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Beyond the Superlative: Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” Handwerkskunst

The fourth “Pour le Mérite” timepiece presented by A. Lange & Söhne in a limited 15- watch edition is a manifestation of artisanal virtuosity at the highest level. The case in honey-coloured gold accommodates two complications – a fusée-and-chain transmission and a tourbillon – both designed explicitly to achieve the highest degree of precision.

It was only last January at the Watch Salon in Geneva that the Saxon manufactory showcased its Richard Lange Tourbillon with the distinction “Pour le Mérite”. So far at Lange, this hallmark has been reserved for four exceptionally complicated watches endowed with the unique fusée-and-chain transmission. The ingenious mechanism assures that the going train is driven with a constant force across the entire power reserve duration, keeping the rate accuracy of the watch stable.

Inspired by a historic predecessor, this regulator takes horological artistry to a new level that merits the attribute “Handwerkskunst”: With exquisite dial and movement decorations, the Saxon masters demonstrate impressive new facets of traditional craftsmanship. Concurrently, the case in honey-coloured gold stands for the brand’s firm resolve to leverage technological progress in the interest of the discerning owners of Lange watches. With a Vickers hardness of over 300 HV, the innovative gold alloy is about twice as hard as yellow gold.

Crafted from the same material, the dial is decorated with a so-called tremblage. This is the name of a traditional engraving technique in which a lining burin is guided over the material with an orbital motion in eight different directions. The result is a delicate granular texture that resembles a three-dimensional satin finish. Its complement is the radiant solarisation on the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, which can be admired through the sapphire-crystal caseback. Finally, the fourth-wheel bridge is embellished with an elaborate relief engraving. Contrary to the more common intaglio engraving, this technique is used to sculpt the motif out of the material, in effect raising it from the background.

The miniature masterpiece is subsequently crowned with a diamond endstone that functions as a bearing for the tourbillon. Its patented stop seconds mechanism allows the watch to be set with one-second accuracy. A round aperture in the regulator dial exposes the system, which revolves and oscillates at the same time. To prolong the duration of the delightful mechanical ballet for the observer, the adjacent hour dial features a cutaway portion. But precisely at 6 o’clock, the missing segment pivots into place and completes the hour ring until it instantly vanishes again exactly at 12 o’clock. This extraordinary collector’s item is limited to 15 pieces that are available exclusively at the five A. Lange & Söhne boutiques in Dresden, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong.


Data sheet Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” Ref. 761.050

Movement: Lange manufacture calibre L072.1, manually wound, fusée-andchain transmission; crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards and largely decorated and assembled by hand;
precision-adjusted in five positions; three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver; fourth-wheel bridge engraved by hand

No. of movement parts: 351 (without chain); chain parts: 636
Jewels:32, of which one diamond endstone
Screwed gold chatons:3

Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillation system:Shock-resistant Glucydur® screw balance*, superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house, frequency 21,600 semioscillations per hour
Power reserve: 36 hours when fully wound

Functions: Time display in hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds; one-minute tourbillon with patented stop seconds; pivoting dial segment
Operating elements: Crown for winding the watch and setting the time
Case dimensions:Diameter: 41.9 millimetres; height: 12.2 millimetres
Movement dimensions:Diameter: 33.6 millimetres; height: 7.6 millimetres

Glass and caseback: Sapphire crystal (hardness 9)
Edition: 15 watches
Case: Honey-coloured gold
Dial: Solid honey-coloured gold, engraved by hand
Hands: Gold

Strap: Hand-stitched crocodile strap, red-brown
Buckle: Lange deployant buckle in solid honey-coloured gold

*Lange Uhren GmbH is not the owner of the Glucydur® trademark