A. Lange & Söhne

I'm not going to unnecessarily prolong the suspense: the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst is one of the finest contemporary Lange & Söhne watches. Thanks to its special decorative approach, it manages to highlight the talent of the craftsmen who worked on the embellishment with thoroughness and mastery. It is however not only an aesthetic achievement. The extreme refinement of the finishings and the care to the smallest details also have an impact on specific aspects of the L043.4 movement that animates the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst.

The Zeitwerk, even more than the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Merite which was previously the subject of similar treatment, is certainly the ideal watch to accommodate the tremblage engraving dial. It proposes a large area around the "time bridge", the area that gathers the various time functions (hours, minutes and seconds). It also provides a favorable context given the alternative time display. Due to the digital display of hours and minutes, the tremblage engraving in no way harms the legibility of time. The contrast between the engraving and the "time bridge" remains  though it is obviously not as strong as with the white gold Zeitwerk. From the chromatic contrast point of view, the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst can be placed between the white gold and platinum ones. Of course it is more subtle than with the other versions due to reflections of light that creates the tremblage engraving. The texture is truly unique, both fine and granular. It is almost like a kind of wool and the result is visually spectacular without being baroque.


For such a design, the engraver uses a chisel specially dedicated to this type of finishings by performing specific movements in all directions. It operates a kind of choreography that contrary to what the dial suggests is not random performed. It is rather a work that requires a great care to get a perfectly uniform granular aspect.


The tremblage engraving is however not the only remarkable feature present on the dial. There is a word that immediately comes to mind when I see the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst is "relief". I certainly find the usual effects of depth of the Zeitwerk related to the windows of the "time bridge". But the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst goes much further. The upper part of the dial, dedicated to the power reserve display and the brand name, gives the opportunity to the craftsman to perform a real work of more than pure engraving  but almost of sculpture. The letters, the power reserve indicator and its contour and relief appear to significantly stand out from the tremblage engraving without any additional color effect being necessary. This upper part of the dial is a a pure beauty and reflects the talent of the engraver because every letter, every character have a rare delicacy and are perfectly made. Undoubtedly, these three-dimensional elements propel the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst in the dimension of exceptional watches because, beyond their delicacy and elegance, they are aesthetically consistent with the sharp contour of the "time bridge" while sublimating the tremblage engraving.


Lange & Söhne could not simply work only on the dial. The movement had also to be presented differently to distinguish more clearly the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst from the other Zeitwerk. The room for maneuver yet seemed more limited given the highly dramatic side of the Zeitwerk movement. And yet, the goal is achieved through similar decorative techniques  to those applied on the dial. The Manufacture couldn't stop at this stage and it pushed the attention to detail to change the material of the pallet lever and of the escape wheel.

By observing the L043.4 movement for the first time, several changes become obvious. The most obvious is the replacement of traditional Glashütte stripes by a grainy surface that gives a new look to the german silver bridges. All characters on the bridges are hand engraved and the rendering is very different from what we typically see on Lange movements. It's less "perfect", fewer words are present, the characters are bigger and they give a lot of charm. On the barrel, the brand name is also engraved.

Two "classic" Zeitwerk:


Then, the balance and escape wheel bridges reveal themselves. These two bridges offer a similar design with a tremblage engraving completed by a very nice decoration unusual in Lange contemporary world. The upper side of  the constant force escapement bridge is  finished with black polish which gives an extra burst through the details that catch the light. They stand out from the whole movement and broaden the range of decorative techniques used in this context. This is indeed the most important point: Lange gathers several of these techniques for our deepest pleasure without giving to the overall result an overloaded or baroque feeling. Do not forget that the main point of interest of the movement lies in its architecture and lay-out. If a too demonstrative decoration had overshadowed its lay-out, it would have been a pity. Despite the high quality of the finish, the complexity of the movement and its technical features remain very noticeable.


Moreover, Lange & Söhne brought an evolution to the movement by making the  pallet lever and the escape wheel in 18 carat gold. Change material is intended especially to pay homage to the watchmaking tradition of the Manufacture in the XIXth century. It also improves the resistance to magnetic fields. Still in the same logical of improvement of the movement, the pallets of the lever, slightly curved, were gem set to reduce friction with the escape wheel. I think that this reduction is logical taking into account the use of gold, beyond the precious dimension it gives to the watch.


Finally, the aesthetic approach, the use of different decorative techniques and the little extras that were added to the movement would have been useless if once the watch on the wrist, the magic didn't operate. The Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst is a watch with an irresistible charm that seduces by the way it captures light, by its smallest details, by the show that exists around the display. It offers shades of light that only tremblage engraving can create and more than once our gaze falls on the embossed characters to appreciate the chiseling and engraving  perfection. Moreover, I particularly like the colors range it proposes,  much more subtle, sober and soothing than its Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite equivalent. The tremblage engraving of the  white gold dial combines perfectly with the platinum case and with the rendering of the "time bridge".


A "classic" Zeitwerk is yet a fascinating watch. Its digital display that jumps perfectly at the sixtieth second gives the proof of the intelligence and the precision of the movement design. Lange & Söhne has used its expertise on the constant force gained during the development of the Lange 31 days to develop the movement of the Zeitwerk and meet the requirements of the display, particularly in terms of energy consumption. The energy required and the stability of the behaviour also explain that the reserve is limited to 36 hours.

The movement of the "classic" Zeitwerk:


When the Zeitwerk beauty  is enhanced as is the case here, perfection is not far from being achieved. Anyway, I appreciate as always the volume of the watch case with a diameter of 41.9 mm and thickness of 12.6 mm. Given its platinum case and the use of precious materials, its weight is felt strongly on the wrist. I consider it part of the pleasure. The winding process always requires a short period to get used with it due to the position of the crown but it can be manipulated easily thanks to its size. I still observe the slight shift of the minutes units in the window, involved a few seconds before the jump, which indicates that the movement is arming the jumping mechanism to reach the next minute. Finally, if we could add an additional argument to be satisfied, we would simply turn over the watch and appreciate the beauty of movement, which doesn't fall into the trap of the too ostentatious rendering and which  manages to combine a large variety of decorative techniques to offer us a beautiful show.


The Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst is a superb representative of Lange & Söhne expertise and know-how: we have already known the technical mastery of the Manufacture, the watch invites us to discover and enjoy a lesser-known dimension, which through gestures of talented artisans gives soul to the mechanism and makes  the timepieces closer to the status of artpieces.


The Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst is sold in a limited edition of 30 pieces available only in Lange boutiques. But when I write this article, I highly doubt there is still one available!

Pros:
+ the superlative finishings
+ the sober colors range
+ the charming decoration of the movement
+ the Zeitwerk provides an ideal context for such an exercise

Cons:
- the short power reserve

More posts: Lange 31Richard LangeRichard Lange TourbillonZeitwerkZeitwerk Handwerkskunst

  login to reply