THE watch
for A. Lange & Söhne and easily if not the top watch of year 2013.
Heck, more likely that this watch will be forever known, among the all
time greats. This Grand Complication marks the debut of a
timepiece of stunning complexity and perfection. With a grande
sonnerie, a perpetual calendar, and a split-seconds chronograph with
flying seconds, it features a density of complications that is uncommon
even in the category of grand complications. Only six of these will be
produced, in 50mm pink gold cases. And on top of this exclusivity, I
believe this is the most complicated piece every produced by Lange (to
be confirmed).
The five-part enamel dial unites numerous indications in a balanced
layout. Small gold hands are used for the calendar displays. The
subsidiary dial on the right-hand side indicates the date, the one on
the left the day of the week, and the upper one the month as well as the
leap year. The red 4 marks the beginning of a leap year. The small
blued hands and the slender centre-hand pair are assigned to the
chronograph-rattrapante function. The minute scale in the upper
subsidiary dial shows the stopped minutes, the blue centre hand the
intermediate times in seconds, and the gold centre hand the final
stopped time. The flying seconds in the lower subsidiary dial indicates
fractional times to an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. The moon-phase
display is located behind it.
SCHEMATIC VIDEO
GRAND SONNERIE
Lange: “The grande sonnerie is especially daunting for the
watchmaker. He is not only responsible for precisely adjusting the
switching sequences of the individual parts but also for the richness of
the sound. Tuning is performed exclusively by hand and “by ear”. The
grand and small strikes automatically indicate the time in quarter-hour
intervals.When the slide at 8 o’clock is actuated, the minute repeater
will indicate the time to one-minute accuracy. The acoustic time is
mechanically sampled from three so-called snails in the middle of the
movement. The low-pitched tones indicate the hours, the high-pitched
ones the minutes, and the double tones the quarter-hours. The striking
mechanism has its own spring barrel, which delivers enough power for 24
hours.”
SPLIT SECONDS CHRONO WITH FLYING SECONDS
Lange: “With its 248 parts, the split-seconds chronograph mechanism
is the most complex ensemble of this watch. Operated by the two push
pieces on the top left and right sides of the case flank, it can measure
the duration of an event and any number of intermediate times. The
chronograph and rattrapante functions are controlled by two separate
column wheels.
A mechanical rarity, the flying seconds mechanism indicates fractions
of a second in a subdial of its own. Its specially designed escapement
assembly includes a wheel with 30 teeth and a 5-pointed star. These
elements allow the hand to perform its movements as fast as lightning
and with the utmost precision. The energy needed for this rare
additional chronograph function is so considerable that a third spring
barrel is needed to deliver it.”
PERPETUAL CALENDAR
Lange: “The perpetual calendar mechanism emulates the Gregorian
calendar. Not only does it know how many days each month has in the
course of a year, it is also aware of the fact that February has 29 days
in leap years. It needs to be adjusted by one day – in 2100 for the
first time – because the Gregorian calendar omits the 29th of February
in centenary years that are not divisible by 400. The duration of each
month is coded into a 48-segment wheel with recesses that are
mechanically sampled by the date switching lever. The deeper the recess,
the shorter the month.”
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