A. Lange & Sohne
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DETAILS
Zeitwerk was launched in 2009, the first release consisted of four references: “Black Zeitwerk” 140.029 in white gold with a black dial (this watch), Ref. 140.021 in yellow gold with a light beige “champagne” dial, Ref. 140.032 in rose gold with a silver-plated dial and Ref. 140.025 in platinum with a rhodium-plated dial, which was released in a limited edition of 200 pieces and was already sold out in 2014. Zeitwerk was a very loud premiere, comparable to the press response to the relaunch of the brand collection in 1994 and the introduction of the Datograph chronograph in 1999. Decisive for this response were both the unusual design of the dial and the unique combination of complications with a digital display of the hours and minutes with instant advance and a constant-force escapement that, in addition to its main function of keeping the energy flow to the balance stable, generates control impulses to switch the digital time display. This very complex but no less elegant technical solution was, as it turned out, developed around the same time by another brand - F.P. Journe - but A. Lange & Söhne worked hard on it and was the first to present its development, winning the laurels of the winner of this unheralded race. The premiere of the timepiece was so impressive that the jury of the GPHG, nicknamed the “Oscar” of watchmaking, voted to award the brand the Grand Prix Aiguille dOr. Indeed, it was this timepiece version Ref. 140.029, nicknamed the “Black Zeitwerk”, that won the GPHG-2009.
REASONS TO BUY
The Zeitwerk is a wonderful story in its own right, one that has unfolded within the larger A. Lange & Söhne story since 2009. This Zeitwerk Ref. 140.029 “Black Zeitwerk” Mk2 in white gold holds a special, privileged position in this story, as it is the watch with the most impressive dial design of the four original 2009 Zeitwerk models – this version was awarded the prestigious Aiguille dOr, the top prize of the GPHG 2009, considered the “Oscar” of watchmaking. The historical significance of this design is underlined by a unique double complication and a first-class execution of the caliber L043.1, one of the undisputed masterpieces among the more than seventy manufacture movements developed by A. Lange & Söhne since 1990.
ABOUT THIS WATCH
The design of the Zeitwerk in general and the “Black Zeitwerk” in particular was developed as an adaptation of the idea of the 5-minute digital clock of the Dresden Semperoper, which was made in 1841 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the later founder of A. Lange & Söhne, and Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, his tutor and a Dresden court clockmaker. It is not the first time that this motif has been reflected in the design of a modern collection from the brand – this analogy was used in the development of the large date watch, which laid the foundation for the enthusiastic reception of the first collection in 1994. In contrast to the Lange 1 with its large date, the Zeitwerk almost literally adopts the display arrangement of the Semper Operas 5-minute clock with widely spaced hour and minute windows framed by the ZeitBrücke, i.e.”time bridge”,a part of the movement that has literally been moved to the dial to reduce the overall thickness of the watch. The unusual – and very unexpected for this Saxon brand with its intellectual Saxon style generously flavored with sweetness – shape of the time bridge in the form of a bat (one of the popular interpretations) – makes the appearance of the watch sufficiently provocative and harmonious due to the symmetry along two axes. This detail is particularly effective in the “Black Zeitwerk”, as it forms a strong contrast to the black dial. For this reason, the “Black Zeitwerk” is the most striking and memorable premiere of all four original Zeitwerks.
With its double complication invented by Lange, the caliber L043.1, the original Zeitwerk movement, has been given a very spectacular appearance that makes owning the watch a real pleasure. Two hand-engraved bridges (a Lange tradition), an intricate zigzag constant-force escapement bridge with an outer part in the shape of a sea anchor, screwed gold chatons, uncoated nickel silver bridges, sharp solarization of the winding gears and flat polishing of the winding barrel stopwork and escape wheel cap, engraved and gold-plated lettering… this movement has so many beauties to make the heart of every watchmaking connoisseur beat faster that few other calibers can match it in this respect.
After thirteen years of continuous production, the first generation of the Zeitwerk was discontinued in 2022. For the second generation Zeitwerk, known as Ref. 142.xxx, a new caliber L043.6 was developed, which is essentially a profound upgrade of the original caliber L043.1 to achieve a power reserve of up to 72 hours. The dial has received a facelift, with a narrower time bridge ring around the small seconds, while the original Zeitwerk design has been preserved in history and as a collectors item. The caliber L043.1, which was produced from 2009 to 2022, underwent two major changes during this time. The first change was a modification to the hairspring attachment, which received a spring lock in the 2010-2012 period (it looks like a “swan neck” spring of the balance regulator index, which is funny), and the second change was the removal of the minute disk pre-arming around mid-2017.
The collector thus has the opportunity to hunt for a Zeitwerk with three generations of the movement: the first (Mk1; ca. 2009 to 2012) with the original hairspring attachment and the pre-arming of the discs, the second generation (Mk2; ca. 2012 to 2017) with a modernized hairspring attachment and the pre-arming, and the third generation (Mk3; ca. 2017 to 2022)
Specifications
| D= | 41.9 |
| Glass | Sapfire glass |
| Dial | Black |
| Case material | White gold |
| Claps | Buckle |
| REF: | 140.029 |
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
