A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD WATCH REVIEW
The A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD has just been released to coincide with a significant milestone in the luxury brand’s history. Drawing on its amassed know-how, the German marque has created a limited-edition watch blessed with a brilliant mind and a sun-kissed torso. In this article, Angus Davies discusses metallurgy, Saxony’s mining heritage and the history of Lange, before exploring the composition of this ‘delicious’ timepiece.
The allure of gold
I recall my time attending the local secondary school, sitting in ‘double chemistry’, performing experiments. These lessons usually consisted of heating substances using a Bunsen burner and noting observations in an exercise book. Numerous posters decorated the walls of the classroom, but one chart had pride of place – the periodic table.
All the essential elements necessary for life were presented in neat rows: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Sulphur (S). And yet, despite the importance of these elements, they seemed to be overlooked in favour of Au. These latter two letters, framed in a square box, were scarcely legible, having been eroded by inquisitive fingers. This early experience served to demonstrate that gold holds a fascination for the young, an allure that never diminishes with age.
Gold is dense, soft, bright yellow, lustrous and resistant to corrosion. Its rarity and cultural significance have bolstered its value. The noble metal is often used in a variety of industries, including aviation, dentistry and electronics. A ‘store of value’, it is a trusted means of payment and is often considered a ‘safe place for funds’ during periods of economic uncertainty.
Gold watches
Peruse the annals of Haute Horlogerie and you will discover images of exquisite pocket watches encased in gold. A symbol of wealth and a paragon of longevity, a gold timepiece is the ultimate aspiration for many watch obsessives.
The problem with gold is that it’s soft. In its purest form, 24-carat gold (99.99% fine gold), a menacing stare is all it would take to leave a mark. For this reason, gold is often alloyed with other elements to prevent it from suffering dents and scratches. Moreover, with the addition of certain elements, the aesthetic appearance of the metal can be modified. If we consider 18-carat 2N yellow gold (75% fine gold), it is alloyed with copper (9-10%) and silver (15-16%). In contrast, the composition of 18-carat red gold 5N (75% fine gold) includes copper (20-21%) and silver (4-5%). When it comes to 18-carat white gold, the composition is very different. Again, it comprises 75% fine gold, but it’s alloyed with other white metals such as palladium, nickel, silver or zinc (making up the remaining 25%).
Lange HONEYGOLD
In 2010, A. Lange & Söhne, the high-end German Manufacture, released three anniversary timepieces, each housed in a case made of HONEYGOLD. While HONEYGOLD is 18-carat gold (75% fine gold), the luxury marque has expended much time and effort revisiting the remaining 25%. Understandably, Lange remains tight-lipped about the precise composition of its HONEYGOLD®. However, the brand states the alloy is harder than regular forms of 18-carat gold, making it less susceptible to scratches. Furthermore, it describes the noble metal’s appearance as a ‘fascinating hue that lies between pink and white gold’, attributable to the copper and zinc constituents.
Ore and metallurgy – a regional speciality
Lange crafts its watches in Glashütte, a town nestling within the Ore Mountains, close to the Czech-German border, that was once synonymous with mining ore and precious metals. The region’s mining industry dates back 800 years, with Freiberg, just 39 kms from Glashütte, being the first mining town within the Ore Mountains. Freiberg was linked with silver mining and the region became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. The importance of mining led to the foundation of Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (TU Bergakademie Freiberg) being founded in 1765 and it remains a leading institution in the field of metallurgy.
Image – A. Lange & Söhne Manufactory
Stroll the streets of Glashütte and you may notice the town’s coat of arms (Wappen von Glashütte) which comprises hammers, a symbol of mining, and a clock in honour of the town’s watchmaking industry. Suddenly, Lange’s interest in metallurgy makes much sense.
Over the years, A. Lange & Söhne has produced small volumes of watches in HONEYGOLD®. Always limited in number, the proprietary material has been used in the making of some exquisite expressions of Haute Horlogerie, including the ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER HONEYGOLD (2023) and the ODYSSEUS HONEYGOLD (2025). Often the metal is employed to mark a milestone. Indeed, as most Lange devotees know, dates have much significance to the German marque.
Three important dates
7 December 1845
On 7 December 1845, Ferdinand A. Lange opened his first workshop in Glashütte. Ferdinand’s fledgling watchmaking business began with just 15 apprentices. Crafting timepieces of the highest order, the firm went on to enjoy incredible success. It made timepieces imbued with peerless craftsmanship and eventually produced pilots’ watches known for their robustness and precision. In 1948, shortly after WWII, the Lange family business was nationalised, absorbed within the DDR regime, and the story of the watchmaking dynasty seemingly came to an end.
Image – Ferdinand Adolph Lange (1815-1875)
7 December 1990
However, after the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the reunification of Germany the following year, Walter Lange rekindled the brand. On 7 December 1990, he re-registered the name A. Lange & Söhne, 145 years after his great grandfather established his eponymous business.
Image – Walter Lange (1924-2017)
24 October 1994
On 24 October 1994, Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein, a veteran of the watch industry, unveiled the brand’s inaugural collection. This consisted of the SAXONIA, the TOURBILLON ‘Pour le Mérite’, the ARKADE and the LANGE 1. Each watch was exquisitely made and proved eminently elegant; however, the LANGE 1 stood out for its eye-catching mien. It has since become an icon and in many respects it’s now the face of the brand.
