A Lange & Sohne Manual Wind Watches

SIHH 2010: A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual CalendarA. Lange & Sohne went a long way developing the most complicated in-house movements and an addition to their extensive line of models of an Annual Calendar watch was only a matter of time. I am so glad it is a Saxonia model that successfully combines elegant appearance with intelligent design.A little bit of total disclosure here: when it comes to dressy watches, I am a sucker for Lange. Okay, now that I have said it I can more or less safely admit that my heart is bleeding when I read a torrent of press releases issued by the German manufacture.I mean, some of these models cost like a decent three-bedroom suburbian house and are still out of my reach especially now, when the global financial crisis finally starts showing its ugly face (Yeah, I think this is just the beginning of the real crisis and Greece is just one of the first real countries to call it quits on its enormous sovereign debt. God, I wish I was too pessimistic about this.) Let’s get down to business, though.The new A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual Calendar comes powered by their recently developed L085.1 SAX-0-MAT automatic movement. Designed and built totally in-house, decorated and assembled by hand, this terrific example of German ingenuity sports Lange’s Zero-Reset function that makes the small second hand at 6 o’clock either fall back or spring forward to zero depending whether it is between 0 and 30 or 30 and 60 seconds position.Being an Annual Calendar, the watch is capable to show current date, day of week, month and even moon phase. It is not a perpetual calendar, so you will have to adjust the watch once a year, which is, let’s face it, still rather annoying. On the other hand, a perpetual calendar with leap year function would be a lot more expensive and more demanding to proper servicing, too.The movement seats inside a rather compact white (Ref. 330.026) or pink gold (Ref. 330.032) case 38.5 mm in diameter and only 9.8 mm in height, which is really wonderful for an automatic watch.

A Lange Tourbillon "Pour le Mérite" was recently sold at Antiquorum for $151,000.No. 107/150, was produced in a limited edition of 150 examples in 18kt gold in the 1990's, with only 15 produced in 18kt pink gold. This particular model was sold on March 3, 1999. Production of this reference started in 1994.The case in 18kt pink gold features a visible one-minute tourbillon regulator, with 36 hours of power reserve.Movement is the Lange Caliber L 902.0-No. 432, with a Glashütte three-quarter plate, with the movement being decorated and engraved by hand. It has 29 jewels including 5 in screw-mounted gold châtons, a tourbillon cage bearing 2 diamond endstones, a lateral lever escapement with a one-minute tourbillon regulator with polished-steel equidistant three-arm carriage, and a Glucydur balance with screws, adjusted to 5 positions.It also features a Nivarox balance-spring with overcoil invented by Prof. Strasser, power equalization with chain and fusée, maintaining power and stepped planetary gearing, shock-absorber, and a self-compensating Breguet balance-spring. The case diameter is 38mm.This is the only model produced today, utilizing power equalization with chain and fusée. It is only 12.3 mm. in diameter, with the tourbillon itself comprising 76 components, weighing less than half a gram. The planetary transmission gear, compensating for the decreasing power of the mainspring, is built into a miniature cone, measuring only 10 mm. in diameter at its base. Yet it comprises 38 separate parts.6/3/03