A. Lange & Söhne

After the Zeitwerk and the Richard Lange Tourbillon, the Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar  is the third Lange & Söhne watch to be subject to the decorative approach called "Handwerkskunst" which involves a wide range of craft techniques to achieve handmade finishings.

However, unlike the previous two watches, the Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is distinguished by a more elaborated decorative style of its dial. The white gold dial is certainly embellished by the work of tremblage which is featured in any  "Handwerkskunst" watch but this work is this time accompanied by relief engraving that enhance the baroque aspect of the whole. The "volutes" that decorate the Zeitwerk and the Richard Lange Tourbillon bridges are engraved on the dial side taking advantage of each and  every space available.



The result is highly spectacular, the volutes  and the tremblage (which aspect seems similar to a metalic whool)  mix together to create an unique visual rendering for a watch that at the beginning is characterized by its high mechanical performance. However, I must confess that I have not felt with this third  "Handwerkskunst" the same emotion as before. I find several reasons for this feeling.


The first reason, and it is an obvious one, is that the surprise is fading a bit. Finally, these three watches were presented in a relatively short period of time and I tend to think that this latest limited series comes too soon for the Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. Unveiled at the SIHH 2012, this watch  is currently produced in dribs and drabs and it would have seemed logical to give more time to deploy the version of the permanent collection before seeking new collectors with the limited edition.


The second reason is inherent in the demonstrative side of the decoration: the work is brilliantly executed and demonstrates the mastery of the craftsmen from Saxony. However, the combination of all these effects gives an impression of overload that eventually, in my opinion, harms the enhancement of the decoration.

The third reason relates to the choice of the watch. The Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is a complicated watch that has an original dial lay-out whose peripheral month ring is one of the main  features. Taking advantage of the typical off-centered subdial of the Lange One dedicated to the time display,  the Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar offers an excellent legibility of the calendar functions including that which is the most important for a watch with a perpetual calendar complication: the date  through a large double window display . The decoration is almost intrusive in this context and adds sophistication to a watch which has found in its original form the perfect balance between complexity and harmony. anyway, it would be a shame to keep in mind only this sense of profusion of decorative effects that a Baroque church would not deny because at the same time, the Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar "Handwerkskunst" contains several details that make the watch more subtle than it appears.


The most striking example is definitely the finishing the big date display: the figures are hand painted with a delicate blue color that successfully blends  with the other elements of the same color on the dial such as the moon phase disk or the day & night indicator. I love this treatment of the figures because it greatly beautifies and softens all the complexity of the design.

The finishings of the movement also helps to enhance the interest of the Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar "Handwerkskunst". Unlike the dial, the movement takes advantage of the specific decorations without appearing overloaded. The winding rotor, the tourbillon and the intermediate-wheel cocks engraved by hand with the relief technique , without forgetting the specular polish of the upper side of the tourbillon put in value the architecture and the feeling of depth of the automatic caliber L082.1. And of course, like any Lange Tourbillon which has at least one diamond endstone , the tourbillon of this watch features its own diamond (one in this case since the Tourbillon is not visible on the dial side). The presentation of the movement is for me the great asset of this limited edition: the initial movement was already the symbol of excellence of the Manufacture, and the "Handwerkskunst" version manages to sublimate it while preserving some decorative subtlety.


At the end, the main part of the attraction caused by the timepiece is due to the pleasure of seeing in a different context, the engineering  intelligence of the L082.1 movement and the efficiency of the calendar data display . Despite a  contained thickness  (12.2 mm) and a case diameter equivalent to the Lange One Timezone (41.9 mm), the watch optimally combines two prestigious complications. Dial side, the Perpetual Calendar is the main complication: the Tourbillon is not visible to leave plenty of space to display the calendar data. We find here in a sense the organization of the dial of the Lange One DAYMATIC  which is the mirror effect of the traditional Lange One lay-out and with the days of the week indicator which replaces the power reserve display. The large date at midnight jumps impeccably and large peripheral months ring did the same by performing the 30 degrees rotation. The challenge for Lange was to control the energy consumption required for the rotation of the large ring without disturbing the chronometry.


The frequency of the movement is 3hz and the power reserve, maybe a little too short for a Perpetual Calendar, is fifty hours. That said, setting the calendar is easy thanks to the pushers which allow both collectively forward or individually adjust the data. Movement side, the Tourbillon, despite the central winding rotor, takes over and brings its magic to enhance the beauty of the caliber. It is important to note that the movement is equipped with a stop-Tourbillon which allows to stop the second hand and therefore set the clock accurately.


As I could expect it, the Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar "Handwerkskunst" has a strong presence on the wrist because of its decoration that catches your eyes and which, paradoxically, becomes intriguing thanks to its originality despite its claimed homage to tradition . The watch is heavy due to its platinum case and the weight of the movement. It therefore requires a good positioning on the wrist to be worn with comfort. Once a month, at midnight, the combination of the rotation of the peripheral ring and the jump of the big date is noticeable when the watch is worn: this feeling is very nice and is a part of the charm of the piece.


The Lange The One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar "Handwerkskunst" is obviously a superlative watch that manages to combine interest and technical performance with decorative prowess. However, I must admit that I was not as seduced than usual because of the too demonstrative  dial which ends up to visually "overload" a balanced watch at the base. Fortunately, the subtle movement decoration and the charm of the  painted  blue figures of the date manage to offset this feeling.


The Lange One Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar "Handwerkskunst" is available in the Lange  boutiques in a limited series of 15 pieces.


Pros:
+ the pleasure of finding the efficient organization of the dial of the Lange One Tourbillon Calendar Perpetual
+ the perfect jump of the big date and of the months ring
+ the subtle movement decoration
+ the hand-painted blue figures of the big date
+ the easy adjustment of the calendar functions

Cons:
- the dial decoration is visually a bit too overloaded
- the power reserve of 50 hours is a bit short
- the presentation of this watch at Watches & Wonders 2013 seems to me  premature given the very limited delivery of the original model

More posts: Lange 1Lange 1 Time ZoneLange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual CalendarRichard LangeRichard Lange TourbillonZeitwerk

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