Yesterday in Geneva (Mar 17, 2013) this beautiful and rare A. Lange Tourbillon ”Pour le Mérite” (Ref 701.001) circa 1996 with white-gold case and blue dial sold for 338,500 Swiss Francs including buyer’s premium at the Antiquorum “Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces” auction (that’s about $350k).  This is an amazing result for Lange & Sohne, particularly as this is the first example of a white gold “Pour le Mérite” tourbillon to appear at auction.  It was the highest selling piece in the 549-lot auction, and fetched well above pre-auction estimate and more than 4x original retail price.

The Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” was produced in limited editions of 150 pieces in 18K gold, 50 in platinum and 1 in stainless steel.  Of the 150 in 18K gold, just 15 were produced in white gold (15 were also made in pink gold).  There is no doubt that Pour le Merite is as good as it gets from Lange, and the pieces are a must have for any serious Lange collector.

Official lot notes on this superlative Lange Tourbillon Pour le Merite, here>>>

Full listing of 2013 A. Lange watches, led by the superlative GRAND COMPLICATION.

CLICK ANY WATCH FOR PERPETUELLE COMMENTARY, SPECS, AND HIGH-RES IMAGES!

SIHH 2013…

This piece joins the existing Grande Lange 1 Family as a line extension.  The case is 40.9mm x 8.8mm white gold with black solid silver dial.  It joins platinum, pink, and white gold case options.  Features off-centre main dial. Subsidiary seconds with stop seconds. Outsize date display. UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator, 72 hours power reserve via Lange Calibre L095.1.  The L095.1 was recently developed so that the dial layout of the LANGE 1 could be reproduced for the larger model.

SIHH 2013…

This fine and beautiful piece joins the existing Saxonia Annual Calendar family as a line extension.  The case is 38.5mm Platinum, joining white and pink gold options.  Features hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds, Lange’s patented ZERO-RESET handsetting mechanism. Annual calendar with outsize date, day of the week, and month. Moon-phase display. Lange Caliber L085.1 SAX-0-MAT, automatic.

SIHH 2013…

These pieces join the existing Saxonia Automatic family as line extensions.  New here is the addition of 76 brilliant-cut diamonds to the bezel, white or pink gold.

SIHH 2013…

A. Lange & Sohne debuts its new 1815 UP/DOWN in 2013.  Available in your choice of 39mm x 8.7mm pink/yellow/white gold case , this is a simple and elegant watch with power reserve indicator (“UP/DOWN” aka “AUF/AB”) situated lower left and small seconds subsidiary dial on the lower right.  Historically speaking, the brand’s iconic UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator was first used in historic pocket watches and marine chronometers dating back to a Lange patent granted in 1879.  More looks below.
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SIHH 2013…KING LANGE…FROM GERMANY WITH LOVE…Six (6) to be made…1.9 million EUR per…SOLD OUT…

THE watch for A. Lange & Söhne and easily if not the top watch of year 2013.  Heck, more likely that this watch take its place among Lange’s all time greats and sit proudly alongside other notable grand complications.  This Grand Complication marks the debut of a timepiece of stunning complexity and perfection — Lange was due, Lange needed, a piece such as this to its credit.  At SIHH in Geneva, the watch was on display — it’s “chime” has been heard — but no one was allowed to touch it, or photograph it.

With a grande sonnerie, a perpetual calendar, and a split-seconds chronograph with flying seconds, it features a density of complications that is uncommon even in the category of grand complications.  Only six of these will be produced, in 50mm pink gold cases.  And on top of this exclusivity, I believe this is the most complicated piece every produced by Lange. Production starts in 2014 — though the six pieces at 1.9 million euros per piece are already sold out.

The five-part enamel dial unites numerous indications in a balanced layout. Small gold hands are used for the calendar displays. The subsidiary dial on the right-hand side indicates the date, the one on the left the day of the week, and the upper one the month as well as the leap year. The red 4 marks the beginning of a leap year. The small blued hands and the slender centre-hand pair are assigned to the chronograph-rattrapante function. The minute scale in the upper subsidiary dial shows the stopped minutes, the blue centre hand the intermediate times in seconds, and the gold centre hand the final stopped time. The flying seconds in the lower subsidiary dial indicates fractional times to an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. The moon-phase display is located behind it.

