A. Lange & Söhne

In the best sense of the term, the new 1815 is a classic three-hand watch with a

manually wound movement. It presents itself as a visibly enlarged new edition of what

was the fifth Lange model of the new era when it had its debut in 1995. The four digits

of its name mark a turbulent year that ushered in a new epoch in Europe. They also

stand for the birth year of a man who would much later establish a world-famous

dynasty of watchmakers. His name: Ferdinand Adolph Lange.

Thanks to his extraordinary talent and energetic entrepreneurial spirit, the man with the

modest background became a successful pioneer in horology. He founded the

precision watchmaking industry in Germany, and his ideas continue to inspire the art of

crafting timepieces. In his late twenties, he had an ambitious vision: to establish an

independent watchmaking industry in the Ore Mountains. And he spared no effort to

reach this lofty goal. Although unassuming at heart, he worked tirelessly to build the

finest watches in the world. His life principle was substance over semblance. And when

he designed his watches, Ferdinand Adolph Lange always made sure that "despite its

unpretentiousness, each piece is robust and will reliably serve its purpose". The threequarter

plate that he introduced in 1864 to enhance the stability of movements follows

this reasoning. It is exactly this "nothing-in-excess" attitude that the 1815 expresses in

paying homage to the founder: the pinnacle of sleek elegance.

The new 1815 unites the finest virtues of Lange watchmaking artistry. With a case

enlarged to 40 millimetres and a new movement that fills it amply with a diameter of

30.6 millimetres, the reinterpretation of the classic three-hand watch concept with a

manually wound movement fully complies with Lange’s commitment to "state-of-the-art

tradition". The engineers and product designers succeeded in preserving the balanced

proportions of the timeless original in its larger sibling. With a railway-track minute

scale, Arabic numerals, and small seconds at 6 o’clock, the new 1815 inherits the style

features of classic Lange pocket watches and transposes them to the wristwatch

format in a contemporary manner.

Grand Comeback: the New 1815, Seite 2

With its 188 lavishly hand-decorated parts, the newly designed calibre L051.1

movement represents the very quintessence of Lange watchmaking artistry:

Inside the movement, a large glucydur screw balance beats with a frequency of 21,600

semi-oscillations per hour. When fully wound, the watch has a power reserve of 55

hours. The case and the prong buckle of the new 1815 are made of 18-carat yellow

gold, white gold, or pink gold. Its argenté dial is solid silver. Black numerals and the

blued-steel lancet hands that are characteristic Lange hallmarks assure excellent

legibility. In a limited edition of 500 pieces, the 1815 is also available with a platinum

case featuring a rhodié dial and rhodiumed-gold hands.

*****

Movement

Lange manufacture calibre L051.1, manually wound, crafted to

the highest Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled

by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; three-quarter

plate made of untreated German silver; balance cock engraved

by hand

Number of movement parts

188

Jewels

21

Screwed gold chatons

5

Escapement

Lever escapement

Oscillation system

Shock-resistant glucydur screw balance, Nivarox balance

spring, frequency 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour, whiplash

precision index adjuster with patented beat adjustment

mechanism

Power reserve

55 hours when fully wound

Functions

Time indicated in hours, minutes, small seconds

Operating elements

Crown for winding the watch and setting the time

Case

40.0 x 8.9 millimetres, yellow gold, white gold, pink gold

or – in a limited edition of 500 watches – platinum

Movement size

30.6 x 4.6 millimetres

Glass and caseback

Sapphire crystal (hardness 9)

Dial

Solid silver, argenté or rhodié (platinum model only)

Hands

Blued steel or rhodiumed gold (platinum model only)

Strap

Supple crocodile strap and Lange prong buckle in solid gold or platinum