Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 100 in platinum Reference 760.025
Functions: Hours subdial with pivoting dial segment. Sweep minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial connected with the tourbillon and stop seconds. 36 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 41.9 mm. Height 12.2 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
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From 6 to 12 o’clock, the pivoting dial segment of the RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON “Pour le Mérite” is visible to guarantee clear hour readings.
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From 12 to 6 o’clock, the pivoting dial segment retracts behind the main dial to expose the tourbillon.
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In the Service of Science
H U M BOL D T, SE Y F F E RT, A N D T H E RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON “POUR LE MÉRITE”
In 1799, German natural scientist Alexander von Humboldt embarked on his legendary expedition to Latin America. One of his most important scientific instruments was a chronometer built by Saxon precision watchmaker Johann Heinrich Seyffert. Its precise reading of time helped Humboldt calculate the co-ordinates of his locations and perform many scientific measurements. In the interest of good legibility under poor light conditions, he chose a model whose displays of hours, minutes, and seconds were arranged separately in triangular fashion. This characteristic feature of many Seyffert chronometers inspired Lange’s master watchmakers as they designed the Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite”. FOR COM M E N DA BL E ACH I E V EM E N TS I N T H E SCI E NCES A N D A RTS
Even later in life, Humboldt preserved his eagerness to advance the sciences. In 1842, he suggested to Frederick William IV that special accomplishments in science and art be rewarded with the most prestigious order of merit bestowed in Prussia: “Pour le Mérite”. Even today, the distinction is still conferred by the President of Germany. Lange’s masters use the attribute “Pour le Mérite” to identify the manufactory’s most complex and precise timepieces. The Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” is the fourth watch that merits this honour.
Three separate zones for the hours, minutes, and seconds: precision chronometer No. 93 by J. H. Seyffert.
A film about the RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON “Pour le Mérite” offers profound insights into this masterpiece: www.alange-soehne.com/videos
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RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON “Pour le Mérite” Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodié Hands: Rhodiumed gold Edition: 100 in platinum
RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON “Pour le Mérite” Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argenté Hands: Pink gold
Reference 760.025
Reference 760.032
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Microcraftsmanship
THE TRANSMISSION CHAIN
To accomplish big things is an art. Sometimes, so is to accomplish little things – for example the production of the tiny transmission chain for which 636 individual parts must be assembled into 212 links and these, finally, into a single chain. The biggest challenge in this respect is to give all links enough freedom of movement to assure that the chain can wind up and pay out precisely. The way this is done remains the secret of Lange’s masters.
The chain connects the fusée (left) and the mainspring barrel (right).
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The Fusée-and-Chain Transmission
Vital Precision The fusée-and-chain transmission is one of the most effective complications when it comes to increasing the rate accuracy of a mechanical watch. It was used mainly in marine chronometers. The lives of an entire ship’s crew sometimes depended upon these time-keeping instruments. For the first time ever, Lange’s master watchmakers integrated this mechanism in the tiny dimensions of a wristwatch. The technical data of the chain suggests how much dexterity this venture requires. It consists of 636 individual parts and has a cross-section measuring 0.6 by 0.3 millimetres. Harnessing the Laws of Physics It is one of the tenets of physics that the power generated by the mainspring is high when it is fully tensioned and significantly weaker as it nears the fully unwound state. This can cause rate accuracy fluctuations. The fusée-and-chain transmission works like an infinitely variable gearbox. It equalises the waning force of the mainspring and makes sure that the movement always receives a constant amount of energy. This keeps the watch running at an exact rate. Visible Power Transmission Large openings in the three-quarter plate make it possible to observe the interaction of the numerous individual parts through the sapphire-crystal caseback. When the watch is fully wound, the chain is completely wrapped around the fusée. As the spring relaxes, the entire barrel rotates and winds up the chain. In doing so, it turns the fusée, which transfers the torque to the going train via a drive wheel.
The open mainspring barrel with fusée and chain, enlarged 3 times.
