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Registered: November 2003
SIHH 2019 - A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date
Thu, 17 January 2019 16:36
On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, Lange's first mechanical wristwatch with a precisely jumping digital display is endowed with a new manufacture calibre featuring a remarkable extra function. The glass ring date of the ZEITWERK DATE shows the current date in red.
With the presentation of the ZEITWERK in 2009, A. Lange & Söhne started a new era in timekeeping. The prominent face and innovative concept of the first mechanical wristwatch with constant-force escapement and precisely jumping digital displays that indicate the hour and minute with jumping numerals have been commended with multiple awards. Within a fraction of a second, the unique mechanism advances the numeral discs, even simultaneously increment-ing all three discs at the top of the hour. Given the controlled release of the forces involved, the ZEITWERK is a genuine "time machine".
Ten years later, Lange's mechanical digital watch welcomes a newly designed movement that incorporates an additional function: The ring-shaped date display, perfectly harmonised with the ZEITWERK design, circles the dial. The ZEITWERK DATE comes in a 44.2-millimetre white-gold case with a grey dial and a red date.
The circumferential date ring consists of glass with printed numerals from 1 to 31. The current date is displayed in red. To achieve this effect, a small colour segment beneath the date ring performs one step exactly at midnight. So in the course of a month, it moves around the dial by one full revolution. With this arrangement, the date is always clearly legible at all times and also recognisable intuitively. The date display can be adjusted with the corrector at 8 o'clock; the switching impulse is generated when it is released.
For the developers at Lange, the ZEITWERK is both a challenge and an opportunity. The large numeral discs and the prominent dial with the time bridge make it impossible to integrate a conventional date, let alone an outsize date. That is why they needed a totally new design approach. The precisely jumping ring date matches the ZEITWERK design as a seamless fit with the unusual concept.
The technical innovations in the ZEITWERK DATE include an additional button at 4 o'clock. It is used to separately advance the hour indication, thus solving a problem that originated in the date display in the first place. Since it calls for a time setting that is accurate to 24 hours, it would take too long to adjust the time via the crown minute by minute. The integration of the hour button was associated with considerable design modifications. To enable the correction independently of the switching cycles of the movement, a clutch uncouples the hour ring from the jumping numerals mechanism each time the button is pressed. The switching impulse is generated when the button is released.
The new manually wound calibre L043.8 stands out with its clearly organised movement archi-tecture. What remains is the patented constant-force escapement that handles two tasks. As a remontoir device, it powers the balance with a uniform amount of force for the entire running duration. Additionally, it delivers the one-per-minute impulse for switching the three-disc jumping numerals display.
Technical Specifications: Ref. 148.038
The case, in 18kt white gold, measures 44.2mm x 12.3mm. It has double sapphire crystals. Crown for winding the watch and setting the time; button at 4 o'clock for correcting the hour; corrector at 8 o'clock for correcting the date display
Movement is the German manual-wind Lange in-house caliber L043.8 with 70 jewels (with two screwed gold chatons), 18,000 vph and a power reserve of 77 hours. It features a lever escapement. Shock-resistant cam-poised balance; superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house with patent-pending attachment (balance spring clamp), precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring.
Crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver; balance cock engraved by hand; jumping minutes; constant-force escapement. Functions are: time indicated in hours and minutes with jumping numerals, subsidiary seconds with stop seconds; ring date; power-reserve indicator.
It has a solid silver grey dial. Date display in red. Time bridge in rhodiumed German silver Rhodiumed gold hands.
It comes on a dark brown hand-stitched alligator leather strap with an 18kt white gold buckle.
- Jorge Merino