In perfect harmony
German craftsmen strive for a look that is crisp, clear and borderline utilitarian, writesCarl Cunanan
The German watchmakers of A. Lange & Söhne occupy a special place in the horological world. They are fanatical about their finishing, craftsmanship and work, and this makes their visible mechanisms amazingly intricate.
Despite this, their watches have a look of balance and harmony. This balance can be very hard to come by, particularly if you look at some of their pieces and see that they are not symmetrical and canted off to one side. Their first important modern watch, the Lange 1, has the dial off-centre.
The pieces are minimalist in some ways, yet the watchmakers have chosen to make some of the date windows particularly large and more readable. This may seem contrary to minimalism, but because of the balance they strive for, the look is almost always crisp, clear and borderline utilitarian.
The company has chosen the Watches&Wonders event, in which it is the only German brand to attend, to present its latest and greatest creation, the new Grand Complication. They are also unveiling two boutique-only limited editions, including a particularly eye-catching Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst (ref 720048) that highlights the by-hand engraving and finishing mastery of their craftsmen, and the Saxonia Automatic Outsize Date (ref 308.047).
"Watches&Wonders is a tribute to the highly developed watch culture in Asia, and brings the splendour of the SIHH [Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie] as a privileged venue for retailers and watch journalists to the region," says Wilhelm Schmid, CEO for Lange Uhren, which holds the watchmaker's trademark.
"A. Lange & Söhne already has a strong position in the Asian market. Watches&Wonders offers a great opportunity to intensify relations with the ever-growing community of watch enthusiasts and collectors in the region, who admire the technical and artisanal finesse of our timepieces."
The Grand Complication is an extremely complex mechanical movement that combines several important complications. It is a perpetual calendar, as evidenced by the different displays for day, date, month and leap year arranged cleanly and symmetrically on the dial.