- Joined
- Jul 17, 2014
- Messages
- 64,953
With the special “Homage to F. A. Lange” anniversary edition, A. Lange & Söhne celebrates the establishment of the first watchmaking company in Glashütte by Ferdinand Adolph Lange 175 years ago. The three limited-edition timepieces with exclusive honey-gold cases, lavish movement decorations and exceptional dials are dedicated to this precision watchmaking pioneer.
Table of contents
- Tradition and innovation
- A homage to F. A. Lange
- Never stand still
- 1815 THIN HONEYGOLD „Homage to F. A. Lange“
- 1815 RATTRAPANTE HONEYGOLD “Homage to F. A. Lange”
- TOURBOGRAPH PERPETUAL HONEYGOLD “Homage to F. A. Lange”
Tradition and innovation
When he opened his pocket watch atelier on 7 December 1845, Ferdinand Adolph Lange laid the cornerstone for precision watchmaking in Saxony. He combined scientific insights and craftsmanship with new production methods, always in pursuit of the ambition to “craft the world’s finest watches”. From modest beginnings with 15 apprentices, the business evolved to become a watch manufactory that was successful far beyond the borders of Germany. With pioneering designs and manufacturing methods, he steadily developed the German watchmaking industry. A. Lange & Söhne is celebrating the 175th anniversary with the special “Homage to F. A. Lange” edition. It consists of three limited-edition models: the 1815 THIN HONEYGOLD, the 1815 RATTRAPANTE HONEYGOLD and the TOURBOGRAPH PERPETUAL HONEYGOLD.Never stand still
Inspired by tradition, A. Lange & Söhne’s watchmakers today continue to evolve precision horology with innovative ideas and excellence in craftsmanship. Their determination to never stand still is exemplified by the new anniversary edition. The common denominator of the three timepieces is honey gold, the innovative case material. It symbolises the scientific pursuits of the manufactory and represents the objective of harnessing metallurgical insights for watchmaking. All three models are graced with special movement decorations. They include German-silver plates and black-rhodiumed engravings on bridges, cocks and plates.1815 THIN HONEYGOLD “Homage to F. A. Lange”
The two-hand watch in a limited edition of 175 pieces features a honey-gold case with a height of merely 6.3 millimetres. The brilliant-white two-part enamel dial stands out prominently in this exclusive setting. The dark-grey-printed Arabic numerals and the classic railway track minute scale contrast crisply against the bright background.In all of its artisanal facets, the manually assembled 167-part manufacture movement L093.1 pays tribute to the style introduced by Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Contrary to the Glashütte ribbing commonly used in other Lange models, the German-silver three-quarter plate has a granular surface texture often found in historic Lange pocket watches. Gold chatons secured by three thermally blued screws trace the path of the power transmitted from the mainspring barrel to the escapement. The invisible quality hallmarks include the two-fold assembly of the movement, which guarantees technical and visual perfection.
1815 RATTRAPANTE HONEYGOLD “Homage to F. A. Lange”
The newly developed 1815 RATTRAPANTE HONEYGOLD “Homage to F. A. Lange” comes in a 100-watch limited edition and is available exclusively in A. Lange & Söhne boutiques. It is the sixth rattrapante chronograph of our manufactory and puts the focus on the eponymous complication that allows lap-time measurements.Its case has a diameter of 41.2 millimetres and is made of honey gold. The rare case material developed especially for A. Lange & Söhne is characterised by remarkable hardness paired with a warm sheen. For the first time, it has now been combined with a black dial in solid silver that highlights its modern, captivating look.
The complex chronograph/rattrapante mechanism is located on the movement side of the new L101.2 manually wound calibre. Time measurements and lap-time measurements are handled precisely in the classic manner with two column wheels. They are visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback, and the switching processes can be observed in detail.
