A. Lange & Söhne introduced a new Lumen model at Watches & Wonders this year, and it came in the form of the apex Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. Lumen dials are a special thing to behold, and given their highly dynamic nature, pictures don’t really tell the full story. They are also, in the broader context of A. Lange & Söhne’s identity, still somewhat surprising in just how much they can transform an otherwise classic German take on watchmaking. They bring a sense of levity to an otherwise very serious bit of kit, and somehow it ends up elevating the experience as a whole. As for the brand’s latest member of the Lumen family, there’s a few surprises in the metal.
First, the basics. The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Lumen does exactly what it says on the tin. It sits at the top of the pile within the Lange 1 collection, boasting A. Lange & Söhne’s new caliber L225.1 to provide the calendar and moonphase complications. This is an automatic movement, and the escapement sits within a 60 second tourbillon, which is not visible from the dial side. Everything sits within a 41.9mm platinum case that is exactly as heavy as you might imagine on the wrist. There’s a lot of watch packed into this frame, and it’s not exactly shy about it.
This is a watch experienced in layers, and they don’t exactly go in the order you might expect. The first thing you notice about this watch is the strange yet captivating dial. It is translucent, and it reveals a view of the workings underneath, but it also has a life of its own. The dial can appear black or grey at an angle, and be fully opaque or fully transparent depending on viewing conditions in well lit environments. In the dark, the whole thing comes to life both on the surface and underneath thanks to A. Lange & Söhne’s strategic use of lume. Further, when that lume is glowing, it lights up the movement underneath to a small degree, throwing light against the finishes in the process.
A few small details jump out when viewed in the dark, or semi dark. The first are the Roman numerals on the main sub dial. They aren’t fully lumed appliques as you see elsewhere, instead the lume frames the numerals, so the numbers are black with glowing outlines in the dark. It’s a neat effect, and one that makes an impact on reading the time in normal light conditions, as the applied markers have a fuzzy glow about them. Second is the new placement of the 24 hour indication, which is now layered within the moonphase. A disc rotates to fade from light to dark underneath the moon, allowing for an organic display that relies more on common sense than indexes and scales. The moonphase indication might just be my favorite part of the dial, as it seems to pop with color regardless of the light level of your environment.
After the dial, the bevy of complications comes into focus, and that’s when you realize just how serious a watch this is. The disc rotates around the dial’s perimeter, with an arrow at six o’clock marking the current month. The leap year indication is also nested within this arrow structure. The day of the week is set along the nine o’clock side of the dial, while the oversized date apertures are situated directly above it. Finally, the time can be read via the large sub dial to the right. It’s a unique configuration as far watches are concerned, and all the more so in the context of a full calendar display. As ever, it’s a treat to navigate.
The final layer to behold is the movement side of the watch, which gets a typical level of detail from A. Lange & Söhne, with bridges of German silver, and plenty of hand engraving around the balance bridge supporting the tourbillon, which is nested quite deeply within the movement. Oh yeah, this watch has a tourbillon. It feels a bit like pouring it on at this point, but it’s there, and it pushes this watch over the top and then some.
Of course, this watch exists in non-Lumen form as well, but if you’re going to go all in, you gotta lean fully into it. And this watch does just that. I’d also note that the whole idea of a Lumen dial runs somewhat counter to the somewhat stiff, traditional idea of classic watchmaking, especially from the Germans, but the manner in which it’s handled is holistic, and it never once feels like a gimmick as a result. It feels as serious as the rest of the watch. And this is most definitely a serious watch. But it’s also an endlessly fun watch. A. Lange & Söhne
