In 2010, A. Lange & Söhne celebrated the 165th year of the founding of the house in Glashütte with a trio of watches as part of a special 165 Years – Homage to F.A. Lange Collection. The homage to Ferdinand Adolph Lange included a Tourbograph ‘Pour le Mérite’ as well as the Lange 1 Tourbillon. The third watch in this celebratory limited edition was the 1815 Moonphase.
Inspired by the 1815 Moonphase ‘Emil Lange’ that came in 1999, and paid tribute to Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s son, the 1815 Moonphase Homage is a celebration of the brand’s founder. This watch is one of 265 pieces created.
The 37.5mm case is classically proportioned and forged from ‘Honeygold’, a proprietary alloy known as much for its pale, understated hue, as it is for its scratch resistance. The signed buckle affixed to its brown, alligator leather strap is also crafted from the same material.
The case is a visual feast of alternating finishes. The satin-finished mid case is flanked on one side by a high polished, domed bezel. On the other is the caseback, with high polished, bevelled edges, similarly mirror-finished. It gives way to a satin-finished bezel that surrounds the sapphire crystal through which the wearer can view the beautifully decorated manually wound calibre. This bezel also wears engraved details such as the precious metal hallmarks, serial number as well as the brand name and the piece’s number out of the 265 pieces that were created in the series. The crown is signed while on the flank at the 10 o’clock position is a corrector to adjust the moonphase.
It's only right when discussing A. Lange & Söhne that we talk first about the movement before the face. Based on the calibre L941.1, the L943.2 in this piece is identical in specification, featuring 21 jewels, beating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour and offering 45 hours of autonomy. It is elegantly finished, in the style of pocket watches of old. The three-quarter-style bridge is made from the nickel-copper-zinc alloy that gives it the characteristic German silver appearance we associate with the brand. An elegant damaskeening pattern radiates from the centre of the bridge. The working rubies visible on the bridge are ensconced in gold chaton held in place by heat-blued screws that give the calibre a pleasing aesthetic. The brand name is hand-etched in gold in elegant calligraphy, another aesthetic reference to pocket watch movements. The edges of the bride wear mirror-finish anglage. The balance bride is beautifully hand engraved while the swan neck regulator is black polished. The balance features an overcoil hairspring to aid linear timekeeping no matter the orientation of the watch.
The dial is crafted from sterling silver, galvanised to give it a pearlescent shade and finish. Mirroring the finishing on the calibre, emanating from the centre of the dial is guilloché of a radial pattern, created by rose lathe. As is typical of the 1815 line, the watch has a chapter of black Arabic numerals, as well as a chemin de fer track running outside it. The offset subsidiary seconds register also features a chemin de fer track and the minutes printed in black. The leaf style seconds hand, with an arrow-style counterweight, as well as the alpha-style hours and minutes hands are heat-treated to a shade of blue that matches the hue of the moonphase display at 8 o’clock. As is customary with the brand, the moonphase disk is crafted from gold.
