SIHH 2016 Novelties From A. Lange & Söhne
How do you follow the 200th anniversary year of your founding father? That is the question A. Lange & Söhne faced as it prepared for this year’s SIHH. But it would’ve been foolish not to think the brand up to the challenge. A. Lange & Söhne presented not one, not two, but seven debuts at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva. All more compelling than the next. Here are the highlights from the 2016 collection:
A. Lange & Söhne combines a column-wheel chronograph with flyback function, a perpetual calendar with jumping displays, and a tourbillon with a patented stop-seconds mechanism in one of its most celebrated models: the Datograph. While the first two sit elegantly on a distinguished black silver dial, the third hides on the other side of the case. The balance of the 729-part manufacture caliber L952.2 is calibrated to 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour, meaning stop times are displayed with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. A first for A. Lange & Söhne, who continues to improve the patented mechanism introduced in 2008. The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is available in a limited edition of 100 watches in platinum.
A. Lange & Söhne adds a Jumping Seconds to the Richard Lange family. Dedicated to scientific observation watches since it was launched in 20016, the young line welcomes a modern interpretation of a mechanism developed by the brand’s founder in 1867, and housed (back then) inside a large pocket watch. The jumping-seconds (or dead seconds) mechanism returns and now features a patented zero-reset setting that helps set the watch to a time signal. The watch also features a clever end-of power indication at the intersection of three sundials, via a small triangle that turns red during the last 10 hours of residual power. The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is available in a limited edition of 10 watches in platinum.
Nicknamed the “Lumen” this limited edition of 200 watches is the German Manufacture’s first watch with a luminous moon-phase. The effect is achieved by positioning a luminous compound behind a sapphire-crystal dial transparent enough to continuously let in energy-rich UV light. Without a doubt, one of the most exciting new references presented by A. Lange & Söhne, it is the most contemporary watch in the collection, placed inside the most iconic line. The Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase “Lumen” is a limited edition of 200 watches.
The iconic Lange 1 is back, with its familiar off-centre, non-overlapping displays and the characteristic outsize date at 1 o’clock. Re-launched at SIHH twelve months ago, the latest Lange 1 design welcomes a new model in 18-carat white gold. The model is now available in four non-limited materials, including yellow and red gold, and platinum. The Lange 1 once again houses the double-barrel caliber L121.1 with 72 hours of power reserve.
The Saxonia Moon Phase combines two classic complications in a symmetric arrangement reminiscent of the Langematik, although the small seconds indication is replaced by a stunning moon-phase, presenting a new patent. What makes it different? A laser is used to cut out the 852 stars on the solid gold lunar disc with extremely sharp contours, producing a miniaturised image of the Milky Way. Presented in white and pink-gold inside a 40mm case, the Saxonia Moon Phase is a non-limited model.
At merely 5.9 millimetres, the Saxonia Thin is the flattest watch ever made by A. Lange & Söhne. Introduced in 2011, the Saxonia (as well as the rest of the Lange collection) has slowly morphed through the years. The latest iteration sheds some thickness, and presents a new face, consistent with the collection presented in 2015. The new Saxonia Thin is priced at $24,500 and is available exclusively in 18-carat pink or white gold.
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Photo Credit: Haute Time. For more information, please visit the official A. Lange & Söhne website. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.
