A Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calender Review

A masterfully crafted 38.5 mm calendar watch from the genius German watchmaker.

As is the case with many products produced with German engineering, especially mechanical ones such as luxury automobiles, the only constant here is methodical and meticulous workmanship, precision engineering and flawless design. In the world of luxury watches, where Switzerland has flooded the market with numerous luxury brands that make up this segment, this German watchmaker manages to stand on its own.

Lange & Sohne was actually a manufacturer of pocket watches until World War II. It was after a gap of nearly fifty years that A. Lange & Söhne re-entered the market with their first wristwatch, the Lange 1, and it was definitely worth the long wait! Since their comeback in 1994, they have produced many extraordinary watches that are not only mechanically superior but also breathtaking to see.

A Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calender Review

The Saxonia Annual Calendar is a perfect example of a luxury watch, combining legendary German precision engineering with centuries-old watchmaking craft, all masterfully crafted to perfection. A. Lange & Söhne also introduced innovations such as the three-quarter plate in its watches, which can be seen through the transparent sapphire case back.

Like all Lange Sohne watches, their timepieces are polished to perfection. In fact, watchmakers in their workshops must master fourteen different polishing styles and countless other techniques in order to earn their rank as master.

What's fascinating about the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar is that it's hard to decide which side of the case looks better. In fact, you can see most of the 476 perfectly polished parts through the sapphire glass on the back of the watch. For a case that is only 9.8 millimeters thick, it is quite impressive to fit so many movements into a 38.5 mm case.

Annual calendars were first introduced by Patek Philippe in the mid-90s. This is a rare watch complication as many watch enthusiasts choose to spend significantly more and get a perpetual calendar watch like the Richard Lange, Langematik or Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.

The perpetual calendar function does not need to be adjusted for approximately 85 years because it must be reset every time there is an interruption in the 4-year leap year cycle. Still, for a watch that only needs to be reset once a year using the nifty micro buttons on the side of the watch, the annual calendar is just as nice and costs significantly less.

This eye-catching annual calendar features an oversized dual date window just below twelve o'clock, a day of the week subdial at nine o'clock, a moon subdial at three o'clock, and finally a moon phase window just above six o'clock. Caliber L085.1, seen through the case back, is the movement that brings this masterpiece to life. Like every Lange Sohne watch movement, the Saxonia Annual Calendar L0851 is hand-decorated on every surface, giving each watch a flawless, unique craftsmanship. This is one of the numerous reasons why a collector may choose this German luxury watch over its Swiss counterpart.