A Lange & Sohne Saxonia Watches

The fourth A. Lange & Sohne timepiece honoured with the distinction "Pour le M��rite" embodies a fus��e-and-chain transmission as well as a tourbillon with a patented stopseconds mechanism. The underlying purpose shared by both of these grand complications is to improve rate stability and precision. The prominent regulator dial with its fascinating pivoting segment was inspired by a famous historic paragon. There is hardly another watchmaker who can take more credit for the advancement of precision horology in Saxony than Johann Heinrich Seyffert (1751-1817). At the royal court and among scientists, his timepieces were immensely popular. His design concepts influenced the most talented artisans of his guild, elevating the art of horology in Dresden to new heights. In 1845, this trend culminated in the establishment of the first German watch manufactory by Ferdinand A. Lange. The circle of prestigious buyers of Seyffert's fewer than one hundred exquisite timepieces also included the famous explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. For his expedition to South America, he acquired a Seyffert chronometer and took the time in 1797 to travel to Dresden expressly to learn the art of navigation with a sextant and barometer. According to Humboldt's notes, Seyffert's chronometer was accurate to four or five seconds a day and when stationary, its rate accuracy even improved to less than one second in 24 hours. Even today, two hundred years later, this degree of precision is nothing short of impressive. The regulator he crafted in 1807 is a particularly attractive exemplar. It is now part of the collection of the Mathematics and Physics Salon in Dresden. Its dial features three intersecting circles for the time indications. In its calibre, a fus��e-and-chain mechanism is responsible for the constant transmission of power. This watch, with the serial number 93, was the blueprint for the RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON "Pour le M��rite". It reflects Seyffert's quest for horological perfection in a contemporary interpretation as an exclusive regulator for the wrist, dedicated totally to mechanical precision. The overlapping circles of the off-centre dials are what first meet the eyes of connoisseurs who study the face of the RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON "Pour le M��rite": the large minute circle at the top is the dominant element that hovers over the slightly smaller subdials for the seconds and hours to the left and right of the vertical centre axis. The dial layout has its origins in the precision regulators that since the 18th century were used for calibration by timekeeping services and observatories but also by manufactories for synchronising new watches. To prevent any confusion of the hour and minute hands under sometimes less than ideal light conditions, they were positioned on different axes of the dial. In the RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON "Pour le M��rite", a round cut-out in the seconds dial, traversed by the minute scale and by the recessed tourbillon bridge, reveals the tourbillon cage. But the tourbillon can be admired in its entirety only from twelve to six o'clock. At six, a dial segment with the Roman numerals VIII, IX, and X instantaneously pivots into the aperture to make the hour scale complete. The motion is generated by an ingenious switching mechanism, which assures that the dial segment is advanced by 90 degrees in increments of six hours. Thanks to this remarkable feature, the watch tells the time unambiguously during the morning and the evening as well. At twelve o'clock, the hours dial segment vanishes as quickly as it appeared and for the next six hours again fully exposes the tourbillon as it concurrently revolves and reciprocates. Its task is to offset rate deviations that can potentially be caused by the effect of gravity on the balance wheel. With a patented stop-seconds mechanism, the tourbillon can be halted simply by pulling the crown, allowing the time displayed by the watch to be set to one-second accuracy. Its bearing on the caseback side is a diamond endstone secured in a screwed gold chaton. This noble setting was one of the hallmarks of the legendary Lange pocket watches that belonged to the manufactory's eminent "1A" quality category. The exceptional timepiece with the mesmerising dial bears the attribute "Pour le M��rite", a distinction that has been conferred on a Lange watch only three times since 1994. It reverently alludes to the order of merit for extraordinary accomplishments in the sciences and arts initiated by Alexander von Humboldt in 1842. The honour is bestowed only upon exquisite A. Lange & Sohne complications that incorporate the unique fus��e-and-chain transmission. With a clever implementation of the principle of levers, it equalises the gradually waning force of the mainspring and keeps the effective torque �C and thus the amplitude of the balance �C constant across the entire power-reserve period of 36 hours. Moreover, a planetary gearing assures that this constant force delivery is maintained without interruption even while the watch is being wound. The captivating inner life of the filigreed marvel can be admired in detail through generously sized openings in the three-quarter plate. Specifications: The case, in platinum done in a limited edition of 100 pieces or in 18kt rose gold, measures 42mm x 12mm, it has a sapphire crystal and a sapphire display back. Movement is the German manual-wind Lange in-house caliber L072.1 with 32 jewels, 21,600 vph and a power reserve of 36 hours. It is precision-adjusted to five positions, decorated and assembled by hand, with a three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver. Functions are hour, minutes, subsidiary seconds, one minute Tourbillon with patented stop seconds and pivoting dial segment.

The unveiling of a monument to Ferdinand A. Lange by 15 apprentices of the company's own watchmaker school was the highlight of a ceremony at which Lange Uhren GmbH inaugurated the A. Lange & Sohne Park in Glash��tte on 15 July. With this, the company pays tribute to the founder of Germany's fine watchmaking industry, who opened the first watchmaker workshop in the region in 1845 with 15 apprentices. Also among the more than one hundred guests was his great grandson Walter Lange, who has carried on the family tradition since reunification, as well as the Vice President of the Saxon State Parliament, Andrea Dombois. In her word of welcome she honoured the social involvement of the company which is expressed in so many ways, even beyond the creation of highly qualified jobs. A current example is the tourist guide system for Glash��tte, recently initiated by Lange, which guides visitors to the sights of the city. The more than 3,000 square metre park was designed by the landscape architects Michael Wolf and Dirk Radzanowski from Penig in Saxony, and built by the company Gr��nkonzept from Bannewitz near Dresden. The bronze bust of Ferdinand A. Lange is the work of the Swiss sculptor, Beat K��nzler. A musical setting at the ceremony was provided by the American mezzo-soprano Emily Righter and the Italian baritone Andr�� Schuen. Both are stipendiaries of the "Young Singers Project" of the Salzburg Festival, with which the company maintains a close partnership. This coming Sunday, visitors who come to the city of Glash��tte can be the first to discover a new park abound with roses, hedges, ornamentals, and grasses. On the occasion of the summer festival organised by the S?chsische Zeitung, A. Lange & Sohne is opening the doors to its manufactory and inviting the public to get acquainted with precision watchmaking in many different ways. The planned ascents in a tethered balloon are likely to be very popular: they offer a totally new outlook on Glash��tte as a hub of horology.