The fascinating interplay of reflections on the blue copper-glittered face of A. Lange & Söhne’s Saxonia Thin evokes images of a star-studded nocturnal sky. The solid-silver dial of the slender two-hand watch is coated with a thin layer of blue gold flux. Thousands of copper oxide crystals embedded in the material animate the deep blue hue with copper-coloured speckles that reflect incident light. They cause the surface to sparkle like a starry sky that will send the viewer into a reverie.
The elaborate artisanal process of producing gold flux has its roots in 17th-century Venice. Molten glass is infused with copper particles that form microscopically small crystals when heated over a waning flame. To use this material for crafting a dial, it has to be applied to the solid-silver dial with extreme care.
The elegant design of the Saxonia Thin follows the principle of “less is more”. Its 6.2- millimetre-high case in 18-carat pink gold has a diameter of 40 millimetres. Thanks to the characteristic camber of the strap lugs, the elegant watch ensures a perfectly snug fit on the wrist. The slender hour and minute hands as well as the applied hour markers are in pink gold to match the case material. The narrow bezel of the case puts the focus on the dial. The optical effect of the gold flux can be displayed to full advantage on its perfectly flat surface, similar to the view through a telescope. A shiny, dark-blue leather strap with a solid-pink-gold prong buckle rounds out the elegant appearance of the watch.
Inside, the Saxonia Thin stands out with the manually wound calibre L093.1, a movement developed and crafted in-house. With a height of merely 2.9 millimetres, it is the manufactory’s thinnest calibre but nonetheless provides a power reserve of 72 hours. Its twofold assembly and the artisanal finissage of the parts reflect the high standards upheld by A. Lange & Söhne.
Brand-typical quality hallmarks include the three-quarter plate with Glashütte ribbing as well as polished chamfers and bevels. A noteworthy detail: the elaborately flat-polished end piece in which the escape wheel is secured. It is visibly integrated into the three-quarter plate as has often been the case in historic pocket watches. Here, aesthetic perfection is taken to extremes: the chamfer of this flat steel part is matched to the chamfer of the three-quarter plate after it has been fitted by hand. As in pocket watches, the ratchet and crown wheels are decorated with solarisation and visibly integrated into the plate. The freely oscillating screw balance beats at a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations an hour. It is located beneath the hand-engraved balance cock. Three screwed, manually polished gold chatons hold the going train, reflecting the brand’s tradition in craftsmanship.
