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A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le MeriteIn January, 2011 the renowned German watch Manufacture will officially reveal the new member of the highly exclusive Pour le Merite series, the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Merite hand-wound watch.Available both in limited edition platinum or unlimited rose gold case, the watch will be equipped with Lange’s signature fusee-and-chain transmission.The transmission allows for more uniform transfer of energy from the mainspring barrel to the going train, but, consisting of whole 636 parts, is difficult to build and is therefore reserved only for the high-end pieces of the brand.Another interesting feature of the upcoming model is a one-minute tourbillon with stop-seconds function. Simply put, the tourbillon stops and the second hand switches to a “0″ position every time you want to adjust the watch, thus allowing for more accurate setting of the timekeeper.A. Lange & Söhne would not be true to its roots if it didn’t equip the watch with one more function, which is more about pleasing the eye, rather than about function.As you can see on the pictures, there is a cutaway at the subsidiary seconds subdial, which is located between 7 and 8 o’clock and overlaps the hours display standing between 4 and 5 o’clock.When the hour hand comes past 6 o’clock, there instantly appears a pivoting segment of the subdial with VIII, IX and X numerals printed on it. The segment stays on its place until the hour hand reaches the 12 o’clock position and then again disappears in a blink of an eye.Of course, such a complication requires a great deal of energy to accomplish four times a day, but the manufacture-made Calibre L072.1 manual-wind movement still features a pretty decent power reserve of 36 hours.Built of 351 parts (not including the fusee-and-chain mechanism,) the movement features three screwed gold chatons, Glucydur screw balance and an in-house balance spring.This relatively slow movement beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour.As usual for the German brand, the watch is supplied in a very elegant and refined case that measures 41.90 mm in diameter and only 12.20 mm high.If the timepiece was not that expensive, it would be the first on my wish list.

What is in the Wunderbox (wonderbox)? Why it is filled with the three ultra-exclusive A. Lange & Sohne "Pour le Merite" watches. The are the first-run pieces made of the featured models, each with a "0/50" serial number, and sits comfortably in this leather-lined wooden box. First is the 1994 released Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Merite." It was the world's first one minute tourbillon to combine a fusee and chain complication in a wrist watch. Some might have though it to be mechanical complication insanity, I on the other hand agree that it deserves its namesake merit award. In the middle we see the Tourbograph "Pour le Merite" watch from 2005. Another first for A. Lange & Sohne, this watch takes the complicated nature of the 1994 Tourbillon and adds at a rattrapante (double time) chronograph into the mix. The inevitable headache you could have trying to understand how the watch functions gets diminished when you are charmed by the loveliness of its exterior. Last in the Wunderbox is Lange's newest fusee and chain complication based watch, this time without a tourbillon - the Richard Lange "Pour le Merite" just released this year. A stellar collection of treasures easily among the world's finest timepieces. Each of the stunning watches are in platinum and devilishly luxurious. To view them on your wrist, and then again closeup at the movement running really is a wonder. The Wunderbox name is no exaggeration - to be lucky enough to acquire all three gives you the opportunity to instantly improve your mood just by spending some time with these uber exclusive watch delicacies. Unfortunately this Wunderbox is not for sale exactly, as it was part of the A. Lange & Sohne exhibit at SIHH last month. At least now you know who keeps all the "0/XX" watches in a limited edition run. Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com. Gallery: A. Lange & Sohne Wunderbox watches