In a world where valuations of watches seem to increasingly trump their technical merits and aesthetics, and the heart of the creator and connoisseur alike is lost amongst the hype, there’s something always refreshing–even humbling–in reflecting upon the exceptional watches that continue to emerge from the workbenches of A. Lange & Sohne. Now, of course, these watches carry a price tag that is decidedly dear, but we understand why this is, when going back to the earliest origins of the brand after its post-reunification revival, and seeing the emergence pf horological wonders like the Lange 1, the Tourbillon “Pour le Merite” with an insanely intricate chain and fusee, and a few short years later, the Datograph, a chronograph said to have struck pangs of inferiority even into the heart of Patek Philippe. These watches are labors of love, and you can’t help but sense the immense love the Lange creators put into them, as the passionate echelon of collectors certainly do. One could spend somewhat more or (a lot) less money and get a lot more attention for what could be perceived as an expensive or “blingy” watch than almost anything in the Lange catalog…but that’s not why patrons of A. Lange & Sohne return to this great brand over and over again. When Mr. Philippe Dufour himself, often argued to be the world’s greatest living watchmaker can spend his own money on something not from his own hand, and it goes into a Lange 1815 Chronograph…well, the prosecution rests.
What can I say about the Lange 1 Perpetual, which debuted this year? Well, after over a year of global calamity on multiple levels, it is lovely to see mechanical beauty expressed and refreshed in perhaps the most signature of A. Lange & Sohne collection offerings. To take the famous Lange 1 with its offset time display and grande date, a watch that can scarcely be confused with anything else in high horology (certainly the German variety), and add in the classic complication of a perpetual calendar, we get something special and highly virtuosic, yet somehow serene. You may of course note that, in 2012, Lange gave us a tour-de-force perpetual calendar version of the Eine with a tourbillon regulator for those who wanted it all, and you’d be correct, but this time….we get solely a lovely and beautifully clean perpetual calendar, with moonphase indicator that also has an ingenious day/night indicator on top of it all. And just think of the money you’ll save compared to the tourbillon version! 😉
I think most can agree that even the most beautiful of perpetual calendars can become quite difficult to read, an understandable reality given the information they present. Despite that, the watchmakers and engineers at A. Lange & Sohne have approached these displays in a refreshingly clear fashion, and the result is a timepiece of tranquil beauty. One of the biggest reasons for this is the placement of the months on a peripheral disk which runs at the outer edge of the dial, creating clear real estate for the other displays. The same can be said of the leap year indication; rather than being shoehorned into a subsidiary dial with some other calendar display, a small window near the lower edge of the dial shows which of the four cycles of leap year is applicable. Days of the week, which are doubtless more immediately useful to most wearers than months of the year, are displayed in a retrograde indication which subtly reminds us of the classic power reserve indication that has been so much a part of the Lange 1 facade. As always the Lange outsize date takes proud prominence on the dial, in its quirky yet alluring way, the entire presentation keeping company with that oh-so-gorgeous moon phase disc replete with no less than 383 shimmering stars, and polished gold moon against a midnight background; what’s more, during the day hours, the “sky” of the moonphase is clear and blue, yet by night the stars appear, thanks to a celestial disc that rotates and indicates AM or PM setting times, respectively. While of small comfort to a typical human possessed of mortal limits, the horological muscle of this intricate moonphase complication is impressive indeed: 122.6 years will elapse before a single correction of the moonphase will be required, assuming the watch runs continually.
One sometimes sees enthusiast photos in which Lange watches are worn upside down; to anyone not in our esoteric hobby, this would certainly be laughable and possibly a sign that the wearer needs a well qualified shrink. Hell, it might even be a sign of insanity amongst the WIS contingency, if we were talking about anything but an A. Lange & Sohne timepiece! While the Lange chronographs such as the Dato and Double Split are certainly the best place for this kind of harmless madness, I wouldn’t really blame someone for doing it with this watch either. Even though an automatic winding caliber, the L021.3 is an absolute feast for the eyes, from the precious mass itself in gold and platinum, to the intricately separated bridges with buttery, polished chamfers on every edge, the usual assortment of fire blued screws, and of course, the individually engraved balance cock which assures that no two Langes..even one as resplendent as this–are exactly alike. Truly, a labor of love from the creator, for those who appreciate the labors. The only choice remains: rose gold with grey dial, or white gold with the salmon pink?
