#SIHH 2017: A. Lange & Söhne

Good morning from Geneva! I invite you to discover seven novelties from  #alangesoehne  my favorite German watch brand at  #SIHH2017 

A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Annual Calendar

It is the second watch to feature an annual calendar in the A. Lange & Söhne collection. But in contrast to the self-winding Saxonia Annual Calendar with an outsize date presented in 2010, the new 1815 features a manually wound movement and an analogue date, following the classic design and style principles of the 1815 watch family. Calculated to remain accurate for 122.6 years, the moon-phase display is integrated into the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. The calendar indications are precisely aligned with the horizontal centre axis. On the left, they display the day and on the right the month. From March to January, all month durations are correctly indicated. Although it is shorter, the mechanism treats February as a 30-day month, so on 1 March one manual correction must be performed every year.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Moon Phase

I featured the watch already some days ago. Please click

https://watch-insider.com/news/pre-sihh-2017-a-lange-sohne-lange-1-moon-phase-with-integrated-day-night-indication/

In brief: The day and night indication integrated in the moon phase indication is a fantastic little feature. During the day, it shows a bright sky without stars, while at night it depicts a dark sky with prominently contrasting laser-cut stars. Thus, the moon always orbits against a realistic background that doubles as a day/night indicator when setting the watch.

A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 Moon Phase

Compared to the Lange 1 Moon Phase, this latest version of the classic timepiece is 1.7 millimeters smaller. The warm gloss of the polished pink-gold case contrasts with the exquisitely guilloched, argenté-coloured gold dial of the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase. Featuring two golden moons, the lunar disc of this model is also argenté-coloured. The astronomical complication only needs to be corrected by one day every 122.6 years.

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia with mother-of-pearl dials

The two Saxonia models come in 35-millimeter cases crafted from white or pink gold. The white dial made of solid silver is covered with a very thin layer of iridescent mother of pearl.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 31

The power house with 744 hours or 31 days of power reserve is presented in a new design variation in white gold with a grey dial. It is limited to 100 watches. The 45.9-millimetre white-gold case houses a twin mainspring barrel with two 185-centimetre-long springs. These mainsprings deliver an enormous amount of torque at the beginning when fully wound, which then gradually declines toward the end of the power-reserve period. Thus, a separate technical device is needed to guarantee constant force delivery in the interest of maximized rate accuracy. The device is referred to as the constant-force escapement. In the Lange 31, this device between the twin mainspring barrel and the going train delivers a constant amount of energy to the escapement every ten seconds, so consequently, the balance always oscillates with the same ideal amplitude. The result is superior precision from the first to the thirty-first day when a limiter mechanism stops the movement.

A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph “Pour le Mérite”

The meanwhile fifth masterpiece in the “Pour le Mérite” series combines the fusée-and-chain transmission with a tourbillon, a chronograph, a rattrapante function and a perpetual calendar. It was in October 1994 when A. Lange & Söhne presented the first collection of the new era, including the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite”. This was the first wristwatch with a tourbillon and a fusée-and-chain transmission. It was followed in 2005 with a further model in which these two constructions were united: the Tourbograph “Pour le Mérite”. But there was more: a chronograph with the rattrapante function made it the manufactory’s most complicated watch at the time. This year the movement became its fifth complication: a perpetual calendar. The watch consequently is now called Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite”.

A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Decimal Strike

Introduced in 2009, the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk gave time a new face with a mechanical jumping numerals display. This year the Zeitwerk Decimal Strike is enriching the unusually designed watch family with a third model featuring an acoustic time indication. The Zeitwerk Decimal Strike makes time audible in a different way: its striking mechanism sounds every ten minutes. The case of this timepiece, limited to an edition of only 100 pieces, consists of honey gold as used exclusively by Lange.