TOURBOGRAPH PERPETUAL HONEYGOLD “Homage to F. A. Lange”
The TOURBOGRAPH PERPETUAL HONEYGOLD “Homage to F. A. Lange” is arguably the best proof of our determination to constantly evolve precision watchmaking. The most complicated timepiece of the new anniversary edition is limited to 50 watches.Two of its five complications – the tourbillon and the fusée-and-chain transmission – have one sole purpose: to enhance rate accuracy. The orchestration of its additional complications – chronograph, rattrapante and perpetual calendar – is a formidable horological challenge. Their perfect interaction can be observed with a glance through the sapphire-crystal caseback of the L133.1 manufacture calibre.
As regards the design of the dial, A. Lange & Söhne pursued a totally new approach: it consists of black-rhodiumed honey gold with raised numerals and scales that stand out from the dark background in relief. The dial is crafted in the Lange manufactory’s ateliers.
The art of expressing taste | |
| |
The elegant SAXONIA THIN in white gold with a diameter of 40 millimetres is an impressive timepiece made in a limited edition of only 50 watches. Its subtly shimmering dial coated with black gold flux is as artistic as its manually wound calibre L093.1 movement. With a height of merely 2.9 millimetres, it is the thinnest A. Lange & Söhne movement so far. Despite its compact design, it provides a power reserve of 72 hours. | |
LEARN MORE |
Product Specs
FamilySAXONIATimepieceSAXONIA OUTSIZE DATE
Reference381.026
CalibreL086.8
Casewhite gold
Dialsolid silver, argenté
Handswhite gold
Case MeasurementsDiameter: 38.5 mm; height: 9.6 mm
After F. A. Lange had established his manufactory on 7 December 1845, he embarked on a systematic quest to improve the design of calibres. One technical aspect of his era’s pocket watch movements bothered him most: Usually, all of their bearings and wheels were configured beneath separate bridges and cocks. During the assembly process, the watchmaker had to painstakingly jockey them and their respective wheels into the right positions relative to one another. It was a tiresome endeavour based on the principle of trial and error. This is because as soon as the alignment of a single cock was changed, all the others had to be checked and possibly reoriented as well. Additionally, cocks were known to migrate slightly in the course of time so that watches frequently had to be readjusted.
For F. A. Lange, this was not an acceptable solution. His goal was reliably manufacturable timepieces of long-lasting quality. For this reason, he developed an upper plate that accommodated all the pivots of the most important wheels. The positions of the individual bearings were now fixed. His new approach significantly accelerated the assembly process, although particular skill was needed to simultaneously “steer” all arbors into their bores on the underside of the plate. During a period of nearly 20 years, Lange kept refining the design of this plate. It grew in several consecutive steps until, in 1864, it covered three quarters of the movement. Only the balance cock with the oscillation system remained exposed. Then, its definitive shape was finally defined: The three-quarter plate was born.
With indefatigable energy, F. A. Lange devoted himself to devising numerous improvements, in particular the development of the hallmark three-quarter plate. Being larger in size, the three-quarter plate can accommodate all of the arbors of the wheel train, thus keeping all of the gears in stable contact. It is still one of the most important traditional elements at A. Lange & Söhne.
The three-quarter plate today
After 1990, the three-quarter plate was reintroduced as a typical hallmark of A. Lange & Söhne timepieces. With advanced milling and wire-EDM machines, it can be manufactured with supreme accuracy and tolerances expressed in thousandths of a millimetre. It is made of untreated German silver, an alloy containing copper, nickel and zinc, traditionally used by Lange for all frame parts. The material is characterised by high stability and resistance to corrosion. In the course of time, it takes on a protective, gold-yellow patina and does not require any electrolytic anti-corrosive coating.
Decorated with Glashütte ribbing, it sets a perfect stage for the thermally blued screws that secure the gold chatons in which the ruby-red bearing jewels are embedded. Thus, each three-quarter plate pays tribute to the founder of the Saxon precision watchmaking industry..
https://www.alange-soehne.com/en/stories/finish-engraving#data-fancybox