A. Lange & Söhne has added new versions of its Lange 1 Time Zone (in platinum) and the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar (in white gold).

The original Lange 1 Time Zone (2005) was superseded by in 2020 by an updated model, about which we wrote here, which featured the new in-house Calibre L141.1 alongside some design changes. Now, the new variant combines a 950 Pt case with a rhodium-coloured dial made of solid silver. To see the differences between the earlier and current model, click on that link to read the earlier article.

The Lange 1 Time Zone displays the time in 24 time zones. The home time is on the larger of the two off-centred dials, and the second time zone is displayed on the smaller one. There is the classic Lange outsize date, a power reserve indicator, and a rotating adjustable city ring for the setting of the second time zone. There are day/ night displays (via a coloured ring linked to the hour hands) and a daylight saving indicator for the second time zone. A red colour in the arrow indicates if the selected city and time zone have daylight saving time.

You activate the corrector at 8 o’clock to adjust the city ring, whereupon the hour hand in the small secondary dial advances by one hour and now indicates the zone time of the city/ time zone at which the gold applied arrow marker points.

When the time is adjusted with the crown, both displayed times are corrected simultaneously. A feature retained from the 2005 model is the adjustment of the second time zone. When the pusher at 8 o’clock is pressed, the city ring jumps from west to east by one time zone. This simultaneously activates the hour hand in the smaller dial, which advances by one hour and now indicates the zone time of the city indicated by the aforementioned golden arrow.

The Lange 1 Time Zone has a useful synchronisation mechanism that allows the wearer to transfer the zone time from the smaller to the larger dial when travelling so the current local time is more easily read.

If the crown is pulled out to the second position, the times of both zones can be adjusted synchronously. But if the button for setting the second time zone is pressed and held, the hour hand for subsidiary time zone dial is ‘frozen’ in place, which allows the former home time on the large dial to be changed to the new ‘local time’ by turning the crown. Depending on where you are, it may now be necessary to correct the date, which is connected to the main time. This is done via the pusher at 10 o’clock.

As mentioned, this new variant has the same Calibre L141.1 which beats at 21,600 VPH and has a power reserve of 72 hours, with the Lange three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver and hand-engraved balance cock and an intermediate-wheel cock, all visible through the sapphire-crystal case back.

The size is the same as the other two models – 41.9mm with a thickness of 10.9mm.

Now onto the second new model variant – the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar combines a split-seconds (rattrapante) chronograph with a perpetual calendar in a new 41.9mm sized 18k white gold case with a pink gold dial and is a boutique exclusive model limited to 100 pieces. This is the third A. Lange & Söhne watch with an 18-carat pink gold dial – the others are the Datograph Tourbillon (2019) and the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar (2021).

On the solid rose gold dial, alongside the four sub dials, are hands in a mix of rhodiumed gold and blued steel, and markers in rhodiumed gold.

As its name indicates, the functions, alongside the hours/ minutes/ seconds, are a rattrapante chronograph and perpetual calendar with date, day of week, month, moonphase and leap year, plus a power reserve indicator.

The two pairs of combined calendar indications are at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. The latter sub dial shows the date and day of the week, and the former, the month and leap year. At 6 o’clock is a sub dial which is both seconds and a moon phase. The minute counter and power-reserve indicator are at 12 o’clock – the shorter inner gold hand is the power reserve and the blued steel longer hand indicates the stopped minutes.

Alongside the crown (for winding and setting the time) are two chronograph pushers, a pusher to operate the rattrapante, and correctors for advancing the date, day of week, month and moonphase.

Powering it is the manually wound in-house Calibre L101.1 with a column wheel chronograph which beats at 21,600 VPH and has a power reserve of 42 hours. As usual, the plates and bridges made of untreated German silver and the balance cock is hand-engraved.

The new limited edition 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar White Gold brings the number of variants of this model to three – the others are in platinum with an argenté dial, and pink gold with an argenté dial.

[Photo credit: A. Lange & Söhne]

Categories: A. Lange & Söhne, German watches, GMT/ dual/ worldtimer, Limited Editions, Watch Profile, watches

Tags: Perpetual calendar