‘Colossi’ revisited

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Des colosses revisités - A.Lange & Söhne
The two major new launches presented by A. Lange & Söhne at this year’s SIHH are the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon and the Grande Lange 1 Phases de Lune “Lumen”.

Visitors to the A. Lange & Söhne booth at the SIHH simply cannot miss it: like the Colossus of Rhodes, the huge watch appears to be standing guard over the hall and unequivocally reveals what the brand from Saxony regards as its ‘new model of the year’. Last year this spot was occupied by the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, and this year, this honour is attributed to the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon.

First introduced in 1999, the Datograph was interpreted in 2006 as the Datograph Perpetual Calendar in 2006, and six years later as the Datograph Up/Down, a model named after its power-reserve indicator. 2016 sees a complicated tourbillon model enriching the Datograph line.

This chronograph with perpetual calendar and tourbillon comes in a 41.5mm platinum case framing a black solid-silver dial. The name Datograph designates a column-wheel chronograph with a precisely jumping minute counter, equipped with a flyback function for consecutive short time measurements, and with the outsize date typical of A. Lange & Söhne.

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The perpetual calendar features jumping displays of the outsize date, day of the week, month and leap-year, enhanced by a moon phase appearing against a starry blue background adding a touch of colour to the black and white dial, while the 50-hour power-reserve display adds other bright red accent.
Turning over the timepiece reveals the third complication, the tourbillon, revealed through the sapphire crystal case-back and rotating once a minute about its axis. Equipped with an anti-shock balance wheel with eccentric poising weights and a balance-spring crafted in-house, it is also graced with hand engraving on the intermediate-wheel bridges and tourbillon. All these features are part of the 729-part Manufacture A. Lange & Söhne Calibre L952.2.

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An alligator leather strap secured by a platinum folding clasp sets the finishing touch to this timepiece. The 100 watches in this limited edition will carry a 295,000 euro price tag.
(watch the video "Anthony de Haas, director of product development, about the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon")

The second major model presented at the SIHH 2016 by A. Lange & Söhne is also a limited edition (of just 200) and represents a combination of elements from two pre-existing models: the Grande Lange 1 “Lumen” released in 2013, and the Grande Lange 1 Moonphase in 2014. The new Grande Lange Moonphase “Lumen” picks up the mysterious semi-transparent sapphire dial from the former of the two models; while it inherits the ultra-detailed display of the moon from the latter.

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The dial of the new model is made of blackened silver (for the main dial bearing the hours, minutes and small seconds) and of semi-transparent blackened sapphire crystal (for the outsize date, Roman numerals, hour- and power-reserve markers, and the moon phase). Thanks to a special coating that lets UV rays through, the outsize date is phosphorescent, while the tens disc appears beneath the date aperture.

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The 41mm platinum case, fitted with a sapphire crystal on both sides, houses the Manufacture A. Lange & Söhne hand-wound L095.4 calibre. This magnificently decorated and hand-assembled movement comprises 447 parts – including a classic balance wheel with screws teamed with a free-sprung in-house-made balance-spring – and its large barrels ensures a 72-hour power reserve.
This darkly transparent model is naturally teamed with a black alligator leather strap and its price is equally transparent: 69,000 euros.

Alongside these two horological ‘colossi’, A Lange &  Söhne also presents a Saxonia Moonphase – the first model in this range to feature this complication – enhanced by an outsize date, available in pink or white gold and also featuring an in-house balance-spring; as well as a two-hand Saxonia Thin model also available with a white or pink gold case measuring just 5.9mm thick.
The A. Lange & Söhne collection presented at the SIHH also includes the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in white gold and the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds in a 100-piece limited edition. We will be taking a closer look at these models in a few days’ time.

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