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Force Equalisation According to the Principle of Levers The fusée-and-chain transmission obeys the principle of levers. The fusée is shaped like a cone with a helical groove cut into its lateral surface. With full power, the mainspring barrel tugs at the top of the cone, i.e. at the shorter lever. As the spring loses energy, the chain reels off toward the broader end of the cone: as the radius grows, the lever becomes longer. A Drive With a Forward and Reverse Gear To guarantee that the watch continues to run even while it is being wound, the fusée accommodates a tiny planetary gear system. It assures that power transmission is not interrupted during the winding process, even though the fusée then rotates against the unwind direction.
Exploded view of the fusée with its internal planetary gear system.
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Optimising the Drive
The Perfect Middle When the mainspring is fully wound, and briefly before the fully unwound state, the fusĂŠe-and-chain mechanism reaches its limits. This is because in both cases, the torque delivered by the mainspring fluctuates suddenly and incalculably. To assure the utmost in precision, the power-reserve period is thus limited to the middle torque delivery range, where the energy output declines uniformly and calculably. Blockage Before Fully Wound State A blocking mechanism becomes active to bypass the sudden loss of force in the fully wound state. It prevents the mainspring from being fully wound: a rivet (1) in the chain activates a lever system (2) at whose end an arresting tooth (3) pushes into the ratchet wheel (4). This blocks the fusĂŠe (5), which is rigidly connected to the ratchet wheel. Blockage Before Fully Unwound State A second mechanism prevents the occurrence of the second sudden force-loss range. It stops the movement before the mainspring is fully unwound: the power-reserve wheel (6) is the crucial element here. During the 36-hour power reserve period, it rotates by about 300 degrees. At the end of this path, the beak of a lever (7) drops into the recess in the power-reserve wheel. Simultaneously, its other end (8) pivots into the range of the blocking finger (9). It is connected with the fourth-wheel arbor and rotates exactly once a minute. After no later than 60 seconds, it contacts the lever and blocks the entire movement.
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1 The fusĂŠe-and-chain transmission is visible through apertures in the three-quarter plate. 2 The dial conceals the device that blocks the movement before the mainspring is fully unwound.
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The Ultimate in Watchmaking Artistry Micromechanical Masterpieces
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Impressive Mechanisms The inhabitants of Saxony have always accomplished great things in the field of technology and craftsmanship. For example, they created the first fully electronic television and the first 35 mm camera – but also the “Blue Wonder” inaugurated in 1893, a steel bridge with the largest span in the world in those days. Similarly, the pursuit of excellence in precision watchmaking has played a significant role for the Saxons. The history of A. Lange & Söhne offers impressive examples, such as the Grand Complication No. 42500. Even today, the Lange masters continue to redefine the benchmarks of time measurement and create constructions that – in spite of their modest size – do not fail to impress.
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To In-House Standards
THE IDEAS OF THE BRIGHTEST MINDS
Our most experienced watchmakers work in small ateliers at the Lange manufactory. Here, they devise and craft timepieces that transcend the scope of ordinary standards. Because they define their own standards. Apart from classic complications such as a perpetual calendar, these wristwatches also feature mechanisms once considered unfeasible – be it a twin mainspring barrel for a power reserve of 31 days or a double rattrapante for measuring events with durations of up to 30 minutes. UNCHARTED HOROLOGICAL TERRITORY
In many of their projects, Lange’s engineers and prototype builders foray into uncharted horological territory for which there are no empirical precedents. It is because of their passion and skills that these timepieces run perfectly and reliably. To emphasise their singularity, they are also finished with extraordinary techniques.
The whole range of skills of Lange’s master watchmakers is reflected in the manufactory’s most complicated timepieces.
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Datograph Up/Down
I M M ACU L AT E F U NCT IONA LI T Y
With their cutting-edge technology – exemplified by column-wheel control, flyback mechanisms, and precisely jumping minute counters – combined with the prominent aesthetics of the dial and calibre design, the Datograph models epitomise the category of mechanical chronographs. The outsize date and the two subsidiary dials for the minute counter and the subsidiary seconds form an equilateral triangle, which not only harmoniously balances the proportions of the dial but also guarantees superb legibility. The Datograph Up/Down has slender baton hour markers in rhodiumed gold that underscore its sleek design. Available exclusively in platinum, this model has a power reserve of 60 hours, clearly legible with the Up/Down indicator at 6 o’clock.