SCHEMATIC VIDEO

GRAND SONNERIE

Lange:  “The grande sonnerie is especially daunting for the watchmaker. He is not only responsible for precisely adjusting the switching sequences of the individual parts but also for the richness of the sound. Tuning is performed exclusively by hand and “by ear”. The grand and small strikes automatically indicate the time in quarter-hour intervals.When the slide at 8 o’clock is actuated, the minute repeater will indicate the time to one-minute accuracy. The acoustic time is mechanically sampled from three so-called snails in the middle of the movement. The low-pitched tones indicate the hours, the high-pitched ones the minutes, and the double tones the quarter-hours. The striking mechanism has its own spring barrel, which delivers enough power for 24 hours.”

SPLIT SECONDS CHRONO WITH FLYING SECONDS

Lange:  “With its 248 parts, the split-seconds chronograph mechanism is the most complex ensemble of this watch. Operated by the two push pieces on the top left and right sides of the case flank, it can measure the duration of an event and any number of intermediate times. The chronograph and rattrapante functions are controlled by two separate column wheels.

A mechanical rarity, the flying seconds mechanism indicates fractions of a second in a subdial of its own. Its specially designed escapement assembly includes a wheel with 30 teeth and a 5-pointed star.  These elements allow the hand to perform its movements as fast as lightning and with the utmost precision. The energy needed for this rare additional chronograph function is so considerable that a third spring barrel is needed to deliver it.”

PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Lange:  “The perpetual calendar mechanism emulates the Gregorian calendar. Not only does it know how many days each month has in the course of a year, it is also aware of the fact that February has 29 days in leap years. It needs to be adjusted by one day – in 2100 for the first time – because the Gregorian calendar omits the 29th of February in centenary years that are not divisible by 400. The duration of each month is coded into a 48-segment wheel with recesses that are mechanically sampled by the date switching lever. The deeper the recess, the shorter the month.”

SIHH 2013..

German-watchmaker A. Lange & Sohne has a superb and sophisticated collection this year.  There are some line extensions, but also some incredible — and I mean incredible — high complications.  Believe it or not, the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is NOT the most complicated piece from Lange this year.  But it as good a place as any to start.  This piece which so elegantly unites two classic complications (split-seconds and perpetual calendar), is offered in both platinum case and pink gold case. The “1815″ is a reference to the birth year of Ferdinand A. Lange. I’ve got super high-res images and specs, on the jump — including a close look at the Lange Caliber L101.1
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SIHH 2013 preview…

Here’s a first look at the  A. Lange & Söhne Grand Lange 1 Lumen.  Channeling the popular Lange Zeitwek Lumnous of 2010, this watch has a semi-transparent smoked sapphire crystal dial.  Channeling the the Grand Lange 1 Luminous, this watch also has luminous hour markers and other elements.  Channeling the redesigned Grand Lange 1 of 2012, the watch has a non-overlapping dial-design (and also the same L095 caliber).  This is also the first luminescent outsize date display by A. Lange & Söhne.  More analysis and specifications, below! Back with more details and discussion this afternoon.
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41.9mm platinum case (12.6mm thick),  manual wind Lange L043.4 caliber (36 hrs power reserve, hand finished)

A new edition of A. Lange & Sohne’s highly acclaimed LANGE ZEITWERK is introduced — the ZEITWERK HANDWERKSKUNST (Ref. 140.08) featuring a hand engraved white gold dial with granular tremblage finishing.  As a 30-piece limited edition with the designation HANDWERKSKUNST (“craftsmanship”) , the ZEITWERK has risen to a new level:  exquisite case, dial, and movement decorations as well as a Glashütte lever escapement stand for the artisanal and horological proficiency of the Saxon manufactory.   A closer look at this superlative timepiece follows.
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