A Closer Look At The New A. Lange & Sohne Platinum Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar And More

(This article by Roberta Naas first appeared on Forbes.com.)

At Watches & Wonders Shanghai  ast week, participating brands made a splash. German brand A. Lange & Sohne is one of them with its announcement of a partnership with the Dresden State Art Collective and its partnership with multiple Classic Concours events. Additionally, the brand unveiled the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar in a platinum case with a unique new dial in black.

The new platinum Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar watch joins the previously launched white gold with pink-gold dial (150 pieces), and the pink-gold version with solid silver dial (150 pieces). The new 41.9mm platinum model is especially alluring thanks to the black solid-silver dial that contrasts nicely with the moon-phase display with integrated day/night indicator.

A journey around the dial showcases the month ring on the outer perimeter (that advances instantaneously at the end of each month), the off-center hour/minutes subsidiary dial at 3:00, the moonphase indicator, with day/night indication, between 7:00 and 8:00, the outsized date via window apertures at 10:00. The day of week pointer indication is in arc format on the left side of the dial running from 8:00 to 10:00. All of the calendar indications can be advanced collectively or separately and are accurate until 2100.

The harmoniously balanced dial offers nice contrast between the numerals for the outsized date and the leap year indication and the black background. Additionally, the bright blue graduated-hues (lighter blue for day and dark blue for night)  solid gold moonphase disc with white-gold moon stands out nicely. The disk rotates around its axis once very 24 hours. The moon reflects the synodic orbit of 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds and is so precise that it only needs to be corrected by one day after 122.6 years.

The watch is powered by the complex 621-part self-winding caliber L021.3 that is meticulously finished by hand and is assembled twice. It boasts a unidirectional winding rotor in 21-karat gold  with a centrifugal mass in platinum. The movement is visible via a transparent sapphire case back.  It offers 50 hours of power reserve. The watch is finished with a hand-stitched black leather strap.

Production will be limited simply due to the sheer complexity and time it takes to build a single movement. The watch is only available for sale at A. Lange & Sohne boutiques.

Art, Cars and A. Lange & Sohne

Hailing from the Saxony region of Germany, it naturally makes sense that A. Lange & Sohne would partner with the Dresden State Art Collections,  which it has been doing since 2006.

This year, the brand is supporting the recently unveiled exhibition entitled “Gerhard Richter. Overpainted Photographs” by the Gerhard Richter Archive. It runs from August to November 19, 2023. Richter, a Dresden native, is an important contemporary artist.

In America, A. Lange & Sohne is sponsoring the Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance that takes place September 28 through October 1, 2023, at The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. This is not the brand’s first involvement in classic car events, but it is the first partnership with an automobile show in America.  The Newport Concours d’Elegance, presented by A. Lange & Sohne for the first time, celebrates the elegance of mechanics and the beauty of classic design.

“Classic cars and mechanical watches represent values that are important to us,”  said Lange CEO, Wilhelm Schmid. “Cars represent freedom and independence. Watches symbolize the preciousness of time. We move and identify with them. This forms the basis of our partnerships in the classic car segment.”