H O R O L O G I C A L M A S T E R P I E C E W I T H 4 51 I N D I V I D UA L PA R T S
The distinctive arrangement of the displays calls for unusually long and delicate levers in the movement – plus the in-depth know-how and skills of the engineers. Thanks to their many years of experience and their ongoing quest for technical perfection, the 451 individual parts are transformed into a flawless masterpiece that functions with unprecedented precision. It owes its optimised rate accuracy to the proprietary oscillation system incorporating a balance wheel with eccentric poising weights and a freely oscillating balance spring. This horological masterpiece reveals its charm especially when the chronograph mechanism is activated, triggering the ingeniously orchestrated interaction of levers, rockers, and wheels.
The patented minute-counter lever allows the jump point of the minute-counter hand to be precisely adjusted even with the movement fully assembled.
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Calibre L951.6 Manually wound, 451 parts, 46 jewels (4 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, black/argentĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel
Reference 405.035
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Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Chronograph with flyback and precisely jumping minute counter. Patented outsize date. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 60 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 41.0 mm. Height 13.1 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hour and minute hands luminous. Hour markers at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock luminous. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-platinum buckle.
T H E F LY BAC K M EC H A N I SM
The flyback function allows an ongoing time measurement to be interrupted and a new one to be started instantaneously by merely pressing a button. It combines three steps – stop, reset to zero, and restart – into one. In chronographs without the flyback function, these three steps must be executed consecutively. A F U N C T I O N I N V E N T E D I N T H E E A R LY DAY S O F AV I A T I O N
The concept behind this complex function dates back to the era when flightdeck crews still navigated with maps and watches and often had to react very quickly to suddenly occurring events. With the triumph of electronic measuring instruments, this classic function, mainly used by pilots, sank into oblivion. In Lange chronographs, the flyback mechanism is experiencing a renaissance – with a newly developed design.
Functional drawing of the flyback mechanism.
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The 451 individual parts of the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN at a glance.
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Datograph Perpetual
T H E DATOGR A PH W I T H A PER PET UA L C A L EN DA R
In the Datograph Perpetual, Lange combines a chronograph with a perpetual calendar in a wristwatch for the first time. A perpetual calendar is a highly accurate mechanism that automatically takes all leap years into consideration. But because the Gregorian calendar omits a leap year every one hundred years, the Datograph Perpetual needs to be corrected – not until the year 2100, however. PRECISION IN THE LONG AND SHORT TERM
The moon-phase display fully lives up to this degree of precision. Its gear ratio is so accurately matched to the synodic orbit of the moon that it will deviate from a true lunation by only one day after more than 122 years if the watch is kept running continuously. This is equivalent to an accuracy of 99.998 per cent. The time stopped by the chronograph can be read with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second, corresponding to the frequency of the balance which performs
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The 48-step cam of the perpetual calendar is sampled by a lever mechanism. It is programmed for all durations of every month across periods of 4 consecutive years.
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Calibre L952.1 Manually wound, Lange balance spring, 556 parts, 45 jewels (4 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold and blued steel
Reference 410.032
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Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Chronograph with flyback and precisely jumping minute counter. Perpetual calendar with outsize date, day of week, month, and leap-year display. Moon-phase display. Day/night indication. 36 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 41.0 mm. Height 13.5 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hour and minute hands luminous. Hour markers luminous. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
T H IS IS HOW T H E PER PET UA L C A L EN DA R WOR KS
The core element of the calendar mechanism is the 48-step cam, which rotates only once every four years. It features recesses of various depths that are sampled by a finger. The deeper the recess, the sooner the mechanism switches to the first day of the next month. When the finger is not located in one of the recesses, but lies on the outermost circumference of the 48-step cam, the month advances after 31 days. The shallower recesses correspond to months with a duration of 30 days, and the deepest ones are reserved for the month of February when it has 28 days. CON V E N I E N T LY A DJ USTA BL E
Should the watch have not been worn for a longer period of time, the calendar displays will need to be readjusted. Three recessed push pieces make it possible to separately adjust the moon-phase display, the day of the week, and – jointly – the month and leap-year displays. If the watch only stood still for a few days, all displays can be simultaneously advanced with the main push piece at 10 o’clock. To prevent it from being inadvertently actuated, the main push piece can be operated only when the crown is pulled.
