BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
A. Lange & Söhne’s complicated watches are pretty rare in the world. Heck, even the simple ones are pretty rare anyway, but their complex pieces always represent something special in the world of horology. With that said, tourbillons are still a rarity in the A. Lange & Söhne lineup, so when they release a new one, we always sit up and pay attention.
The new 1815 Tourbillon ref 730.094F features a classy 39.5mm x 11.3mm case crafted from 950 platinum, a black leather strap adorns the case and combines nicely with the jet black dial. The dial is somewhat the star of the show here, being a grand feu enamel dial made in-house by A. Lange & Söhne from beginning to end. A. Lange & Söhne says that, due to the multiple steps required in making the dial from refining every layer of enamel they add to the dial before it’s kiln-fired and then hand-chamfering the cutout for the tourbillon, it takes them several weeks to complete a dial for each watch.
The artisanship isn’t limited to the enamel dial, as gloriously deep black as it is. The hand-wound calibre L102.1 is on a whole different level too. For example, the tourbillon bridge has a black polish finish, meaning the bridge looks like it’s black under some lights (it isn’t, but it looks it). Around the back, you can see plenty more attention to detail from the watchmakers of A. Lange & Söhne. The movements are truly beautiful, with plenty of striping adorning the three-quarter plate which is made from German silver. Polished gold chatons hold some of the jewels in place, meanwhile, blued screws provide a subtle colour contrast to it all. In true A. Lange & Söhne style, the cock the tourbillon is suspended from features hand engraving and the pattern is unique to each engraver.
For those who want the stats for the L102.1, you’ll be pleased to know it has a rather long power reserve of 72 hours and the escapement within the elegant tourbillon beats at 3Hz. There’s also some level of shock resistance built into the movement, but I wouldn’t say it’s one to wear daily unless you really do have a sedentary lifestyle.
Overall, A. Lange & Söhne’s new 1815 brings with class, elegance and sophistication. You know as soon as you clap eyes on it that it’s something special, and for one of the 50 people who will buy this limited edition, it’s very special indeed. Price on application.
