Watches & Wonders Shanghai 2023 is officially underway, and straight off the bat, A. Lange & Söhne has launched a new edition of their Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar watch, this time with a black dial and platinum case.
The original A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar made its debut back in 2021, and it presented the complex perpetual calendar complication on a dark grey dial surrounded by a 18ct rose gold case or in 18ct white gold with a solid rose gold dial. The latter was a limited edition of 150 pieces and with its salmon-coloured gold dial, was an almost immediate sell-out. Two years later, the Glashütte-based manufacturer returns, launching a new black-dialled, platinum edition for Watches & Wonders 2023 Shanghai.
Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar - Credit A.Lange & Söhne
A quick glance at the new A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum watch reveals most of the alternations here are purely seen in the dial colour and case metal. The case is now crafted from 950 platinum with a combination of brushed and polished finishing. Dimensions of the case are exactly the same as before, measuring to 41.9mm wide and 12.1mm tall with sapphire crystal glass on both the front and back and a black hand-stitched leather strap.
Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar - Credit A.Lange & Söhne
The display of the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum watch offers a very different look compared to its dark grey and pink gold counterparts, finished in a deep black hue engineered from solid silver. The dial is almost entirely monochromatic with predominantly white gold hardware but there are some small touches of colour; a graduated blue backdrop is included onto the moonphase and the very tiny trapezoid-shaped leap year indicator at 6 o’clock is printed in red.
Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar - Credit A.Lange & Söhne
The rest of the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar’s layout is in keeping with those before it. The off-centred hour and minutes takes up the most space on the right hand side of the dial while the oversized date display is positioned at 11 o’clock. Just beneath that, you have the retrograde day of the week indicator while the month is ingeniously displayed around the dial’s outer edge. The blue-adorned moonphase and day and night indicator fills the last empty space at the bottom left with the small seconds overlaid above it.
Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar - Credit A.Lange & Söhne
Fuelling the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum watch is the Calibre L021.3 automatic winding movement. It takes its base from the brand’s similar Calibre L021.1 but has been significantly improved to include its mass of perpetual calendar complications. All of the calendar functions are instant, which means at midnight, on the last day of the month, the model is incredibly fun to watch. It also has a power reserve of up to 50 hours and as mentioned, the case has an exhibition case back so you can enjoy the untreated German silver plates and bridges and the 21 carat yellow gold unidirectional winding rotor.
Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar - Credit A.Lange & Söhne
This is a beautiful watch, there’s no doubt about it. It doesn’t hold back in its use of opulent materials and technologies and the layout of the dial, especially the integration of the month around the circumference, is beautifully done. It’s hard to fault the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum watch truthfully, but my only piece of advice for the Glashütte watchmakers would be to change the red on the leap year indicator. The colour seems very out of place and would definitely improve the dial if it was done in blue or white.
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: A. Lange & Söhne
- Model: Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum (345.036 E)
- Price: Available upon request
- Material: 950 Platinum
- Movement: Calibre L021.3 automatic
- Complications: Off-centred hours and minutes, small seconds, perpetual calendar with oversized date, day of the week, month and leap year, moon phase display with integrated day/night indicator
- Dial: Black
- Size: 41.9mm width, 12.1mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: If I could afford something like this, I’d probably hide it in a safe and be too scared to wear it.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone with plenty of income with a love of fine horology.
- Best characteristics of the watch: The layout of the perpetual calendar functions.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: The red printing on the leap year indicator.
