At Antiquorum’s “Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces” auction in Geneva, held on March 17th, a version of A. Lange & Söhne’s Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite,” featuring a very rare combination of a white gold case and a blue dial, was sold for 275,710 euros.
The watch is part of a 1994 limited edition of 200 pieces. Fifty of these watches were cased in platinum and 130 were presented in 18-carat gold cases. Only 19 had a case of white gold.
Sold at 275,710 euros, the watch not only exceeded the maximum estimate of 225,000 euros, it also sold for more than four times the original retail price. The auction’s result is the highest ever recorded for a white-gold Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” by A. Lange & Söhne. At auctions, the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” ranks among the most sought-after A. Lange & Söhne models, usually fetching three to five times its original price. The watch features a “fusée-and-chain” transmission, a mechanism that offsets the torque loss of the mainspring, combined with a one-minute tourbillon.
