A. Lange & Söhne is introducing a new flagship addition to their Lange 1 collection this week in the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”. This marks the first appearance of a Lumen dial in the Lange 1 collection since 2016, and in doing so the German brand has pulled out all the stops to make this a special one, much like the last Lumen dial to be released in 2024. The result is among the most unique, not to mention complex, Lange 1s to ever be created, but somehow that ethereal Lange 1 balance remains uncompromised.
The Lange 1 is a uniquely beautiful watch, and a core pillar of the brand since it was re-launched in 1994. When A. Lange & Söhne introduced their first Lumen dial watch in 2010, it did so within the Zeitwerk collection, though its next two appearances would be in Grand Lange 1 references in 2013, and 2016 respectively. With this release, the Lumen dial picks up with the Lange 1 where things left off, though now does so in the guise of the regular Lange 1 that’s been dialed up to 11.
The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is a special watch on its own, as you might have guessed from the name, which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Like all calendar based Lange designs, the dial composition is flipped, with the large sub-dial moved to the top right, and the small seconds to the bottom left. The retrograde day display takes residence where you’d generally find the power reserve display, and finally, the month is housed in a ring that circles the dial. The month gets its own stationary pointer at the bottom of the dial, with a leap year indication built into the design.
With the Lume, this layout remains (almost) unchanged, only now, you have a smoked view to the goings on underneath. Additionally, the discs and vital information on the dial glow an iridescent green in low light conditions, offering a truly unique experience of the design. Like many Lange watches, there are qualities that can’t adequately be described in words, requiring an in person viewing to fully digest.
This watch differs from the existing Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in that it uses a new caliber, the L225.1. The execution, which is redesigned from the L082.1, removes the day/night indicator nested in the bottom of the main sub-dial. Ironically, this indication would have been a fitting detail on the Lumen model, given the relevance of viewing this watch in the dark. Still, this movement offers plenty of other features to enjoy, including a new, more modern approach to the finishing seen around the tourbillon escapement, further differentiating the watch from the standard Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.
All of this is set within a 41.9mm platinum case that enjoys a mix of polished and brushed finishes. The watch gains a touch of thickness to accommodate the Lumen dial and new movement, now measuring 13mm in total. Just 50 examples of this reference are planned for production, and pricing is available upon request (prepare for a number deep into the six figures if you plan to make that request). A. Lange & Söhne