The complicated perpetual calendar mechanism is located beneath the dial.
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Double Split
T H E F I R S T D O U B L E R AT T R A PA N T E C H R O N O G R A P H
For the first time in the history of precision watchmaking, Lange’s master watchmakers created a flyback chronograph with a double rattrapante feature: the Double Split. In addition to the chronograph’s split-seconds hand and the minute counter, the watch has a second pair of hands that – during a time measurement – can be independently stopped any number of times while the chronograph hands continue to run. FOR AFICIONADOS OF MECHANICAL FINESSE
Previously, the typical rattrapante functions – such as comparative and intermediate time measurements – were limited to 60 seconds; with the addition of a second minute counter, measurements of events lasting as long as 30 minutes are now possible. Both the chrono and the rattrapante minute counters are designed as precisely jumping minute counters, enabling doubt-free readings of the number of elapsed minutes. The complexity of these mechanisms can be discerned with a glance through the sapphire-crystal caseback. It takes a little time to understand them in detail.
The disengagement segment is part of the patented disengagement mechanism. It uncouples the connection between the stopped rattrapante hands and the still running chronograph hands.
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Calibre L001.1 Manually wound, Lange balance spring, 465 parts, 40 jewels (4 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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DOUBLE SPLIT Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold and blued steel
Reference 404.032
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Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Flyback chronograph with double rattrapante and precisely jumping minute counters. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 38 hours power reserve. Case: Diameter 43.2 mm. Height 15.3 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hour and minute hands luminous. Hour markers at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 o’clock luminous. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold buckle.
T ypical U ses of the D ouble R attrapante F unction
Comparative Measurement Two runners start at the same time. The winner’s time is stopped with the rattrapante hands, the second time with the chronograph hands. Intermediate Time Measurement A long-distance runner starts in the stadium. His total running time is measured continuously with the chronograph hands. When the rattrapante push piece is actuated, the intermediate time after the first lap is displayed. When the push piece is actuated a second time, the rattrapante hands catch up with the chronograph hands and run synchronously with them. The following actuations of the push piece stop the intermediate time after two, three and more laps. Reference Time Measurement The athletes start in different races and the task is to compare their times with each other. The runner’s time in the first race is measured with the rattrapante hand pair. As long as these hands are not reset, they will continue to indicate the reference time. Comparison times are obtained by stopping, resetting to zero, and restarting the chronograph hands. Determining Maximum and Minimum Values The Double Split will also record the fastest or slowest of many laps. For this purpose, the fastest or slowest time is saved with the rattrapante hands in several consecutive measurements. If the stopped time in the subsequent measurement is faster or slower, the new maximum or minimum value is saved.
Deep insights into the double rattrapante mechanism: the axis of the two sweep-seconds hands lies beneath the screwed gold chaton in the middle, and beneath the one on the left lies the axis of the two minute counters.
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The Double Rattrapante Mechanism
Configuration of the Axes A rattrapante chronograph has two hands seated on arbors that rotate inside each other. The double rattrapante mechanism has two of these configurations for its two seconds hands and two minute-counter hands. The following description of the sweep-seconds axis applies analogously to the minute-counter axis.
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The hollow chrono centre arbor on the outside (1) carries the chrono sweep-seconds hand. It is driven by the movement via the chronograph centre wheel (2). It is rigidly connected to the zero-reset heart cam (3) of the chronograph centre wheel and the heart cam (4) of the rattrapante centre wheel. The heart cam makes it possible to reset a hand to zero by taking the shortest route possible – either clockwise or anti-clockwise – or, in the case of the rattrapante hand, to synchronise it with the chrono sweep-seconds hand. The rattrapante hand, which is superposed on the chrono sweep-seconds hand, is attached to the inner rattrapante centre arbor (5). This arbor holds the disengagement wheel (6) and the rattrapante centre wheel (7) to which the rattrapante heart lever (8) is attached.
