At the start of the year A.Lange & Söhne announced that it will release a series of 10 limited edition watches to celebrate its 25th anniversary. So far we’ve seen the Lange 1 25th Anniversary, Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase 25th Anniversary and Little Lange 1 25th Anniversary which are truly exceptional to their own right. The fourth entrant which is also the most complicated model in the 25th Anniversary collection, is the new A.Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “25th Anniversary”; a 25-piece limited white-gold edition with blued-steel hands.
Impeccably designed and carefully crafted, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “25th Anniversary” takes you back in time with its classic design, unusual configuration and asymmetric arrangement of the displays in the compact space of the dial. The same arrangement was adopted for the LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR model that was first launched in 2012.
A rotating peripheral ring that indicates the month was devised to integrate all calendar indications in the dial architecture of the LANGE 1. A retrograde day-of-the-week display takes the place of a power-reserve indicator. A small aperture at 6 o’clock indicates the leap year, while a moon-phase display calculated to an accuracy of 122.6 years, includes a hand-engraved lunar disc in white gold that is visible through an aperture on the seconds subdial.
Just like the pink gold and platinum versions introduced in 2012, the case of this watch measures 41.9mm in diameter. The argenté-coloured dial of the “25th Anniversary” edition has discreetly nuanced shades of blue. The palette ranges from thermally blued-steel hands to all inscriptions, including the numerals of the outsize date and the alligator leather strap.
The underside of the construction features a circumferential contour with wave-shaped recesses. A spring-loaded sampler lever glides along this contour and is deflected by a magnitude that corresponds to the depth of the respective recess. The more it is deflected, the shorter the month. All displays switch instantaneously. Whatever the thought behind the inspiration might have been, this timepiece is pure Lange from all aspects.
The case back is nothing less than spectacular. Visible through the sapphire crystal is a self-winding movement Calibre L082.1, – and it’s the movement that makes the watch ‘literally’ unique (and for every other Lange timepiece out there). The high winding efficiency of the automatic calibre is attained with a heavy central rotor featuring an outer centrifugal mass in platinum; its middle segment with the embossed A. Lange & Söhne signature is made of 21-carat gold. The Lange-typical quality hallmarks of the 624-part movement include the black polish on the upper side of the tourbillon cage and a diamond endstone bearing that holds the tourbillon.
Another interesting element is the Tourbillon cock. It is graced with a blue engraving shaped like the Lange outsize date with the number 25. The 25 not only refers to the birthday but also to a special detail of the launch. It took place on 24 October 1994. On this day, the date displays of the debut watches were set to the 25th so they would be current when showcased in the following day’s newspapers.
If you ever wondered what very fine watchmaking feels like, well, THIS IS IT
LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR “25th Anniversary” Ref. 720.066
Movement Lange manufacture calibre L082.1; self-winding, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; central element of the unidirectional winding rotor in 21-carat gold, platinum centrifugal mass; intermediate-wheel and tourbillon cocks engraved by hand and filled with blue, engraving of the Lange outsize date on the tourbillon cock
Movement parts: 624
No. of jewels: 76, including one diamond endstone
Screwed gold chatons: 6
Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillation system: Shock-resistant cam-poised balance; balance spring manufactured in-house, frequency 21,600 semi oscillations per hour
Power reserve: 50 hours when fully wound
Functions: Time indicated in hours, minutes and seconds, tourbillon with patented stop seconds; perpetual calendar with outsize date, day of week, month, and leap year; day/night indicator; moon-phase display
Operating elements: Crown for winding the watch and setting the time; recessed push pieces for advancing all calendar displays or separately correcting the month, day of week, and moon phase
Case dimensions: Diameter: 41.9 millimetres; height: 12.2 millimetres
Movement dimensions: Diameter: 34.1 millimetres; height: 7.8 millimetres
Glass and caseback: Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Case: White gold
Dial: Solid silver, argenté, English inscriptions
Hands: Blued steel
Strap: Hand-stitched alligator leather, blue with grey contrast seam
Buckle: Deployant buckle in white gold
Limited edition 25 watches, engraved 01/25 … 25/25