As you will likely know, A. Lange & Söhne are celebrating 25 years since the launch of the Lange 1 and to co-inside with this, are releasing special limited-edition pieces. Just a few of days ago, Lange added yet another piece to the jubilee edition: The Lange 1 Time Zone. The Lange 1 Moon Time Zone uses the same basic layout and structure of the Lange 1 family but in addition features a world-timer function too. Not only is this new 25th anniversary Lange 1 Time Zone aesthetically pleasing but it also the perfect travel wrist companion.
The Lange 1 Time Zone is a watch that is all about efficiency in all aspects of the word. Inspired by the iconic and classic Lange 1 layout. It has been said that the Lange 1 has probably won more prizes than any other wristwatch of the new era, which then spurred the development engineers of Lange to endow it with a separate time-zone indication. No minute of the day, or night for that matter, is unaccounted for, with the trusty Lange in-house Calibre L031.1. The style of this watch is, of course, akin to every other watch crafted by Lange & Söhne, with the utmost importance being precision.
The main dial displaying the wearers home time or if they wish the time of the country they are visiting for pleasure or business, is placed in the traditional location of the Lange 1 at 9 o’clock. Looking closely at the main dial which, features circular gaining, you’ll find diamond shaped batons and polished Roman numerals at the 12, 3 and 9 o’clock positions that are highlighted by blued Alpha hands and blued steel subsidiary dial, displaying the running seconds at 6 o’clock.
The Lange 1 Time Zone shows the day and night phases with small dark arrows that sweep, along either bright or dark segments both for home time and for the time zone selected with the city ring. These two indicators are separate and synchronised, positioned on the home main dial at 12 o’clock and the other on the time zone sub dial at 8 o’clock, which is a welcome convenience. Through use of semi blue lines, day and night are indicated, helping to simplify the reading of time in a rush. The dial is fashioned from solid silver in and only available in Argenté Rhodié. The watch is manually wound and will provide up to 72 hours via its Doppelfederhaus, that is indicated by a power reserve gauge positioned at 3 o’clock.
Turning the timepiece over and looking through the sapphire display back you’ll see the movement. Consisting of twin mainspring barrels, the signature Gläshutte ¾ plate and bridges which are constructed of untreated German silver. Another wonderful touch is the balance cock and intermediate wheel cock, that are both personally engraved by hand, have also been graced with a blue line engraving with the anniversary number 25: Its typography and shape correspond to the Lange outsize date. The type of escapement is a lever, joined by screwed, polished gold chatons. The calibre Lo31.1 is made up of 417 components and this I believe to be a feat of excellence, when considering each one is assembled by hand, you have to respect the attentive and skilful nature of the timepiece. It also has, shock-proofed glucydur screws, a Nivarox balance spring with a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour and a whiplash precision index adjuster with a patented beat adjustment mechanism.
The 41.9mm case in 18-carat white-gold, is rather moderately sized and incorporate both polished and satin brushed surfaces. Located at 10 o’clock is a recessed pusher for switching the least intricate piece of the timepiece, the simplistic and iconic outsized date display. Located at 8 o’clock is a pusher that allows the wearer to advance the city-ring. The Lange 1 Time Zone is affixed to the wrist via a hand-stitched crocodile strap complementing the superiority of the watches unsurpassed precision. The strap features the iconic Lange prong buckle in solid white-gold, held closely by coved style lugs.
A.Lange & Söhne’s mission on the 25th anniversary journey, is to offer you nothing but the best and they have indeed created a multiple time zone wristwatch worthy of such praise. The Lange 1 by itself is a timepiece that has stood the test of time and with every iteration only gets better. But while the Lange 1 Time Zone offers a more chaotic dial layout it still provides a clean and clear reading in all aspects. This timepiece has been created for a particular person in mind, one that desires to carpe diem et noctem, a watch to capture the adventure that time offers, accompanied by a relentless piece of complex and unforgettable engineering.
The Lange 1 Time Zone 25th Anniversary is only available in white-gold and is limited to 25 pieces, with a retail price of £42,200. For more information on the Lange 1 Time Zone 25th Anniversary, visit the A. Lange & Söhne website.
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