NEW MODEL: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst

Felix Scholz

This year the German house of A. Lange & Söhne celebrates their 20th birthday. Now, the house has been around since the nineteenth century, but it was in the post reunification Germany of the 1990’s that Lange & Söhne as we know them today emerged.

So 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the launching of the new A. Lange & Söhne collection, and since that day they have been at the vanguard of contemporary high horology – somehow combining simplicity, modernity and tradition into watches that, in many ways epitomize the renaissance of high end horology in a quartz watch world.

A. Lange & Söhne have come a long way since 1994, but their roots are still strong. To celebrate the occasion they’re releasing a limited edition of 20 models of their iconic Lange 1, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst (google translate suggests this means craftsmanship)

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst is truly a piece of watchmaking art. The black enameled white gold dial shines, in the 38.5mm platinum case (by the way, that’s the perfect size for this sort of watch) contrasting with the mirror polished white gold hands (rhodium plated) and markers, displaying time, power reserve and the famous Lange big date. But the focus of this artwork is the one minute tourbillon, and particularly the beautifully polished and chamfered tourbillon cock (guys – that’d be the big bit of metal at the bottom of the dial holding the tourbillon in place). The tourbillon is held in place with diamond endstones – that’s about as blingy as the guys from Glashütte get.

If this is how A. Lange & Sohne celebrate their 20th birthday, we are humble requesting an invite to their 21st. (Our address is in the About section, here’s hoping…)