A. Lange & Söhne | LANGE 1 TOURBILLON "25th Anniversary"
German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne is considered as a brand that innovates. A melange of watches that this 174-year-old company has launched so far, one of the most iconic has been the Lange 1 model (1994). A combination of traditional watchmaking artistry and technical innovation, it set a new benchmark in the early 90s.
The off-centre division of the dial, the characteristic outsize-date and the twin mainspring barrel with a power reserve of three days, makes the Lange 1 stand apart to this day. In 2000, the Lange 1 Tourbillon model was launched, which went to become the world’s first wristwatch with the unusual combination of a tourbillon, an outsize date, a three-day movement and a power-reserve indicator.
A. Lange & Söhne | LANGE 1 TOURBILLON “25th Anniversary”
This European titan has seen the worst times in its history during the World War II era, after which the company had to even reinvent itself. So this year, to mark the relaunch of the brand (1994) and more so, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Lange 1, a celebratory series – the Lange 1 Tourbillon “25th Anniversary collection has been launched.
In a 25-watch limited edition in white gold, it now completes the ten-part special series that celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Lange 1. Like all ten special editions of the anniversary collection, the 2019 version of the Lange 1 Tourbillon comes in silver and blue.
The 38.5-millimetre white-gold case sets the stage for a silver and argenté coloured dial, which contrasts with the blue steel hands. The inscriptions are printed in blue, including the numerals of the outsize date. Suspended between two diamond endstone, the one-minute tourbillon features a stop-seconds mechanism. This patented system allows the balance inside the rotating tourbillon cage to be stopped instantaneously.
A. Lange & Söhne | LANGE 1 TOURBILLON “25th Anniversary”
As part of the anniversary collection, the major milestones are being honoured with a total of ten limited editions in white gold. These iconic milestones include manually wound calibre L121.1; outsize-date display; freely oscillating balance spring manufactured in-house which combined with large eccentric poising weights ensure ultimate precision results; moon-phase display, two time zones display; a combination of a tourbillon and a perpetual calendar.
The special-edition watches have an argenté-coloured dial made of solid silver with deep-blue numbers; hour markers and date numbers; and a special engraving done by hand that shows 25 in a characteristic outsize-date window, framed by a floral pattern. The engraved lines are blue, which gives them a stunning appearance. For collectors, it comes with a watch box with all the ten models.