A Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite Review

A master watchmaker honors its founders with the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Merite.

There are those who argue that A Lange & Söhne is the best watch manufacturer in the world, and that the only reason they are not is that they are a German manufacturer, not a Swiss one. This review may shed some light on where this opinion comes from. Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Merite is perhaps the kind of watch that justifies these opinions.

A Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite Review

At a list price of XXX, one would expect quite a few hours in return. That's exactly what this German-Saxon watchmaker was aiming for. In fact, this watch with model number 760.032F is a tribute to the founders and honors Adolph Lange and his first son, Richard Lange, who passed away in 1932.

The boldest and most eye-catching feature that can be seen when looking at the dial is the 60-second turbion that occupies the lower left quadrant of the watch face. This area, which houses the turbine, also serves as the small seconds subdial. Great care was taken in weight distribution on the silver dial. The bold Roman numerals on the hour dial in the lower right corner of the watch and the use of rose gold hour and minute hands, which are thicker and more prominent than those on the small seconds dial, create a contrast to the depth of the dial and the visual weight it carries. The minute subdial is centered, aligned with the top, and takes up 3/4 of the height of the dial. A black printed minute track uses 4 Roman numerals and these are printed in red at the 60, 15, 30 and 45 minute positions. The A. Lange & Söhne logo is centered in the upper third of the sub-dial, with the name Glashutte I/SA centered below it.

Why am I focusing so much on the dial? Let me tell you the most interesting feature of the dial. The offset watch sub-dial has a section cut out where the Roman numerals VIII, IX and X would normally be located. This area of ​​the dial is a rotating dial segment that comes into view at 6 o'clock and hides again at 12 o'clock when that dial section is no longer required. There is a lot of mechanical movement on the dial between the 3 sub-dials, the turbion and rotary dial segments.

A. Lange & Söhne caliber L072.1 winding movement

Let's go under the dial and see what's under the hood of this incredibly striking luxury watch. The Richard Lange Pour Le Merite Tourbillon has a stop-seconds feature, which activates a V-shaped spring by pulling the crown and stops the second hand, allowing you to set the time precisely.

Complications

This turbion complication consists of 84 parts and is very light, weighing only a quarter of a gram. The Turbion is housed in a black polished cage and it takes 5 days to complete the craftsmanship perfectly. Everyone knows that Lange takes their watches to the next level when it comes to craftsmanship, it's not a state secret. The function of the turbine is to compensate for the resistance that occurs in the mechanism when the watch is held at different angles. Having one increases sensitivity.

How do they hold their weight when it comes to the actual micro-mechanics in their watches? This watch solved one of the problems that mechanical watches had when it came to the laws of physics. It is known that the spring that powers the mechanism has the most energy when it is fully installed and significantly less energy when it is finished and the tension in the spring is lost.

How does A. Lange & Söhne solve this?

This watch has a regulator complication. Let's take a closer look at the energy transfer regulated by a fusée-and-chain transfer. What this does is that it maintains a constant energy power throughout the entire arming, from full arming to full discharge, and always delivers power at an exact rate.

This chain, which resembles a miniaturized bicycle chain, is 152 mm long and made of 636 tiny parts, forming a total of 212 links. The chain can be viewed in action through a 3/4 plate from the back of the watch's transparent sapphire glass case.

The number of parts that go into this caliber is mind-boggling. Take into account the 352 parts, then there is the chain with 636 additional parts. All in all we're looking at 988 pieces!

mechanism

This 33-jewel movement is extraordinary to watch in action and breathtaking to see. The balance bridge is hand-engraved, giving each watch a unique look, and the movement, like all A. Lange & Söhne calibers, is finished with impeccable workmanship. Another striking feature of the caliber is the signature blued screws that you will often encounter in German watchmaking. The case is made of solid 18 carat rose gold, is 12.2 mm thick and measures 41.9 mm in diameter, just under 42 mm. While the case is solidly built, it doesn't offer much water resistance, with only 30m/100ft of water resistance.

The L072.1 caliber has a power reserve of approximately 36 hours and the movement can be viewed through the transparent case back. The case is made of solid 18 carat rose gold, is 12.2 mm thick and measures 41.9 mm in diameter, just under 42 mm. While the case is solidly built, it doesn't offer much water resistance, with only 30m/100ft of water resistance.

An 18 carat rose gold deployant buckle is used to fasten the dark brown alligator leather strap, and the name LANGE is written on it in capital letters and a serif font. The leather strap is stitched with a lighter brown thread. All in all this is a truly remarkable piece and a great conversation starter.

Considering its 6-figure price tag, it's probably not the kind of watch you'll want to wear every day, nor is it the kind you'll despise, but it's definitely a watch that inspires everyone who sees it.

One of the things that fascinates me about this dial is the beauty of the design and how the dials and sub-dials overlap each other, giving this complicated watch a minimalist look similar to that of the emerging watchmaker Nomos, whose workshop coincidentally is right across the street from Lange. Is this just a coincidence? I leave the decision to you!

New Model | Second Hand Model