A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar
The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar is a new addition to the Lange 1 family. On seeing this latest model for the first time, there is an overriding sense of déjà vu. However, despite this watch looking like the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, this latest creation is totally new. Indeed, it features a new movement, the self-winding calibre L021.3, lacks the tourbillon escapement found on its old sibling and, by default, delivers a notable cost saving. Nevertheless, despite being comparatively simpler, be under no misapprehension, this watch is a horological tour de force, dwelling in the upper echelons of fine watchmaking.
In 1990, Walter Lange realised his dream of reviving the family business, founded by his great-grandfather Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Initially, the reborn company released four models, the Saxonia, Tourbillon ‘Pour le Mérite’, the Arkade and the Lange 1. This latter watch, with its large date, off-centre hour and minutes display, small seconds and power-reserve, is now familiar to legions of watch aficionados around the world.
The outsize date employs two discs, one for tens and a second for units, delivering a highly legible and intelligible indication. It was inspired by Gutkaes’s Five-Minute Clock within the Semperoper, the opera house located in Dresden, 30 km from Lange’s Manufactory in Glashütte. Over the years, A. Lange & Söhne has been prolific, releasing numerous versions of Lange 1. The initial models were manual, but the Lange 1 Daymatic broke the mould with its self-winding movement. Different complications have also been added, including moon phase models, the Lange 1 Time Zone, Lange 1 Tourbillon and, the pinnacle of Lange 1 ownership, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.
Image – Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar
Recently, the German brand unveiled the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar at Watches and Wonders 2021. At first glance, I wrongly assumed the watch was a mere animation of an existing model. To be honest, at first glance, it looks identical to the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar I mentioned earlier. However, this is a wholly new model that eschews the tourbillon escapement, a detail that delivers substantial cost savings. Prices for the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar start at €319,100 (RRP in Germany as of 8.5.2021).
Image – Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar
With the new Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar, the dial layout appears the same, but is actually different, albeit in a very subtle way. The day/night indicator found on the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar has moved from the off-centre hour and minute display and is now incorporated within the moon phase display. Two different shades of blue, along with a sprinkling of stars atop the night sky, say everything with lucid efficiency. The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar is offered in two variants, an 18-carat pink gold case paired with a grey-silver dial and, a limited-edition variant, combining an 18-carat white gold case with a solid pink-gold dial. This latter option is a real head-turner and begs the question as to why the German brand has chosen to only make 150 pieces. Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if demand quickly outstrips supply.
The new self-winding calibre L021.3 sits at the heart of the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar. It is the brand’s 67th Manufacture calibre and is based on the calibre L021.1 found within the Lange 1 Daymatic, but with the addition of nearly 200 extra components (612 parts v 426 parts). This additional number of parts can be attributed to the inclusion of a perpetual calendar. The perpetual calendar is the ultimate calendar complication. It can recognise the length of every month irrespective of whether it contains 28, 29, 30 or 31 days. This complication even makes an allowance for the additional day found in leap years. Assuming the watch remains wound, it will not require manual correction until 2100.
Other refinements found with this movement include a free-sprung balance, Glashütte ribbing, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver, a hand-engraved balance cock, screwed gold chatons and impeccable hand finishing. The 21-carat gold rotor is unidirectional, rotating with notable alacrity, and features an additional platinum mass affixed to its rim. The Swan-neck spring atop the balance cock is not used to regulate the balance, but rather provides a means of adjusting the anchor symmetry, allowing a trained watchmaker to easily correct any beat error picked up on the obligatory Witschi Chronoscope.
Wherever you choose to look, this watch exudes refinement, craftsmanship and mechanical excellence. Moreover, the dial displays much information yet remains uncluttered and simple to read. Once again, the luxury marque from Saxony has produced an exquisite watch that doesn’t crave attention with unnecessary flamboyance but performs perfectly in a seemly and becoming manner.
- A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar – Ref. 345.033 – pink gold case with grey dial – €98,000 ((RRP in Germany as of 8.5.2021).
- A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar – Ref. 345.056 – white gold case with pink-gold dial – €109,000 ((RRP in Germany as of 8.5.2021). Limited to 150 pieces.
A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar – the brand’s press release
Exactly 20 years ago, A. Lange & Söhne presented the LANGEMATIK PERPETUAL, its first wristwatch with a perpetual calendar. It was followed by seven further models, mostly in combination with other complications such as a chronograph, a tourbillon or both.
The perpetual calendar reconceived
Apart from the classic principle with calendar displays controlled by a 48-step cam, the LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR introduced in 2012 already took a different approach that has now been adopted by the new model. To integrate the calendar ensemble into the exceptional off-centre dial architecture of the LANGE 1 without compromising the harmonious balance of the displays, the month indication was implemented with a ring at the periphery of the dial that advances once a month. This design replaces the classic control principle with a 48-step cam. The innovation challenged the ingenuity of Lange’s engineers because advancing the ring at the end of the month requires considerably more power than traditional solutions.
The ring-shaped month display is complemented with the Lange outsize date, a retrograde day-of-week display, and a leap-year indication. The instantaneously advancing calendar displays are always crisply legible. They can be advanced collectively or individually with correctors. Once properly set, the mechanism is programmed to reliably indicate each month change until the year 2100.
Moon phase with day/night indicator
The perpetual calendar is the central complication of the LANGE 1 PERPETUAL CALENDAR, but not the only one. The watch additionally features a moon-phase display with an integrated day/night indicator.
The combination of the moon-phase display with a day/night indicator has two layers. It consists of a solid-gold celestial disc with a blue gradation. It completes one full revolution about its own axis every 24 hours. Against this background, the moon – either in white or pink gold – performs its synodic orbit in 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and three seconds with such precision that it takes 122.6 years before a correction by one day is needed. With the 2016 debut of the combined display in the LANGE 1 MOON PHASE, the moon appears on a monochrome light blue canopy during the day and on a dark blue starry sky at night.
Two exquisite colour variations
The LANGE 1 PERPETUAL CALENDAR has a diameter or 41.9 millimetres and a height of 12.1 millimetres. It is available in two versions. It comes in pink gold with a grey solid-silver dial and – in a 150-watch limited edition – in white gold with a solid pink-gold dial. The latter material combination has been presented by A. Lange & Söhne initially in 2019, in the DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON, also a limited-edition model. Colour-coordinated hands and appliques in pink gold or rhodiumed gold – luminous in the pink-gold version – round off the harmonious design. The white-gold version has a dark-brown leather strap, the pink-gold model comes with a red-brown leather strap.
A new manufacture calibre
The self-winding movement L021.3 is A. Lange & Söhne’s 67th manufacture calibre. It is based on the calibre L021.1 of the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC and has been endowed with a newly developed winding mechanism. Its technical features include a unidirectional winding rotor in 21-carat gold with an additional centrifugal mass in platinum, a power reserve of 50 hours, and a cam-poised balance that runs with a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour.
Many of Lange’s quality hallmarks can be admired through the sapphire-crystal caseback: the plates and bridges made of untreated German silver and decorated with Glashütte ribbing, five gold chatons secured with thermally blued steel screws, and the hand-engraved balance cock with the superposed whiplash spring used for beat adjustments. As always, the parts of the movement, which is assembled twice, are manually finished to the strictest Lange standards. The materials, the architecture, and the artisanal finissage confirm that in terms of unique design and mechanical perfection, this watch is perpetual in every respect.
