A. Lange & Söhne recently released their latest edition to the Lange 1 range, a perpetual calendar in Platinum, and for those that love an asymmetrical dial, the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar doesn’t dissapoint.
A. Lange & Söhne first launched their Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar in April 2021 with 2 variants. A White-gold model version with a solid pink-gold dial, limited to 150 pieces, and a pink-gold version featuring a grey solid-silver dial. These two pieces are now joined by a platinum model with a black dial, and provides for an elegant contrast for the moon-phase display and its integrated day/night indicator.
The new Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar is everything you’d come to expect from the Saxon brand and a Lange 1. The well proportioned asymmetrical dial is unmistakeable and A. Lange & Söhne have been able to keep the iconic look of the Lange 1, whilst cleverly incorporating a Perpetual Calendar into it.
The dial displays all the elements of a perpetual calendar cleanly, without detracting from the aesthetic the Lange 1 is known for. The off centre time dial on the right hand side is as it should be making reading the time of day easy, and this is complimented by the small seconds hand dial at 7 o’clock, which also integrates the moonphase with an ingenious day/night indicator. The disc is graduated in colour, going from a bright blue in the day, to a dark blue starry night highlighting the AM/PM hours.
Day Indication 
Night Indication
The moonphase indicator is also done with such attention to detail. It consists of a solid-gold celestial disc with graduated blue hues that rotates around its own axis once during 24 hours. Against this backdrop, the white-gold moon performs its orbit over 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds ‒ with such precision that the display only needs to be corrected by one day after 122.6 years!
For the months, A. Lange & Söhne have incorporated an outer dial that rotates at the end of each month and is indicated by the arrow at 6 o’clock, and directly above this, a leap year indicator that cycles through 1 -4, with the 4 in red to indicate that this year is a leap year, and as such, will display the 29th February on the panorama date window.
To achieve this, Langeʼs watchmakers opted for a completely new approach and developed a peripheral month ring that advances instantaneously at the end of each month.
“The commitment to tailor the complex mechanical requirements to the characteristic design of the Lange 1 presented our developers with constructive challenges, as the large peripheral ring has to be advanced instantaneously by 30 degrees from one month to the next. Throughout the month, energy is collected via a cam in order to provide the required power exactly on time, at midnight on the last day of the month,”
Anthony de Haas, A. Lange & Söhne Director of Product Development,
Since the introduction of the LANGEMATIK PERPETUAL in 2001, A. Lange & Söhne have ensured the accuracy of the perpetual calendar, and displays the correct date, day and month over the course of the year. It takes into account each month’s fluctuations (including February) and leap years and as such, the date has to be adjusted by one day on 1 March of the secular years 2100, 2200 and 2300. Since the year 2400 is a leap year – as an exception to the exception – the perpetual calendar will run correctly for 200 years, after which it will need to be adjusted again on 1 March 2500.
The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar showcases the stunning calibre L021.3 through the sapphire-crystal caseback. The calibre L021.3 is elaborately finished by hand and assembled twice, as is with al Lange 1’s to ensure it’s accuracy once put together and cased fully. The technical features of the manufacture movement include a unidirectional winding rotor in 21-carat gold with a centrifugal mass in 950 platinum, a power reserve of 50 hours and a balance with eccentric poising weights that beats at a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour.
Lange movements are probably some of the most beautifully decorated movements around. From the plates and bridges made of untreated German silver and decorated with Glashütte ribbing, to the five gold chatons held by blued-steel screws as well as the balance cock engraved all by hand, all of it is perfection.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not A. Lange & Söhne watches are up your alley, it’s hard to look past their design, construction, engineering and the sheer beauty of their movements. And when you hear how much attention to detail goes into their construction, and the complexity of how they put together their movements, you start to gain much more of an appreciation for A. Lange & Söhne.
The Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar is no exception to this, and whilst not a new design, the black dial on the platinum case with black leather hand stitch strap is a looker, and one that should you have the means to purchase this, should definitely be on your short list of dress watches.
Reference: 345.036E
Specification:
- Case: 41.9mm and 12.1mm thick
- Case Material: 950 Platinum
- Dial: Solid silver, black with Rhodiumed plated gold hands
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal
- Water resistance: 30 meters / 3ATM
- Movement: Lange manufacture calibre L021.3, self-winding automatic movement decorated and assembled by hand and precision-adjusted in five positions. 621 parts pivoting on 63 Jewels and vibrating at 21,600 VPH / 3Hz
- Power reserve: 50 hours
- Strap: Black hands stitched leather with 950 Platinum pin buckle.
