A. Lange & Söhne’s New Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Timepiece Goes the Platinum Route

Most watchmakers feel that the use of alternative materials (other than stainless steel) enhances the overall aesthetics of a watch and reduces its weight. Armed with this belief and after releasing Lange 1 in 18 ct pink and white gold, luxury watch brand A. Lange & Söhne has carried forward its perpetual calendar saga in 950 platinum, with a black dial — it has just unveiled the new Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar timepiece (Ref. 345.036 E/ LSLS3452AA).

Speaking of 950 platinum, 95% of the material is made of pure platinum while other alloys account for the remaining 5%. Platinum also makes the watch hypoallergenic and ensures a nice density for it. When it comes to choosing colours for dials, there is no denying the fact that black has a different charm altogether. The colour is often regarded as an emotion and it is also associated with a sense of power and elegance. Needless to say, the colour makes a watch look stylish and avant-garde even if it's used on the case, the dial or the strap. 

The new A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar watch comes in a 41.9 mm platinum case, with a polished bezel, lugs, and a crown at 3 o’clock. The black dial of this platinum watch is crafted from solid silver while the moon phase indicator gets a solid gold celestial disc, with graduated blue shades, which rotates around its own axis once during 24 hours. Against this backdrop, the white gold moon performs its synodic orbiting in 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds, with such precision that the display only needs to be corrected by one day after 122.6 years.

The dial sports a typical A Lange & Söhne style; it gets the oversized dual date display while the retrograde day of the week indicator is positioned between 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock, with a single hand. The month is conveyed via a ring encircling the dial’s outer periphery and the leap year indication is presented in a small window at 6 o’clock. A moon phase with a day/night indicator combination occupies the seconds subdial at 8 o’clock. The main time-viewing subdial gets an off-centre display on the right side of the dial. 

On the new A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar watch, all calendar indications switch instantaneously. Once set correctly, the mechanism is programmed to accurately display the turn of the month until 2100. Says Anthony de Haas, Director of Product Development, A. Lange & Söhne, “The large peripheral ring has to be advanced instantaneously by 30 degrees from one month to the next. Throughout the month, energy is collected via a cam in order to provide the required power exactly on time, at midnight on the last day of the month”.

Powering the watch is the self-winding Calibre L021.3, offering a power reserve of 50 hours. Turning the watch over showcases the sapphire crystal caseback sporting a unidirectional winding rotor in 21 ct gold with a centrifugal mass in 950 platinum and a balance with eccentric poising weights. The plates and bridges are made of untreated German silver, decorated with Glashütte ribbing; five gold chatons are held by blued steel screws as well as the balance cock engraved free-hand, with the whiplash spring mounted above to regulate beat adjustments. Finishing the watch is a black alligator leather strap with a platinum buckle.