A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone: Beyond Switzerland
- 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of A. Lange & Söhne.
- The Lange 1 Time Zone is the quintessential Lange luxury watch.
- Feature two time zones, an outsize date, am/pm indicators, and a power reserve.
- Lange 1 Time Zone movement finish is drop-dead gorgeous.
- Now available from watchuwant.com for $31,995 with full Lange accessories.
- This represents nearly 36% off the original MSRP of $49,400.
A. Lange & Söhne marked its 20th anniversary in 2014. From the ashes of Cold War communism to its modern rivalry with Patek Philippe, the speed of Lange‘s rise has stunned and delighted connoisseurs of high horology.
Having been re-established by watch industry legend Günter Blümlein (also a savior of IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre) and senior Lange family scion Walter Lange in 1994, the modern A. Lange & Söhne revives a name that had acted as the standard-bearer for Saxon watchmaking from the 1840s to the early 1950s.
By drawing upon its Glashütte watch-craft heritage and modern technology, A. Lange & Söhne has taken horology’s high ground with luxury watches like the Lange 1 Time Zone.
The Lange 1 Time Zone was released in 2005 as a fusion of world time and dual-time complications in a single timepiece. World time watches feature rotating 24-hour chapter rings that move relative to the stationary names of reference cities. Dual-time watches feature two independent time zones on one dial.
Lange’s “Time Zone” complication adopts elements of both systems and functions in a fashion comparable to the Jaeger-LeCoultre “Geographic” watches. At the periphery of the dial, a user-configured ring of reference cities features one prominent city to represent each of the globe’s 24 major time zones. At the foot of the dial, a second time zone can be read from the reference time subdial.
To use the Time Zone system, synchronize the local time on the dial at nine o’clock with the subdial at 4:30, and ensure that one’s current time zone is aligned with the index at six o’clock. As the cities cycle, the reference time zone adjusts itself to correspond to the time of day and the AM/PM status of the selected locality.
Lange‘s use of AM/PM indicators on both time zones is an unconventional but welcome nuance that speaks to the unconventional approach of Saxony’s foremost manufacture.
Calculated asymmetry has been a signature element of A. Lange & Söhne since the first model launch in 1994. From inception, the Lange 1 line epitomized the aesthetic that has come to define its parent firm’s celebrated style. Off-center dials, an “Outsize Date” (Lange-speak for a “big date”), and the power reserve indicator dominated the dial, and the baroque style of 19th century pocket watch finish dominated the caseback vista.
Like the time zone ring, the Outsize Date is advanced using a pusher on the case flank.
Each pusher operates with the same silky – almost hydraulic – glide of the famed A. Lange & Söhne Datograph‘s chronograph pushers. Any collector who has heard of this tactile legend owes it to himself to experience the best hands-on experience in high horology. The Lange 1 Time Zone captures the same sweet pusher feel in its plungers; owners will cycle the date wheels simply to relish the sensation.
A. Lange & Söhne‘s greatest triumph has been the reconciliation of visual imbalance with elegance. The squat precious metal case and soldered lugs are classical styling elements that recall the best of pre-war German watch manufacturing, but the mix of dial features avoids excess.
Lange employs imbalanced dials, complications, and graphics in order to challenge the aficionado’s eye.
While conventional layouts and conservative styles are a proven antidote to controversy, such timid efforts also breed indifference and anonymity. Not the Lange 1 Time Zone. While a collector’s mind may never resolve the rationale behind the Lange‘s dial architecture, this very artistic dissonance is guaranteed to captivate interest indefinitely.
Behind the dial sits the main event. It may seem counter-intuitive to describe the caseback of a luxury watch as its main draw, but A. Lange & Söhne has forged a formidable reputation for the quality and unique fashion of its finish. Consider the principal material itself: “German Silver.”
An alloy of copper and nickel, German Silver is the Glashütte alternative to the brilliant rhodium-plated brass favored by Swiss concerns.
While the material is not unknown in Swiss use, Lange has embraced this 19th century gold-tinged material and become the foremost watchmaker still working the delicate alloy. Given the challenge of working German Silver without mangling it, simply completing a movement in this metal is a feat.
But A. Lange & Söhne elaborates its finish to a level that inspires envy and admiration from rivals at in Geneva. Since the Lange 1 Time Zone hails from German stock, Stripen, not Côtes de Genève, decorate the sprawling three-quarter bridge. Its vast expanse is necessary to cover the twin mainspring barrels that supply a 72-hour power reserve.
However, the large mass of metal enhances the beauty of the composition by serving as an ideal showcase for the golden tones of nickel-copper.
In time, the caseback view of a Lange 1 will intensify as the material darkens to a rich honey hue.
Unique engraved bridges are iconic of the modern A. Lange & Söhne manufacture. Each balance cock, for example, is engraved by a single artisan who invests each unit with a specific pattern of etchings; the pattern is a signature of the artist and can be used to identify the original craftsman. Lange sells an illustrated guidebook that can be used for this very purpose.
Given A. Lange & Söhne‘s annual production of approximately 5,000 watches per year (Patek Philippe manufactures about 50,000), it should come as no surprise to learn that fewer than ten engravers produce all of the balance cocks employed in a year’s production of Lange wristwatches. How old-school is this system? Many of the engravers work from home; cottage industry is alive and well in Glashütte.
As with all A. Lange & Söhne movements, the caliber L.031.1 employed in the Lange 1 Time Zone is manufactured entirely within the Lange factory grounds. Since 2003, the company has gone so far as to fabricate its own hairsprings – one of the most challenging craft disciplines in watchmaking. A Lange watch is a timepiece with a pedigree.
This A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone is available from watchuwant.com with full Lange factory accessories. This watch presents as a new timepiece, and the case is immaculately finished in contrasting brushed and polished 18-karat yellow gold.
End 2014 on a high note with the year’s other “birthday boy.” A. Lange & Söhne still may not be old enough to drink, but this A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone is ready to ring in the New Year with panache.
