A. Lange & Söhne has, over the years, put together a body of work in complications that is as impressive for its depth as it is for its range. Sometimes that takes the form of inventive interpretations of established ideas such as the Zeitwerk. At other times, Lange works within the framework of traditional complications, but does so with a level of sophistication that goes beyond the expected. This year, Lange launches two calendar watches that are distinct in approach, but equally compelling – the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”, a luminous showstopper that combines a stops-seconds tourbillon with an instantaneous perpetual calendar, and the self-winding Saxonia Annual Calendar with a big date in a compact 36mm case.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” in platinum, its semi-transparent dial revealing luminous calendar displays and the signature off-centre layout

Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”

Every year, there’s usually one Lange everyone talks about and remembers. Last year, it was the Minute Repeater Perpetual; the year before, the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon “Lumen” in Honeygold. This year it is the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” in platinum, limited to 50 pieces. The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar first appeared in 2012. It is a watch that combines two complications that are themselves unusual in some aspects – a tourbillon with stop seconds as well as an instantaneous perpetual calendar with a peripheral month ring. 

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” has a platinum case that measures 41.9mm and a height of 13mm, which is slightly thicker than previous versions at 12.2mm, as it houses a new movement, the automatic calibre L225.1. Notably, the gear train has been reworked. In the earlier calibre L082.1, the going train drives the cage pinion from the left. The cage pinion then drives an intermediate wheel, which in turn drives the small seconds pinion, resulting in two wheels overlapping the tourbillon cage. The new train, however, drives the intermediate wheel directly and the latter drives the seconds pinon. Additionally, for the first time, it is fitted with a rotor in 18k white gold.

This calibre does away with a power reserve indicator, which was originally inside the subdial for the hours and minutes. However, it introduces an integrated day/night indication in the moon phase display, which was first seen in the Lange 1 Moon Phase. Instead of a single disc with two fixed moons as is convention, the disc is in the shape of a figure 8, with each end fitted with a gold moon. This moon disc sits above an independently rotating disc that represents the sky. Driven by the 24 hour wheel, one half of the disc shows a starless sky for daytime, while the other is rendered as a field of luminous stars to indicate night. 

A rare dial-side view of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” reveals the intricate mechanics driving its oversized date and calendar displays

A perpetual calendar is the most complex of under-dial complications, making it a great candidate for the Lumen treatment. Luminous material is applied to the calendar discs as well as all the indications and viewed through a semi-translucent dial. The effect in the dark is striking, but it also serves a practical purpose. The dial allows ultraviolet light to reach the discs even when their indications are not visible through the aperture, so that when they rotate into view, they are already fully charged. Without that, the display would fade as each new indication appears. 

One of the most impressive aspects of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is how the calendar indications – day of the week, month, and leap year as well as the moonphase – are seamlessly integrated into the familiar Lange 1 layout. The dial has been reworked as a mirror image of the original Lange 1, with the space once used for the power reserve now given over to the day of the week, while the moon phase is integrated into the small seconds.

It is not an easy thing to do, as the Lange 1 was conceived around a very specific display, with the large date as its anchor, and separate subdials for the hours and minutes and for the seconds. That architecture leaves very little freedom for additional indications, which have to be accommodated within it rather than imposed on top of it. The most ingenious aspect of the watch is the solution for displaying the month. Rather than adding another subdial or a window for which there is little space, Lange uses a rotating ring at the periphery of the dial. The ring is a 12 month program wheel, and a small pointer at 6 o’clock, along with a discreet aperture, indicates both the month and the leap year.

The inner edge of the month ring is concealed beneath the dial, but it is central to the mechanism. It is formed with a series of crests and troughs corresponding to the lengths of the months, effectively replacing the conventional program wheel. The raised sections correspond to 31-day months, while the lower sections represent the shorter months of 28 and 30 days. This arrangement requires a separate leap year program. Beneath the leap year disc is a wheel with a single raised notch that alters the travel of the grand lever to account for leap year. 

A detailed view of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” highlights its luminous moonphase and calendar displays against the layered, semi-transparent dial

All of the calendar indications switch simultaneously and instantaneously at midnight. The energy for the changeover is accumulated over the course of the day by a double cam system – one for the date, day of the week and moon phase on a daily basis, and the second one for the month ring – and then released in a single impulse. It is a solution that adds considerable complexity and demands very precise manufacturing and adjustment.

