van lange en sohns

Going back to the operation of the clutch systems, once the split-seconds wheel has been grabbed and stopped by thescissor arms, the clutches must be disengaged in order to stop the flow of power to both the split minute and secondshands. This must happen after the scissor arms do their bit, but only a fraction of a second later. So here, in the photoabove, we get a view of the clutch mechanisms and their engagement and disengagement operation. "A" isthe lever that controls the engagement/disengagement of the clutches. There are two sets of three teeth (B and B')at either end of the lever "A" that are responsible for hooking onto the very fine teethof the clutch release wheels C and C' and turning thewheels in a counterclockwise direction about 30 degrees and thus disengaging both clutches instantly and simultaneously.Of course, when the split button is pressed again, the scissor arms release the split-seconds wheel, the clutches areengaged, and the split hands (minute and seconds) are instantly in perfect synchronization with their partners that havebeen happily recording the main event undisturbed. Imaginative and ingenious indeed!One final observation. We’ve talked a lot about the how the Double Split works. There is however a lot more toa fine watch – the time consuming hand-work that goes into the finishing of the components, each and every miniaturepart. Please have a very close look at this photo, at the graining, beveling, polishing, and even the sides of the leversand springs and try to imagine the time it takes a person to accomplish these standards of personal artistry that onlyhuman hands can bring to life. I strongly suggest you have a look at this animation provided by A. Lange & Söhne, you will certainly get aclearer idea of the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split and its special qualities.

A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Luminous (Ref. 140.035)Originally revealed a year ago, the gorgeous A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk manual-wind wrist watch started the digital revolution in the world of mainstream mechanical time keepers. Now, the new A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Luminous takes the idea even further.In fact, there are two main selling points for the A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Luminous. The one that gets noticed from the first glance is its semi-skeletonized dial, which is covered with a semi-opaque crystal highlighting the digital hour and minutes display with its already famous “Time Bridge” element, which is this time made of PVD-coated German silver.The second selling point is hinted in the watch’s name but remains hidden until after dark. You see, the watch’s jumping hour and minute Arabic numerals are covered with a luminescent substance that glows for several hours after the night comes. Must be pretty fascinating, that.The watch is powered by the same Caliber L043.1 manual-wind movement, which is housed in the same massive-looking round case 41.9 mm in diameter and only 12.6 mm high.Unfortunately, while the original Zeitwerk was available in rose, yellow and white gold, as well as platinum, the Zeitwerk Luminous comes only in an expensive platinum body, which makes it a really expensive piece of work. A. Lange & Sohne still stays mum about the model’s recommended price, but let me remind you that the original “Leap of time” model in platinum was priced at impressive €59,000, and this one is limited at only 100 pieces!