A. Lange & Söhne celebrated the bicentennial of their founder’s birth in 2015. To mark the occasion, the brand introduced the 1815 200th Anniversary F.A. Lange watch. The first reference of this design, 236.049, was offered in platinum with a black dial for a retail price of $33,500. The second reference, 236.050, was presented in honey gold with a silver hued dial, also retailing at $33,5000. Each reference was limited in production to 200 examples.
There is perhaps no more meaningful and deliberative process than creating a product to honor a brand’s namesake. For the 1815 200th Anniversary F.A. Lange, a pocket watch served as the brand’s design loadstar. Ferdinand Adolph Lange predated the modern wristwatch, so by and large, he worked in the pocket watch form factor. The dial of the 1815 200th Anniversary F.A. Lange does not betray this mid-19th century horological heritage. This is a three-hand presentation with small seconds—a timekeeping convention well represented in pocket watches. The same can be said of the domed bezel encircling the front of the 44mm case.
During his life, Lange witnessed the emergence of rail travel in Europe. Timekeeping was of critical importance to rail operators and passengers, as they needed to follow a train’s schedule. A railway minute track adorns the 1815 200th Anniversary F.A. Lange, as a nod to the historical importance of rail. The hours are marked with paint-applied Arabic numerals. The hour and minutes are indicated by alpha style hands. The finely crafted seconds hand ends in a diamond-shaped counterweight. In the platinum cased reference, hands are rendered in white gold, while the hands of the honey gold cased reference are in a matching gold hue. Both the 236.049 and the 236.50 references feature a horizontal satin finish on the side of the case. The unguarded crown is marked with the brand’s name.
Collectors will appreciate the relatively low 8.8mm profile of these timepieces. In part, this is attributable to the manual winding L051.1 movement. This eliminates the space required by an automatic rotor and winding train. The in-house calibre offers a 55 hour power reserve achieved, in part, through its cadence of 21,600 beats per hour (six ticks per second). As a point of reference, 28,800 has become the industry norm (4hz) of late, and a slower beat rate will consume less energy, thus delivering a longer reserve.
On exhibit through the display caseback is an exquisitely hand-engraved balance bridge which makes each of the 1815 200th Anniversary F.A. Lange examples completely unique. The watch’s timing is adjusted through a Reed’s whiplash regulator (also known as a swan neck regulator), a design which was patented by an American horologist in 1867. Coincidentally (or perhaps not) this was also the last year that A. Lange served as the mayor of his birthplace: Glashütte, Germany. At the end of the balance bridge is a free sprung screw balance wheel which offers four locations for adjustment.
There are two additional features that differentiate the L051.1 movement from similar haute horology mechanisms. The first is the three-quarter plate in untreated German silver, a material which ages to a warm golden patina with the passage of time. Lange himself introduced this design to his brand in 1864. It offers greater stability and integrity to the movement. From examination of vintage pocket watches, Lange & Söhne discovered that a three-quarter plate also offers greater protection from soiling compared to the more standard arrangement of multiple bridges. A three-quarter bridge asks a great deal of watchmakers as five pivots in the going train must be simultaneously and precisely aligned with the corresponding jewels on the plate before it is secured. The L051.1 offers other finely executed elements of finishing and attention to detail, such as Glashütte ribbing and chamfering.
The second unique aspect of the L051.1 is the method used to attach jewels to the plate. Most of the well-known luxury watch brands will press jewels into their movements. This technique involves a great deal of force and can risk cracking a jewel as a result. In the early years of watchmaking, cracked jewels were an expensive proposition to be avoided. The solution to this problem involved the use of a “chaton,” or bezel, for the jewel.
A softer metal is chosen for the chaton—for Lange movements, the choice is always gold. The jewel is then pressed into the chaton and there is less risk of damage. The chaton containing the jewel is then placed in a recess in the plate and held in place with flame blued screws. Each jewel setting takes on the appearance of a sapphire colored planet with a golden atmosphere and three (or two) blue moons in close orbit. The collection of these settings resembles a constellation suspended within the three-quarter plate, the oscillating gold balance wheel perhaps playing the role of sun and giving life to the gears beneath each jewel. It is a truism among collectors that turning a Lange & Söhne watch over and examining the movement is one of the most enjoyable aspects of ownership.
The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 200th Anniversary F.A. Lange timepieces in platinum and honey gold exemplify the long tradition of horology on offer from the brand. In tribute to their founder, Lange & Söhne leveraged the lessons learned from decades of pocket watch manufacturing to achieve top-tier design and performance. The 1815 200th Anniversary F.A. Lange is at once complex in its finishing and assembly yet simple and elegant in its functionality. It is a worthy addition to any collection.