Image – the brand’s inaugural collection (1994)
LANGE 1 – an icon
Housed in a round case, the LANGE 1 presents the hours and minutes off-centre. The model features a small seconds dial at 5 o’clock and a power-reserve indicator gracefully arcs between 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock. But the pièce de resistance is the outsize date, positioned at 1 o’clock. Inspired by the Five-Minute Clock in the Dresden Semper Opera, the complication employs two discs to indicate the date. One disc for units and the second disc for tens. Collectively they present the date in a highly legible format.
Image – A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 (1994)
The LANGE 1 has evolved over the years and new variants have been introduced, endowed with an array of complications; however, the brilliance of the original design means all modifications are small, sidestepping the indignity of obsolescence.
Image – A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 (1994)
7 December 2025
It’s now 35 years since Walter Lange re-registered the name A. Lange & Söhne. Today, the company is familiar to legions of watch aficionados, and the brand continues to flourish. Justly proud of its achievements, Lange has just unveiled a limited edition version of the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC, housed in a HONEYGOLD case. Without further ado, allow me to point out some of this model’s highlights.
A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD – dial
A cursory glance may lead some to wrongly mistake the A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD for the aforementioned LANGE 1. However, I urge you to look again. The off-centre hour and minute indication is biased to the right side of the dial, not the left. Likewise, the small seconds dial and outsize date have also swapped position. If you placed the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD in front of a mirror, it could easily pass for a LANGE 1.
But as many Lange disciples know, the devil is in the detail. The arcing scale, now hugging the left side of the case, doesn’t show the energy held within the barrel, but the day of the week. Its pure design makes it Intelligible and simple to read.
The dial is dressed in a bewitching shade of brown. It’s a deliciously rich hue that suggests a high cocoa content. Lange has chosen to execute both date discs in a matching shade of chocolate brown. It would have been cheaper to have repurposed discs from another LANGE 1 model, but the decision to match the discs with the dial proves delightful.
A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD – case
The German marque doesn’t subscribe to ‘bling’ or conspicuous consumption. Needless to say, the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD shuns bulk. Measuring just 39.5 mm in diameter, with a case thickness of 10 mm, these dimensions should make the watch suitable for most would-be wearers.
Beyond its lustrous HONEYGOLD case, the housing is suffused with numerous refinements. Rather than present all surfaces in highly polished form, Lange has chosen to juxtapose brushed and polished surfaces. The bezel and lugs are highly polished, whereas the case middle is brushed. But the case execution is more nuanced than that. The pusher at 10 o’clock, which advances the date, is brushed on its vertical plane, yet features gleaming bevelled edges. To the rear of the watch, the gold encircling the sapphire crystal (exhibition caseback) is brushed, but where it meets the case middle there is a fine circlet of polished gold. Even the lugs are intricately formed, stepping outwards from the case, inevitably heightening manufacturing costs but contributing to the overall sense of sumptuousness and no-compromise luxury.
A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD – L021.1 movement
The in-house Manufacture L021.1 movement sits at the heart of the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD®. Upholding Lange tradition, the mainplate, bridges and balance cock are formed of untreated German silver, a hard material that’s more resistant to tarnishing and corrosion.
An openworked oscillating weight harvests energy from the natural motion of the wearer’s wrist to energise the mainspring. Interestingly, the weight is 21-carat gold with an additional mass formed of 950 platinum attached to its exterior. This latter metal is particularly dense, a characteristic that will help enhance inertia.
Lange has equipped the movement with a variable-inertia balance which means that unlike an index-regulated balance, the effective length of the balance spring is fixed. The watchmaker alters the rate by adjusting inertia weights affixed to the balance wheel, making the watch run faster/slower. This approach confers superior precision and the rate will be less susceptible to the influence of shocks. A further enhancement worthy of note is that the inertia weights are set in-board, mitigating air turbulence, again aiding precision. Furthermore, Lange has equipped the movement with a swan-neck; however, rather than being used to adjust the rate its function is to alter the anchor symmetry (beat error).
The brand from Saxony is known for its sublime finishing and just a quick glance at the L021.1 movement shows this reputation is duly deserved. The bridges are embellished with Glashütte ribbing and are chamfered, while perlage adorns the mainplate. Thermally blued screws abound and seven jewels reside in screwed gold chatons. Throughout, Lange repeatedly combines watchmaking expertise with artisanal know-how. For example, the balance cock is elaborately engraved with a beautiful floral motif.
Closing remarks
Today, there are several watch companies based in Glashütte; however, the story began when Ferdinand Adolph Lange established his Manufactory in the town on 7 December 1845. The company has witnessed much change over the years, both economic and political. There was an imposed hiatus between 1948–1990, but thanks to Walter Lange, Günter Blümlein and subsequent generations, the company of today is alive and well. It crafts über-refined timepieces under the watchful gaze of the Ore Mountains for the delectation of discerning individuals. Furthermore, it perpetuates its amassed know-how for the benefit of future generations of watchmakers, artisans and collectors. This is a story that should be celebrated, something the A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD does remarkably well.
Further reading
https://www.alange-soehne.com/
Technical specification
- Model: A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 DAYMATIC HONEYGOLD
- Reference: 320.050
- Case: 750 HONEYGOLD, diameter 39.5 mm, height 10 mm, sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition caseback.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds with stop seconds function, Lange outsize date, retrograde day-of-week display
- Movement: Lange manufacture calibre L021.1, self-winding movement, frequency 21,600 vph (3 Hz), contains 67 jewels, power reserve 50 hours when fully wound, 426 components
- Strap: taupe, hand-stitched alligator strap paired with a prong buckle in 750 HONEYGOLD®
- Price upon request
- Limited Edition: 250 pieces, ‘edition number engraved’