The World’s First and Only Triple Split Chronograph now comes in Pink Gold with a Blue Dial.
The rattrapante chronograph is one of the most challenging complications to produce. “If I ask most of our watchmakers today: ‘Do you want to work on a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon, or a triple split?’, they will always say the first two as the triple split is a monster to work on”, shares A. Lange & Söhne’s CEO Wilhelm Schmid. “It is a very delicate movement, as you can see if you look at the caseback. And once a watchmaker is trained on that movement, we just need to give them work.”
How Does it Work?
A traditional rattrapante chronograph, also known as a split-seconds chronograph, has two superimposed central chronograph rattrapante hands. When you start the chronograph, the two hands move around the dial together as one. So, if you want to time a race, for example, it can easily be done by starting the chronograph at the beginning of the race and stopping it at the end. But say you are following a particular driver in a Formula 1 race and you want to measure his lap times, this is where the rattrapante chronograph comes into its own.
Both hands set off at the same time, one hidden underneath the other. As soon as the car completes the first lap, you press the split button and one of the hands stops, recording the lap time, while the other hand continues on its merry way. When you push the split button again, the stopped hand jumps to catch up with the running hand – wherever it may be on the dial – so that it is ready and in position to record the next lap.
The A. Lange & Söhne Double Split
In 2004, A. Lange & Söhne created something truly incredible – the Double Split. This timepiece not only allowed you to split the seconds, but the minutes too. Extremely complicated to make, the Double Split was highly appreciated by the world’s watch lovers. But not content to stop there, A. Lange & Söhne continued its research and development for a further 14 years to take the idea one step further to include split hours too. The movement powering this ground-breaking Triple Split complication is the manually-wound Lange Manufacture Caliber L132.1. The construction is made up of 567 parts assembled on several layers that creates a three-dimensional sculpture that will have you gazing dreamily through the caseback. This unique Manufacture movement is not only complex in its workings, it is a work of art in terms of its finishing, with each component crafted to the highest Lange quality standards. It is both decorated and assembled twice by hand, precision-adjusted in five positions, and features plates and bridges made of untreated German silver and a hand-engraved balance-cock.
The First Version
The very first Triple Split was presented in 2018 in a limited edition of 100 in white gold with a gray dial, so what a joy to now discover a new 100-piece version in pink gold with a blue dial. “The first triple split has completely sold out so now we are coming with a new iteration that is totally different”, continues Schmid. “This is also a color combination that we have never used before. If you put the two watches next to each other, they are quite different. So, it is great for people who didn’t like the gray, or weren’t quick enough to order the watch, which also happens!” He says with a smile.
Looking at the dial with its 10 hands, it is surprising to see such a wealth of information in such an aesthetically pleasing design. If ever there was dedication to the art of watchmaking, this is it! And while most of us will rarely have need for such a complication, the Triple Split is a testament to A. Lange & Söhne’s love for pushing the limits of what is horologically possible.
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