During SIHH, A. Lange & Söhne announced that in honor of the 25th anniversary of the original Lange 1 timepiece, the German brand would be introducing a new limited-edition take on the watch every month of the year until October 24, 2019 (10 total watches). So far we’ve seen anniversary takes on everything from the emblematic Lange 1 and the Little Lange 1, to the sublime Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase and the Lange 1 Time Zone, not to mention the phenomenal Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar and Lange 1 Moon Phase. Now say hello to the seventh of the planned 10 limited editions, the Grand Lange 1 25th Anniversary Edition.
The Grand Lange 1, as the name suggests, is bigger than the classic Lange 1 by a little less than 3 mm. Truth be told, it is very hard to tell them apart at a glance and it speaks to the success of the Lange 1 that so many iterations are available. The fact that the dial proportions are enlarged in comparison with the original is not readily apparent, except when the two models are viewed next to one another.
The new Grand Lange 1 has a 41 mm white gold case as opposed to the 38.5 mm that Lange 1 measures. The Grand Lange 1 has a case thickness of 8.8 mm, the Lange 1 had a case profile that measures 9.8 mm (the regular version, that is — not the cuvette-case 25th-anniversary edition that we profiled here). This is due to the fact that the manually wound Caliber L095.1 is 34.1 mm wide and allows a more compact arrangement with only one spring barrel. Thus, in comparison with the Lange 1, the case is thinner but the power reserve is still 72 hours.
It has the same silver dial and blue steel accents seen on all the Silver Jubilee editions. On the asymmetrical dial, the proportionally enlarged displays for the time, the outsize date and the power-reserve indicator are arranged so that they do not overlap. The argenté-colored, recessed dial of the special model is graced with thermally blued steel hands and blue inscriptions. What at first seemed trivial had far-reaching consequences: Because the hand arbors had to be slightly shifted toward the periphery, it was necessary to develop a bespoke movement for this model.
Visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback, the movement consists of 397 parts lavishly finished by hand. Seven of the 42 bearing jewels are seated in gold chatons secured with blued screws. The oscillator, composed of a classic screw balance and a Lange balance spring, is suspended beneath a hand-engraved balance cock. The discreet signature of the “25th Anniversary” collection is integrated in its blue-filled motif: a framed 25 that echoes the Lange outsize date.
The watch is paired with a blue alligator leather strap with a white-gold prong buckle and is limited to just 25 pieces. It’s priced at 43,700 euros.
A version of this article originally appeared on WatchTime Middle East.
