A. Lange & Söhne 142.055 Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen Review

The Zeitwerk has always been a bit of an oddball in A. Lange & Söhne’s lineup. While most of their catalog sticks to classical dials, the Zeitwerk spells out the time in large numerals across the front, like a digital watch but with springs and gears instead of silicon chips. The Honeygold “Lumen” takes that trademark layout and gives it some glowing, stealthy night moves that would make Bob Seger proud.

As the fifth model in Lange’s ongoing “Lumen” series, the watch was launched in 2021 as a 200-piece, boutique-only limited edition. The dial is dark, semi-transparent sapphire with a patented coating that lets UV light through to charge the luminous numeral discs underneath while blocking out most visible light. The result is that by day the mechanism is only faintly visible, and at night, the numerals in the two apertures glow brightly like they’ve been charging all day, because they have.

The 41.9mm case is Honeygold, Lange’s own 18K alloy, which is warmer in color and harder than regular yellow gold. It’s the first Lumen model in Honeygold, as all previous models were rendered in platinum. The hands and the buckle on the strap are Honeygold as well.

The movement powering the watch is the hand-wound caliber L043.9. Advancing three numeral discs all together at the top of the hour takes more energy than turning standard watch hands, so two mainspring barrels are required for the power, and a patented constant-force escapement keeps every jump consistent. The power reserve is 72 hours, which doubles the power reserve of the original Zeitwerk, and a new pusher at the four o’clock position advances the hour indicator independently. Through the sapphire caseback you can see hand-engraved balance and escape-wheel cocks and the filigreed remontoir bridge. And like every Lange movement, it’s assembled, tested, taken apart and then assembled again, to ensure quality and precision.

The Honeygold “Lumen” is a subtle refinement of the Zeitwerk formula in several ways. It has the second-generation movement, with twice the power reserve and a dedicated hour pusher for ease of setting. Its dial solves the problem of charging lume that sits obscured underneath it. And instead of platinum like the earlier versions of the Lumen, its case is in Lange’s very own gold recipe. Limited to 200 pieces, it’s the most interesting version of the Zeitwerk yet, especially once the sun goes down.