Produced almost exactly halfway through a limited run of 100 pieces, it features subtle hints of hand craft that stand the watch outside the roster of production variants of the Lange 1. The reference 112.021, also referred to as the Lange 1A, was the first limited edition piece of Lange 1 to ever be produced, and only the second such limited run watch in the entire line-up of the resurrected A. Lange & Söhne. Incidentally, when production began in 1998, it was also the first instance of the brand making use of a guilloché dial on a watch. This limited series is believed to have been produced to celebrate the opening of a new facility at the manufacturer, called Lange 1A. The watch is named after it. These design attributes of the watch, which we detail below, as well as the reference 112.021's place in the brand's history, have made it of particular note to enthusiasts of A. Lange & Söhne.
The 38.5mm case, crafted from yellow gold, has considerable presence on the wrist. It features a polished, domed bezel, with the caseback also wearing a similar finish in profile. The caseback features a flattened detail under the crown, designed to protect it. The midcase is satinated. At 10 o’clock, on the left flank of the case, is the squared pusher to manipulate the date complication. The classical lugs, subtly stepped from the case, both narrow towards the edges and curve down. The watch comes on a brown alligator strap secured by a solid gold, signed pin buckle clasp.
The watch face is almost uninterrupted in its aureate appearance. Built on a gold base, the dial is marked by the rather ornate execution of Lange 1’s characteristic off-centre time display. This register features a core with a radial roseate of guilloché. Outside it, separated by a rim of sauté piqué, lies a quarter of applied golden Roman hour markers, with printed black diamond markers in between. Further out is a chapter of printed minutes. Another sauté piqué rim overlaps with the subsidiary register that indicates the seconds. It mimics the layout of the main time display, with a guiloché centre. Outside the registers, the dial wears guilloché of the same radial pattern, as if emanating from the centre. An up-down power reserve indicator is located at 3 o’clock. The hours and minutes hands, as well as the hand that indicates the reserve, are crafted from gold, as are the windows of the twin aperture date display. In fact, the date disc itself are also of a golden hue with black Arabic numerals. The only exception is the heat-blued hand in the subsidiary seconds register.
On the movement side, the rim of the caseback features engraved details such as the brand mark, precious metal hallmarks, place of origin, and its number out of 100. Through the sapphire crystal is visible the manual-wind calibre L901.1, an advancement on the calibre L901.0. It extracts 72 hours of reserve out of a twin barrel or “doppelfederhaus” setup. It features a lever escapement, and the balance beats at 21,600 A/h. True to the brand’s style, it is impressively finished with the dominant three-quarter plate, made of German silver, of course, decorated with Glashütte ribbing with chamfering and anglage done by hand. The visible working jewels are ensconced in gold chatons, while all visible screws are heat-hued to a vibrant blue.
What sets the calibre in Lange 1A apart is the liberal application of precious metals. The levers and escape wheel are crafted from white gold, while the balance as well as the base of the escapement cocks are not only fashioned from solid yellow gold, but they feature beautiful hand-engraved details. Closer inspection reveals that the pallet lever underneath the balance wheel, also forged from yellow gold, features similar engravings.
The reference 112.021 represents a bonafide rarity not just to collectors of interesting variations of the Lange 1 but to those who appreciate superlative executions of aesthetics that have come to define their maker's brand.
