TEUTONIC FORCE

A. LANGE & SÖHNE:

The brand that put German watchmaking on the map demonstrates once again that it is worthy of being called “the pearl in Richemont’s crown”. At A. Lange & Söhne, it’s not simply a novelty for the sake of bulking up the brand’s portfolio, as each new release reveals something better, improved and updated. This dedication to perfection was evident in the launches this year, as existing timepieces underwent an intelligent facelift while new releases served to ameliorate the overall user experience.

First up, we have the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon. It combines Lange’s celebrated chronograph movement with a perpetual calendar module and a stop-second tourbillon. Anthony de Haas, director of product development for the brand, tells us it was not simply a matter of taking the 2006 Datograph Perpetual and adding a tourbillon to the mix: the watch was four years in the making, and features an entirely new movement.

The perpetual calendar indications of day, date and month can all be adjusted by the crown, instead of individual corectors. Simply push the crown, and all three indications will jump forward simultaneously. Lange has also engineered a security system that needs to be activated before you adjust the calendar, should the crown be pushed by mistake.

You might now be wondering, as you look at the image of the watch, where is the tourbillon? It can only be seen from the case back—a beautiful performance reserved at the owner’s discretion. The decision was purely aesthetic: Lange designers did not want to compromise on legibility by adding yet another visual to the dial. That said, the face for the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is well-balanced and symmetrical. The watch is limited to 100 pieces in platinum with a black dial.

We also promised intelligent updates on existing timepieces: we have the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase “Lumen”. First launched in 2013, it has been injected with an air of mystery, as a semi- transparent sapphire glass is used as the dial, allowing the user a glimpse into the inner workings of the mechanism. Fun fact: did you know that this is only the third openworked watch in the 21-year history of the brand? Nonetheless, this was as much an aesthetic as a functional decision. The luminous moon, sitting amidst a background of starry skies, adds mystical allure to the dark background, while the crystal glass allows UV light to penetrate through and charge the luminous compound for utmost brightness.