CHARMING CHIMER

A. LANGE & SÖHNE TECHNICAL PROWESS LEAVES NOTHING TO BE DESIRED; THE GERMAN MANUFACTURE HAS LONG IMPRESSED WITH ITS APPROACH TO THE MOST CLASSICAL COMPLICATIONS, NEVER SHYING FROM THE MOST DAUNTING OF CHALLENGES, AND ITS ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS ARGUABLY SECOND TO NONE. BUT THERE WAS A PARTICULAR COMPLICATION THAT WAS MISSING FROM ITS IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION: THE MINUTE REPEATER. THE BRAND’S WATCHMAKERS TESTED THE WATERS OF CHIMING WATCHES IN RECENT YEARS, INITIALLY WITH THE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME, THEN WITH THE SPECTACULAR GRANDE COMPLICATION, BUT THE MINUTE REPEATER IN ITSELF WAS BEING KEPT UNDER WRAPS, UNTIL NOW. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER, A. LANGE & SÖHNE ONCE AGAIN SHOWS ITS INIMITABLE MASTERY OF THE FINE ART OF WATCHMAKING. THE PIECE CONTAINS THE SAME JUMPING DIGITAL TIME DISPLAY AND THE CONSTANTFORCE ESCAPEMENT THAT HAVE EQUIPPED THE ZEITWERK SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION. BUT AS BEFITTING THE LANGE TRADITION, THE MINUTE REPEATER HAS SEVERAL ADDITIONAL LEVELS OF COMPLEXITY, INCLUDING A DECIMAL REPEATER, WHICH MEANS IT SOUNDS OUT PRECISELY THE NUMERALS INDICATED ON ITS DIGITAL DISPLAY INSTEAD OF THE ONE, TWO OR THREE DOUBLE STRIKES THAT USUALLY SOUND OUT THE QUARTERS. A TREMENDOUS ACHIEVEMENT FROM THE LANGE WATCHMAKERS, BUT WE EXPECTED NO LESS.