Watch Dandy

The A. Lange & Söhne “Pour le Mérite” watches go way back with the modern incarnation of A. Lange & Söhne; the very first was the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite,” which at the time of its introduction in 1994 was the very first wristwatch ever made with a fusée and chain. Yes, a fusée and chain is impractical in a wristwatch, and yes, it’s an anachronism (it takes up space, it’s not necessary in a modern watch with a lever escapement, balance spring, and which uses modern alloys for the mainspring).

The Zeitwerk family of watches is one of Lange’s most recognizable, even if it’s not quite as iconic for Lange as the Lange 1. Two chiming versions have been produced: the Zeitwerk Striking Time, which chimes on the hour and on the quarter hours, and the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater. The latter is a so-called decimal repeater; rather than chiming the hours, quarter hours, and minutes past the quarter hour, it chimes the hours, number of ten minute intervals past the hour, and number of minutes past the last 10 minute interval. Now we’ve got a third chiming Zeitwerk: the Decimal Strike, which chimes on the hour, and also at every ten minute interval.

The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 is kind of a cult favorite (at least of the cult I am in), so I am pretty excited to announce the new pink gold Little Lange 1 with a guilloché dial. Last year, we saw a lot from Lange, including the Saxonia Moon Phase, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, the Datograph Perpetual Calendar, the Lange 1 in white gold, and the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. Phew. Furthermore, just last month the German manufacture released the Lange 1 Moon Phase with hybrid moonphase indicator. Well, this year the Little Lange 1 is getting some attention with a little extra (understated) flair.