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Starting and Stopping the Rattrapante Hands In the basic position, the rattrapante heart lever (8) is pressed against the flat side of the heart cam (4) of the rattrapante centre wheel by a spring (9). This connects the otherwise separately movable chrono centre arbor (1) and rattrapante centre arbor (5). So when the chronograph is started, the rattrapante hands are started as well. When the rattrapante push piece (10) is actuated, the column wheel (11) rotates slightly. Now, the rattrapante split-seconds clamp (12) closes and arrests the rattrapante centre wheel (7). An arresting spring (13) concurrently seizes and stops the rattrapante minute counter while the two chronograph hands continue to move. Function of the Disengagement Mechanism Normally, the rattrapante heart lever (8) would now rub against the heart cam (4) of the rattrapante centre wheel, which continues to rotate with the chrono centre arbor (1). To prevent this, the master watchmakers developed the patented disengagement mechanism. Actuating the rattrapante push piece (10) also pivots the disengagement segment (14) inward. This motion rotates the disengagement wheel (6) by about 20째 in the other direction. The bottom side of the wheel carries a pin (15) that when rotated in the opposite direction swings the rattrapante heart lever (8) out of the contact zone of the heart cam (4) of the rattrapante centre wheel.
Synchronisation of Rattrapante and Chronograph Hands When the rattrapante push piece (10) is actuated a second time, the rattrapante splitseconds clamp (12) opens and the arresting spring (13) is pushed aside. This causes the disengagement wheel (6) to turn in the opposite direction, so that the pin (15) releases the rattrapante heart lever (8). The lever then makes contact with the heart cam (4) of the rattrapante centre wheel and comes to rest against its flat side again: the rattrapante hand now instantly jumps to the position of the chronograph hand.
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Lange 31
31 DAYS OF POW ER
The Lange 31 is the world’s first mechanical wristwatch with a power reserve of 31 days and a patented constant-force escapement. To deliver a power reserve of this magnitude, the movement must be able to store a large amount of energy. This task is handled by two mainsprings that are both 1850 millimetres long – about ten times as long as in mechanical wristwatches with a conventional power reserve. M ASSI V E POW ER – A ND HOW TO H A RNESS IT
Mainsprings of this capacity and length imposed considerable challenges on the engineers. The first obstacle was to transmit their tremendous energy to the movement in a gentle and uniform manner. For this purpose, they developed a totally new, patented constant-force escapement. The second challenge presents itself when winding the watch with the crown, a very time-consuming and cumbersome task, given the length of the springs. For this reason, the Lange 31 comes with a key-operated winding works.
Energy for 31 days: the twin mainspring barrel accommodates two springs, each with a length of 1850 millimetres.
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Calibre L034.1 Key-operated winding works, twin mainspring barrel and constant-force escapement, 406 parts, 62 jewels (3 of which in screwed gold chatons)
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LANGE 31 Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold Reference 130.025
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Functions: Hours and minutes. Subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Patented outsize date. Power-reserve indicator, 31 days power reserve. Case: Diameter 45.9 mm. Height 15.9 mm. Features: Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback. Solid-gold appliques and crown. Hand-stitched crocodile strap. Solid-gold or solid-platinum buckle.
T H E C O N S TA N T- F ORC E E S C A PE M E N T O F T H E L A N G E 31
The longer a mainspring, the more perceptible the decline in the torque it delivers as its state of tension decreases. A timepiece that does not compensate this effect would run less accurately towards the end of the power-reserve period. The constant-force escapement was designed to prevent this. It is located between the twin mainspring barrel and the going train, where it assures that a nearly constant amount of energy is continuously forwarded to the going train. It features a remontoir spring manufactured in-house by Lange. UNIFORM ENERGY DELIVERY
The constant-force escapement makes sure that the twin mainspring barrel supplies a small amount of energy every ten seconds. This energy retensions the remontoir spring by an angle of 60 degrees. Thus tensioned, it absorbs the exact amount of energy that it will deliver to the going train during the next 10 seconds. Since the remontoir spring delivers exactly the same amount of energy in every cycle, the watch is powered with a constant force every day. This keeps it running very accurately – for an entire month.
