A. Lange & Söhne launched this summer a new platinum piece in the person of Lange 1 Time Zone. This masterpiece completes a mini-series containing the complications combination in pink and white gold. The watch is one of the ten current Lange 1 models and features the traditional formula of a balanced look following the golden ratio progression and the large outsize date.
For those not so familiar with the Lange 1, the collection will soon get its 29th anniversary on 24 October. In 1994, the Lange 1 came with an atypical design that would coin a signature desirable and recognisable look. The Lange 1 is a collection that allowed A. Lange & Söhne to express numerous complications (with an impressive series of patents and innovations) and various appearances.
The Lange look
The curse and the blessing of the A. Lange & Söhne‘s timepieces are the rigorous characteristics that make the brand so loved and recognisable. Simple lines backed by geometrical proportions, a restrained but rich-in-details elegance. The details are not full of flourishes but with fine touches that establish the brand as the creator of some of the most well-finished timepieces out there.
The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum follows those strict classic lines: a well-proportioned platinum case measuring 41.9 millimetres in diameter with a height of 10.9 millimetres that will make its weight clearly present on the wrist. We can recount the familiar notes: a mirror-polished round bezel enthroned on a brushed baseband.
The simple crown presents itself with a polished bombe surface on which the name of the brand was embossed. The handling is effortless and intuitive. The winding is pleasant. The pushers are decorated with satin-brushed finish and received a subtle polish on their chamfered edges. Handling the pushers is a matter of getting used to: the pushers have a long travel and require a certain pressure to actuate correctly. But the mechanical and auditive feedback is great. One can really feel the complexity of the complication getting into action.
The ten/eleven o’clock pusher is responsible for forwarding the big date. The pusher present at seven/eight o’clock is used for the time-zone complication (described later). The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum comes with a black alligator strap fitted with a platinum prong buckle.
The golden ration, the big date and a plethora of indications
The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum is not just a precious presence but a complex companion offering an impressive series of complications: two off-centric time displays with night/day indications, small seconds, big date, the 24-hour timezone with daylight-saving indication and power reserve. All this still keeping a clean legible dial.
The indications are intuitive: the main dial presents the main time with the coloured ring-shaped day/night indicators linked to the hour hands (the 6 pm to 6 am interval is indicated by the blue semicircle – the time zone complication uses the same logic). Applied Roman numerals and indexes assure an effortless readout.
The alpha hands are manufactured in rhodium gold. A small subdial at the 6 o’clock position of the main dial reveals the small seconds indication. The main time background is slightly recessed and is adorned with a circular pattern.
The time zone complication is composed of the time dial present at the traditional 5 o’clock, the outer ring bearing the name of 24 cities pointed by an open arrow indicating if the time zone features a daylight-saving time (indicated by a red fill). Plus, the day/night disk is acting just like for the main time.
The legendary Lange outsize date is much larger than the ones found usually in watches with the same diameter. The framed double aperture was inspired by the famous five-minute clock in the Dresden Semper Opera House that Ferdinand Adolph Lange helped complete at the time. The mechanism relies on two separate display elements: The ring-shaped units’ disc (with the numerals 0 to 9) switches forward once a day. But at the transition from the 31st to the 1st day, it stands still for a day. The cross-shaped tens element with the numerals 1 to 3 and a white blank space advances by one increment only every ten days. When it displays the 3, the tens cross advances to the blank space after just 2 days.
The impressive 72 hours of power reserve is indicated by a large format arch positioned at the traditional 3 o’clock. The long, slender alpha hand indicates an empty barrel at the classic 2 o’clock position and a full wind at 4 o’clock. This complication fills an otherwise empty space and contributes to the pleasant look of the watch’s face.
The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum is easy to read and use with an overall very good visual balance. When the crown is pulled in the second position, the times of both zones can be adjusted synchronously. However, if the time-zone correction button is pressed and held, the hour hand of the zone-time dial will be stopped in its position. Now, the defined new main time can be set independently of the zone time. Finally, it may be necessary to correct the outsize date, which is connected with the main time, by actuating the date correction button at 10 o’clock.
Manufacture calibre L141.1
Lange 1 Time Zone is powered by the in-house calibre L141.1. This beautiful movement operates at a slow 3 Hz (21,600 semi-oscillations per hour) and offers an impressive power reserve of 72 hours. The movement features a shock-resistant screw balance with a balance spring manufactured in-house and a precision beat adjustment mechanism with a lateral set screw and a whiplash spring.
The beauty of the A. Lange & Söhne movements is renowned. Starting with the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, the hand-engraved balance cock and an intermediate-wheel cock, screwed gold chatons, blued screws, and an elaborate whiplash precision index adjuster, all elements are assembled twice, reflecting A. Lange & Söhne’s high standards in every single detail.
Conclusions
The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone continues a legendary collection in the most typical way – exceptional finishes for the case, dial and movement in the unmistakable implementation of the German brand. Although the appearance is not of your usual time zone watch due to Lange’s unique style, the Lange 1 Time Zone is a fantastic proposal, much loved by the purists.
On the wrist, the Lange 1 Time Zone is a gentleman’s companion with its neutral presence. The weight of the platinum took me a bit by surprise. I would have expected a lot of burdensome wear, but the watch was quite comfortable for daily wear. I would consider it only for proper attire: at least casual business. As a dress watch, a purist might consider it a tad too much. For a few years, the rules have changed, and a larger variety of watches and complications are considered proper for a black tie situation. And any collectors will be happier to encounter such a mechanical delight.
A. Lange & Söhne LANGE 1 TIME ZONE Technical Specifications
Ref. 136.025
Movement
- Lange manufacture calibre L141.1, manually wound, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; balance and intermediate-wheel cocks engraved by hand
- No. of movement parts: 448
- No. of jewels: 38
- No. of screwed gold chatons: 3
- Escapement: Lever escapement
- Oscillator: Shock-resistant screw balance; superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house, frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour; precision beat adjustment mechanism with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring
- Power reserve: 72 hours when fully wound
- Functions: Home time and zone time, each with a ring-shaped day/night indicator; subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds; city ring for adjustment of the second time zone with daylight-saving time indication; outsize date for home time; UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator
- Operating elements: Crown for winding the watch and setting the time; one button each for correcting the outsize date and setting the second time zone
- Movement dimensions
- Diameter: 34.1 millimetres; height: 6.7 millimetres
Case
- 950 platinum
- Case dimensions: Diameter: 41.9 millimetres; height: 10.9 millimetres
- Crystal and transparent caseback: Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Dial
- Solid silver, rhodié
- Hands and appliques
- Rhodium gold
Strap
- Hand-stitched alligator leather, black
- Buckle: Prong buckle in 950 platinum
About A. Lange & Söhne
Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand Adolph Lange laid the foundations for Saxony’s precision watchmaking industry when he established his manufactory in 1845. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. The company was expropriated after World War II, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly vanished. In 1990, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s great-grandson, Walter Lange, had the courage to relaunch the brand. Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches per year, predominantly in gold or platinum. They are equipped exclusively with movements made in-house that are elaborately finished and assembled by hand. With 71 manufacture calibres developed since 1990, A. Lange & Söhne has secured a top-tier position in the world of watchmaking. Its greatest achievements include brand icons such as the LANGE 1, the first regularly produced wristwatch with an outsize date, and the ZEITWERK, with its precisely jumping numerals. Extraordinary complications such as the ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER, the DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON and the TRIPLE SPLIT represent what the manufactory always strives for: to drive the traditional art of watchmaking to ever-new heights. Launched in 2019, the sporty-elegant ODYSSEUS marked the beginning of a new chapter for A. Lange & Söhne.