IntroductionAround 22 years ago, the Lange 1 made its world debut, much to the amazement of the press and many of the world’s esteemed jewellers and watch dealers who were present when A. Lange & Söhne announced its return. So exotic was the asymmetric, off-centred dial design that its first introduction was met with stunned silence, followed by a rapturous applause - and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, the Lange 1 is an icon. It is one of high horology’s darlings, one of its most recognisable watches. When you think of A. Lange & Söhne, you envisage the Lange 1. At the time of writing, the Lange 1 family consists of about 11 variants. One such variant is the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase. The 2014 novelty was actually not the first Lange 1 timepiece to feature a moon phase indicator. That honour belonged to the Lange 1 Moon Phase. How then, you may ask, could Lange justify another moon phase complication in the same family of watches? Quite simply put, the two watches aren’t quite the same. For one, the Grand Lange 1 variant is more contemporarily-sized with a 40.9 mm case diameter versus the 38.5 mm case diameter of the Lange 1 Moon Phase. For another, instead of dwelling within the seconds sub-dial as per usual, the moon phase indicator is the star of the show in the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase, having been promoted to the much larger hour and minutes sub-dial.
The Shop-frontThe first thing you notice as with any Lange 1 timepiece is the somewhat quaint dial layout. The dial is completely asymmetrical yet at the same time, balanced and harmonious. Some say it is Saxon magic, but the old masters would tell you it’s because every element on the dial was designed based on the proportions of the golden ratio.
The dial of the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase is made of solid silver while the date frame and every hand and hour marker is made of gold. At the traditional 1 o’clock position, you have the iconic Lange big date (ironically realised thanks to a patent donated by Jaeger-LeCoultre) inspired by the five-minute clock in the Semper Opera House in Dresden, Saxony. At 3 o’clock, you have an ‘Ab/Auf’ power reserve indicator; the indicator hand points to ‘Auf’ when the watch is fully wound and ‘Ab when it is completely out of power. The hand drops from one marker to another for each passing day the watch has not been wound, so by the end of the third day, the hand enters the red zone where the watch would still run but timing accuracy is no longer guaranteed.
Just under the power reserve indicator is the small seconds sub-dial featuring a circular guilloché pattern that adds texture and contrast to the dial. On the left side of the dial is where you will find the hour and minutes sub-dial along with its resident moon phase indicator. You can tell the time by the gorgeous lancet-style hour and minute hands and gold applied roman numerals and diamond markers. But let’s be honest, telling the time on a watch like this is secondary; you will instead spend your gazing moments mesmerised by the stunning moon phase indicator.
The indication of the phases of the moon is undoubtedly the most poetic, romantic and (admittedly) useless complication in horology. In the Grand Lange 1, it lends its unique charm to an otherwise ‘cold’ dial. Elevated to the centre stage, the moon phase indicator is given a more prominent role on the dial and it fulfils its duty quite spectacularly. Moon phase indications have historically been a more poetic complication, primarily for creating emotions, achieved by enhancing the aesthetics of the timepiece it adorns. As such, the amazing people at A. Lange & Söhne applied a patented blue coating to the gold moon phase disc that more effectively absorbs all non-blue hues, creating an intense blue tone for the eye to behold. From there, a laser is used to cut out the solid gold moon and more than 300 stars of varying sizes, producing a glorious imagery of the night sky.
The Business EndPowering the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase is the in-house manufactured calibre L095.3. The watch beats at a stately 3 Hz and features twin manually-wound mainspring barrels that provide a solid 72 hours of power reserve. In typical Lange fashion, the movement of this piece is opulently finished and decorated. Just on the ¾ plate (a signature of many Lange movements and an ode to German watchmaking tradition) alone, you can observe gorgeous Glashütte ribbing, heat-blued screws, black-polished bevels and lustrous rubies pressed into gold chatons. In fact, it gets better: as the watch ages, the ¾ plate, made of raw German silver (an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel), develops a rich golden patina that is sought after by many of the brand’s watch collectors.
As with every Lange timepiece, the balance cock is engraved with a floral pattern that has become somewhat of a trademark of the brand. What is most fascinating is that the style of the engraving (which is unique to each of the 6 or so master engravers who work with Lange) can be traced back to the individual master engraver who had worked on the particular balance cock. This gives every Lange timepiece a sense of uniqueness as no single balance cock is the same.
Unseen from the caseback is the important mechanism that drives the moon phase complication. Unlike in conventional watches, the moon phase indicator of the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase does not jump once per day. Instead, it is in constant motion (just like the moon) because it is continuously driven by the hour-wheel continuum. This also allows for the indicator to be 99.9978% accurate, requiring only an adjustment of one day every 122.6 years (instead of the usual 2.5 years of lesser moon phase indicators)! Just remember to tell the great-grandkids to push the hidden pusher located at 8 o’clock once.
On the WristThe yellow gold Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase has been with me for about 7 months and not a day goes by where I do not quietly (and sometimes expressively) adore it. On the wrist, the watch sits flat and has a slender profile as its thickness is less than 10 mm. This allows the watch to comfortably slip under any tight dress cuff. The watch comes with a light brown alligator leather strap which gives the whole timepiece a very vintage-casual look. To dress it up, all one has to do is to swap the brown strap for a black one and you get a very traditional yellow gold-on-black look.
While the bezel is mirror-polished, the mid-section of the case is satin brushed, and this contrast imbues to the watch a casual vibe. The crown is the perfect size for winding and may I add that winding this watch is a privilege, not a chore. Not only do you feel the resistance when winding the watch, the soft ratcheting noise it makes is also pure aural pleasure.
There is also a convenient date quick-set button located at 10 o’clock, which I must say I am always tempted to press for no reason other than to feel and hear the date-change mechanism in action. With this watch, it really is about all the little things coming together to give you a wholesome experience.
The watch also comes with a multi-faceted solid gold pin buckle with the manufacturer’s name engraved. It is very well-crafted as you would expect from the manufacturer.
Personally, I chose the yellow gold version of this watch because I wanted to take ‘the road less travelled’ and because I felt that the yellow gold moon looked best against the intense blue backdrop of the moon phase disc. I know I described the dial as a bit ‘cold’ but I think that’s not entirely accurate. Truth is, under different lighting conditions, the dial alternates between creamy white, silver and champagne. I did not expect this initially but I do love a dial that dances with light!
The only downside I can think of is that the hour and minutes sub-dial does suffer a bit in terms of legibility due to the presence of the moon phase display. It is worst when the full moon is up and the gold hands superimpose against the gold moon. This minor impairment, however, does not matter much to me, because every time I look at my watch, it would be for anything BUT telling the time because every element on the dial is just so, so distractingly beautiful. Oh and it is not just the front – anyone who owns a Lange timepiece would tell you that the caseback is just as amazing. I have discussed the level of finishing and decoration that Lange applies to the movement of this watch above so I won’t repeat myself here. What I wanted to add though is that Lange applies the same quality of finishing to EVERY timepiece they make, from the entry-level Saxonias to the USD$2,600,000 Grand Complication. Personally, this is what I truly love about Lange as a watch manufacturer. To them, no timepiece is inferior to another.
ConclusionWith timepieces that rival (or dare I say surpass?) those from Patek Philippe, I am quietly optimistic about the direction A. Lange & Söhne is heading. Overall, the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase embodies all that is Lange: quality, tradition and innovation. One day, if you happen to stumble upon some idiot staring blankly at his wrist on the sidewalk, that would be me, admiring what is likely to be a masterpiece from the great Saxon watch manufacturer, the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase.