Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar by A. Lange & Söhne at SIHH 2012

At the annual SIHH 2012 the Saxon manufactory A. Lange & Söhne has introduced its masterpiece of precision mechanics Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, complicated by two classic complications - tourbillon and perpetual calendar.
The watchmakers have created a new system for the location of the perpetual calendar to maintain a balanced structure of the dial Lange 1. Harmonious integration of the indicators has greatly contributed to the asymmetry of the dial. Thanks to its unconventional design, the designers have placed all calendar indicators outside the off – center hour and minute dial. The information is shown in the most convenient form; the indicators do not overlap each other and do not hinder reading. When looking at the perfectly balanced dial it seems that the integration of new complications wasn’t so hard. But in terms of watch mechanics and engineering it is very complex and laborious process.

To harmoniously integrate the devices of the pointer calendar into watch dial Lange 1, without breaking its graceful balanced structure and harmonious proportions, the design engineers of A. Lange & Söhne have created a special device with a rotating peripheral ring of indicator of the month. The bottom part of the ring has a groove of varying depth, depending on the duration of the relevant month; in addition to the calendar mechanism was invented by a new control device.
All indicators of the perpetual calendar (double date aperture, a sector indicator of the day of the week, a ring indicator of month, Indicator leap cycle and the phases of the moon) are switched at midnight, thus ensuring error-free identification of all the indications at any time.
The perpetual calendar does not require adjustment until March 1, 2100. Change of the perpetual calendar indications can be done by using the button located on the lateral surface of the case. The calendar indicators can be switched separately or together.

Let us turn to the second complication - the tourbillon, the existence of which you can guess, based on the watch name or reserved sign under the index 12 o’clock. The masters have hidden the most sophisticated watch complications from public view, as not to impede the convenient reading of the testimony of numerous indicators. View of this technically impeccable complex design can be admired through the transparent case back.
Filigree tourbillon carriage, which makes the turn around its axis in a minute, allows compensate the influence of gravity on the unit of the balance and improves the precision of movement. The manufacturing spiral Lange was used in designing a mechanism, balance options and coil parameters are chosen so as to obtain optimum performance of its work at a frequency of 21. 600 pc / h.
The mechanism is equipped with a patented device to stop the second hand in the time correction; during the regulation of the crown work of the balance, installed inside tourbillon carriage, is stopped. Due to this feature, time can be set up to second.

The watch is assembled on the basis of the manufacturing movement with automatic winding L082.1, consisting of 624 parts. The reliable caliber with 68-hour power reserve is created in accordance with all technological features of the Saxon watch making - gold chatons, platinum blued steel screws screwed to platinum, platinum and bridges made of nickel silver (an alloy of copper and nickel 5-35% and zinc 13-45%), the rotor of the automatic winding system of 21 carat gold with a platinum rim and bill diamond stone, holding the tip of the axis of tourbillon carriage. This item is used by the Saxon manufacture in the last century in the design of mechanisms for pocket watches.
All details of the mechanism are artfully decorated. Bridges of the balance, intermediate wheel and tourbillon are engraved by hand; the upper part of the tourbillon carriage is decorated with extremely complex and time-consuming technique of flat mirror polishing.
The caliber is completely designed and assembled in the factory workshops; setting up the accuracy is made in five positions.
The mechanism is set into the case with diameter of 41.9 mm, made in two versions - a pink gold or platinum. The model of platinum has released in limited edition: only 100 fans of watch making world can buy watch Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.
Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is the tenth masterpiece of precision mechanics of this legendary Saxon manufacture, in which used a fundamentally new technical solutions.