The remontoir spring delivers a consistent amount of energy across the entire 31-day power-reserve period.
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The Key-Operated Winding Works of the Lange 31 CONVENIENT ENERGY INPUT
As was the case with some earlier pocket watches, the Lange 31 can be wound with a key. It generates much more leverage than a winding mechanism based on a crown. Hence, fewer revolutions are required. The square tip of the key is inserted into a square socket located in the caseback of the watch. THE MECHANICS INSIDE THE WINDING KEY
Despite its compact dimensions – 36.1 millimetres in length and 22.0 millimetres in diameter – the key itself is a little mechanical masterpiece. Thanks to the integrated backstop ratchet, winding is smooth and easy. A torque-limiting mechanism is integrated in the watch to prevent unintentional overtensioning of the springs.
Every LANGE 31 comes with a winding key. Inside, it conceals a little complication in its own right: a torque-limiting mechanism.
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LANGE 31 Case: Platinum Dial: Solid silver, rhodiĂŠ Hands: Rhodiumed gold
LANGE 31 Case: 18-carat pink gold Dial: Solid silver, argentĂŠ Hands: Pink gold
Reference 130.025
Reference 130.032
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Service at A. Lange & Sรถhne How to Preserve the Value of a Lange Watch
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Service at A. Lange & SĂśhne
H e r e , a L a n g e Wat c h i s i n t h e Be s t o f H a n d s
Lange watches are crafted not only for eternity, but for every single moment. The aesthetic appeal of a delicate Lange calibre and the flawless interaction of its numerous individual parts make it easy to forget how tirelessly it performs its work, day after day. In the movement of the Lange 1, for example, the balance executes 518,400 semi-oscillations per day. It is kept synchronised by a balance spring that is thinner than a human hair. A point on the balance wheel travels almost 20 kilometres a day, some 7,300 kilometres a year. The movement of a Lange watch performs this task almost friction-free: as many as eight different types of grease and oil minimise friction at more than 50 oil sinks and bearing points. Each of the lubricants used has very specific properties that also contribute to assuring the rate accuracy of the watch. If it is treated to a thorough overhaul every three to five years, the masterpiece will continue to delight its owner indefinitely by functioning as perfectly as it did on the very first day. When they receive the timepiece, Lange’s service watchmakers will completely disassemble it. Each component is then carefully cleaned. All the polishes and decorations are inspected under a magnifying glass and painstakingly restored to their original condition if even the slightest signs of wear are noticed. Lubricants are refreshed and seals replaced, and,
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if necessary, stressed parts like straps, crystals, and crowns are also exchanged. The case is restored to mint condition as well. Before a timepiece is released by Lange’s service staff, it spends an entire week on a watch winder to make sure it runs with the highest attainable rate accuracy again. After the run-in phase, the movement is rigorously adjusted. Only the detailed handwritten entries in “The History of Your Watch” booklet reveal that the instrument, now being returned to the customer, is not leaving the manufactory for the first time. A regularly serviced Lange watch will delight its owners across many generations.
“The History of Your Watch” is a booklet delivered with each Lange timepiece. It documents changes of ownership, dedications, and service interventions with handwritten entries. So even after decades, the history of the watch remains thoroughly chronicled.
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A Never-Ending Relationship
S e rv ic e f or H i s t or ic L a n g e Wat c h e s
The manufactory has established a separate atelier for reconditioning historic pocket watches. Here, tapping the expertise accrued by several generations, specialists service and, if necessary, completely restore Lange timepieces of the past. Every precious historic pocket watch is always a piece of cultural heritage as well. The atelier’s objective is to return it to its owner in visually and technically immaculate condition – as if it had been crafted only yesterday. One key issue is to preserve as much original substance as possible. But sometimes, it will be necessary to rebuild a wheel, a pinion, or a screw; only rarely are suitable spare parts or even original drawings available. And often, it turns out that certain components cannot be punched, milled, or wireeroded with today’s tools and machines. Lange’s master watchmakers pride themselves on their ability to demonstrate their expertise by developing and crafting the required tools. In many cases, however, this is not necessary: provided a Lange watch was safeguarded and handled with care, an overhaul will suffice to restore its functional integrity, even after many decades of service to its owner.
