MAKE A DATE

a. lange & söhne didn’t just add a date display to the Zeitwerk, but also improved it in several other subtler ways

For A. Lange & Söhne, 2019 isn’t just the 25th anniversary of the Lange 1 – a milestone that the brand is celebrating with a series of commemorative timepieces – but also the 10th year of the Zeitwerk. This watch hasn’t received quite the fanfare that the Lange 1 has, but the collection has been extended with a new model, the Zeitwerk Date, that features a date display in the Zeitwerk for the first time.

The Zeitwerk’s calling card is its large digital time display, which A. Lange & Söhne realised using three separate discs. This format has remained unchanged since the first Zeitwerk was released. Backing this up is the one‑minute constant force device that releases a consistent amount of energy from the mainspring to the escapement once every minute, while providing the impulse needed to move the discs as a coordinated jumping display.

The basics have been well established, but adding a date display to the Zeitwerk proved to be a challenge for the brand. The collection’s unique time indication precludes the usage of typical date display formats with either hands or apertures, since either will detract from the dial’s layout. A. Lange & Söhne’s solution for the Zeitwerk Date was to use a glass ring that runs along the dial’s periphery. This ring is printed with the date and has a single red marker running underneath it to serve as a pointer. The iconic dial aesthetics of the Zeitwerk is thus preserved.

Two pushers at four and eight o’clock serve as correctors on the Zeitwerk Date. The one at eight o’clock advances the red marker, serving as a quick date corrector. The other helps to advance the hours quickly, for more convenient time setting, and is new to the Zeitwerk family. What’s also been improved is the power reserve – a fully wound Zeitwerk Date will run for 72 hours, which is twice that of the Zeitwerk.