The tourbillon is equipped with a stop-seconds mechanism that halts the balance within the rotating cage when the crown is pulled, allowing the watch to be set to the second. This is achieved through a V-shaped arresting spring, a solution patented in 2008. Notably, the cocks for the tourbillon and the intermediate wheel are in black-polished steel. They are openworked on one end, forming sharp internal angles, while the opposite ends are hand-engraved with stars and finely polished.

Tech Specs: Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”

Movement: A. Lange & Söhne calibre L225.1, self-winding, 50-hour power reserve; 3Hz (21,600 vph)
Functions: Hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds; tourbillon with stop seconds; perpetual calendar with instantaneously switching displays for outsize date, retrograde day of week, month and leap year; moon-phase display with integrated day/night indication
Case: 41.9mm x 13mm, Platinum
Dial: Sapphire crystal; all displays luminous
Strap: Hand-stitched black alligator leather
Availability: Limited to 50 examples
Price: Upon request

The A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar 36mm debuts in white and pink gold, pairing refined proportions with a clean, highly legible annual calendar display

Saxonia Annual Calendar

Just as compelling, and in many ways the one that will matter more to more people, is the elegant and exceedingly practical Saxonia Annual Calendar in a compact 36mm by 9.8mm case. The 1815 Annual Calendar at 38mm was already about as good as it gets, but the shift to automatic winding here is a sensible choice. Complicated calendar watches, by their nature, often require slightly inconvenient adjustments, and anything that reduces the chances of them running down – and needing to be reset – is a very welcome thing. Better still, where the 1815 uses an analogue date, the Saxonia Annual Calendar features Lange’s signature outsize date. As an annual calendar, it requires correction only once a year at the end of February. Adjustment is straightforward; a single pusher at 10 o’clock advances all calendar indications and the moon phase in unison, while case correctors allow for individual setting if needed.

Close-up of the Saxonia Annual Calendar 36mm in pink gold, highlighting the outsized date and refined calendar subdials

The watch is offered in two versions – pink gold with a grey dial, and white gold with a silvered dial. The clarity of the dial is the result of a great deal of careful design, aimed at bringing a fairly dense amount of information into a layout that reads easily at a glance in a small watch. The subsidiary indications for the day, month and running seconds are set into slightly recessed sub-dials, which helps to separate them visually.

The Saxonia Annual Calendar 36mm reveals its moonphase display, set within a finely textured silver dial

Each of these displays is finished with azurage, but not in a uniform way. The outer rings are given a fine, almost delicate treatment, while the inner sections use a more pronounced pattern, creating a play of light that adds depth without becoming distracting. Even the applied baton markers have been reconsidered. Their outer ends are now subtly faceted, giving them a pyramidal profile that catches the light just enough to reinforce the sense of structure and legibility. 

The Saxonia Annual Calendar is powered by a new self-winding calibre, the L207.1, built very much along the lines you would expect. A unidirectional central rotor, fitted with a platinum mass, provides efficient winding, while a free-sprung screw balance beats at 21,600vph. Fully wound, the watch will run for about 60 hours, which is more than enough for everyday use.

The Saxonia Annual Calendar 36mm is powered by the automatic calibre L086.8, featuring a beautifully finished gold rotor and traditional German watchmaking details

As always with Lange, the movement finished to a level that repays a closer look. The hand-engraved balance cock, screwed gold chatons, black-polished swan neck spring and the range of traditional finishing techniques all speak to a very specific lineage, one that traces back to Saxon watchmaking of the 19th century. 

Tech Specs: Saxonia Annual Calendar

Movement: A. Lange & Söhne calibre L207.1, self-winding, 60-hour power reserve; 3Hz (21,600 vph)
Functions: Hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds; tourbillon with stop seconds; perpetual calendar with instantaneously switching displays for outsize date, retrograde day of week, month and leap year; moon-phase display with integrated day/night indication
Case: 36mm x 9.8mm, white or pink gold
Dial: 925 silver; argenté (white gold) and grey (pink gold)
Strap: Hand-stitched reddish-brown alligator leather,
Availability: Not limited
Price: In the range of €50,000