The master watchmakers in Lange’s atelier for historic pocket watches possess the know-how and the skills needed to repair timepieces for which neither blueprints nor spare parts exist.
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Your authorised dealer will be happy to safely and competently forward your watch to the manufactory. This is the best way to ensure that your masterpiece is entrusted to the right hands. For a list of authorised dealers, please visit www.alange-soehne.com/pos
Y o u r M a s t e r W a t c hm a k e r R e c o mm e n d s :
Please keep your watch in a place where it is not unduly exposed to temperature fluctuations or bright UV light. Keeping the rotor of an automatic watch in motion with a watch winder not only has a positive effect on the lubrication of its bearing, it also eliminates the need to adjust the calendar. To prevent malfunctions, we advise against adjusting the outsize date between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. During this time window, a number of elements of the date mechanism are coupled with the movement. Different times apply for some models with a calendar function. If you rotate the crown approximately one turn in the opposite direction after having fully wound your watch, you will relieve strain on the movement, and the stopwork can reliably engage. Your Lange watch is a filigreed marvel of technology and as such not indestructible. Please consider this fact when performing manual work or during sports activities. We recommend that you have your Lange watch overhauled every three to five years to preserve its beauty and its value. In the process, all lubricants are refreshed, all parts cleaned, and the movement precisely readjusted. Only after every overhaul by A. Lange & Sรถhne or by an authorised dealer, the official warranty of your Lange watch will be extended by another 2 years for the overhauled parts. If you register your Lange watch at www.alange-soehne.com/watch-registration,
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you will be among the first to receive news from the world of A. Lange & Sรถhne.
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Imprint
Art Credits The following artwork has been published courtesy of the respective owners: 1) Fig. page 8/9: “Frauenkirche und Kunstakademie am Morgen” (The Frauenkirche and the Academy of Arts in the Morning). Photo: Thomas Uhlig. 2) Fig. page 9: “Blick in den Ausstellungssaal im Obergeschoss des Mathematisch-Physikalischen Salons vor der Zerstörung 1945” (View of the Exhibition Hall on the Top Floor of the Mathematics and Physics Salon Before the Destruction in 1945). Source: The Dresden State Art Collections, Picture Library. 3) Fig. page 128/129: “Forschungsschiff Gauss im Packeis” (Research Vessel Gauss in Pack Ice). Source: Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography.
Fineness In the carat system, the quality – or fineness – of precious metals is expressed in carat (karat is the preferred spelling in the USA) or 1/24 part by weight. The European system, based on one thousand weight units, is also commonplace. The two systems correlate as follows: 18-carat gold is equivalent to 750/000 gold, 21-carat gold is equivalent to 875/000 gold, and platinum is 950/000 platinum. There is a simple technical reason for the absence of pure gold and pure platinum in horology: both metals are too “soft” for the production of watch and movement components. Gold and platinum are alloyed with other metals to significantly increase their hardness. The different hues of pink and white gold are also achieved by alloying. Bearing Jewels The reference to “Rubine” on the plates of Lange movements applies to friction-reducing, wear-resistant functional jewels consisting of synthetically produced ruby for bearings, switching and detent elements, and the escapement. Because of the greater homogeneity of the crystalline structure as opposed to natural ruby with otherwise virtually identical physical and chemical properties, the use of synthetic ruby is very commonplace in watchmaking today. The English equivalent of the German term “Rubine” is jewels. Diamonds At Lange, we have subjected all our purchases of diamonds to the System of Warranties since the scheme was introduced in January 2003. We request a Statement of Warranty to be formalised on every diamond-related invoice we receive. Lange engages in long-term relationships with suppliers who share our values.
© 2012 Lange Uhren GmbH Ferdinand-A.-Lange-Platz 1 D-01768 Glashütte www.alange-soehne.com Edition 2012 Technical data and availability of models subject to change.
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