BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
A. Lange & Söhne has just released two new versions of its classic 1815 Up/Down dress watch. The new watches come in smaller cases than other offerings in the past, although in communications the Saxon brand has been keen to stress that these watches were not born to chase the current market trend of watchmakers downsizing watches; rather, their introduction was well timed with a market that’s choosing smaller pieces. To me, it feels like two sides of the same coin, and either way you look at it, what you get is a pair of extremely likeable and wearable dress watches.
The two additions that are arriving in the 1815 collection are references 244.028 and 244.037. A. Lange & Söhne’s new watches are smaller, at 37.5mm x 8.7mm each – the other 1815 Up/Down watches available are 39mm in diameter. Smaller-sized watches are coming back into fashion after many years of manufacturers deliberately making their pieces larger, although I don’t think A. Lange & Söhne ever did that – their pieces are usually larger because they’re so complex, and the Saxon brand itself states it doesn’t have the same knowledge of miniaturisation as the well-established Swiss watch industry at the moment.
Nevertheless, this smaller size will definitely appeal to most, and with a choice of 18k pink gold (ref 244.028) or 18k white gold (ref 244.037), there are difficult decisions to be made.
Both watches feature a dial made of sterling silver, which is then coloured a rich dark blue, meanwhile, the subdials are argenté-coloured. The dial layout is simple, with a recessed dial centre evoking historic Lange pocket watches, and Arabic numerals and train track minutes scale provide class and legibility.
The subdials display the running small seconds and a power reserve indicator in A. Lange & Söhne’s classic style with AUF and AB meaning ‘up’ and ‘down’ respectively.
The blued-steel hands of the subdials read well and contrast with the gold hands that show the hours and minutes.
Inside both versions of the new 1815 Up/Down sits the hand-wound manufacture calibre L051.2. Yes, we all know how beautiful A. Lange & Söhne’s super-complicated movements are, but the Saxon brand puts just as much effort into its simpler calibres, too. Hand-finishing can be found everywhere, as one would expect, from the stripes on the three-quarter plate – a movement construction traditional to Glashütte where A. Lange & Söhne is based.
The movement is made of untreated German silver which, despite its name, contains no silver and is a blend of copper, nickel and zinc. Not only does it have a striking colour now, but the German silver will patina over time and develop a richer, deeper colour. Contrast can be found in the heat-blued screws, the gold chatons, and the silvery, polished swan’s-neck regulator.
The wheels of the winding mechanism are also on display with soleil engraving to reflect the light. 245 individual components make up the L051.2, including 29 jewels and seven gold screwed chatons, and the power reserve is 72 hours.
So, how do they wear on the wrist? In a word: marvellously. I feel I have quite big wrists, the kind that can take on some 47mm watches from a certain Richemont-owned brand that makes cushion-shaped watches, although some pieces are still too large for me. I’ve naturally felt that I’m sized out of the smaller watch market, but recent releases have started to open my eyes to the prospect, and the new 1815 Up/Down have hammered it home. The 37.5mm size is comfortable and legible, and the leather straps supplied are sturdy but narrow for comfortable wear. The legibility is very good, too, and the blue dial is easy to dress and match with nearly any wardrobe. Out of the two watches on offer, I’d choose the 18k white gold version because it matches my skin tone better, but the pink gold had grown on me by the time I’d finished with it.
A. Lange & Söhne have proved yet again that they’re switched on and paying attention to the climate around them, despite still working on their own projects and generally interpreting the watch industry in their unique German way. These new pieces are limited in production to 300 examples in each metal – the price is on request, but you can expect to pay around €35,000 to €45,000 apiece.
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