A fine time: A Lange & Sohne’s latest exquisite timepiece

When it comes to the very pinnacle of fine watchmaking, it pays to look beyond the usual suspects in Switzerland. Do this and you can revel in the distinctive style and craftsmanship of brands such as A Lange & Sohne, which has played an indispensable part in Germany's horological history ever since its founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange first set up shop in the sleepy town of Glashutte in 1845.

Every year since 2011, those collectors seeking out the finest of the fine from the brand await the latest instalment in its Handwerkskunst series, which sees the culmination of the watchmaker's high-complication pieces with superlative decorative techniques that elevate them to a new level. The sixth in the line, the highly technical 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst, is a worthy addition to this tradition, as beguiling on the inside as it is on first appearance.

To A Lange & Sohne's CEO Wilhelm Schmid, it is this attention to detail that sets the brand apart. ‘At the end of the day it's a package; it's not one single thing that we may do differently to others, it's the combination. Our watches have two sides to them. The very understated dial is very German – it's purposeful and technical – and then you turn it around and look into the movement and it's almost ostentatious in its decoration; it's very rich and really the opposite of the front. I believe that's what attracts people – the performance aspect and the craftsmanship that goes into every watch.’

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Based on a model released last year that picked up the top prize for Grand Complications at the 'Oscars' of the watchmaking world – the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie – the sophisticated new timepiece combines a split-seconds chronograph with a perpetual calendar and moon-phase display. But while such features alone would be achievement enough for most brands, here they almost play second fiddle – if only momentarily – to the dial itself.

The first model to combine both enamelling and engraving on the face, its solid gold base has a layer of deep blue, from which relief-engraved stars emerge, complementing those on the moon-phase display. The celestial theme continues on the rear, which depicts the goddess Luna on a hinged case back that can be lifted to reveal the movement, finished to just as high an aesthetic standard.

In line with the ongoing penchant for blue watches, A Lange & Sohne has also introduced the colour to the dials of four of its classic models – the Lange 1, Lange 1 Daymatic, Saxonia and Saxonia Automatic – all presented in handsome white gold.

‘We produce these watches in a way that you can use them,’ says Schmid. ‘Many people take them as investments and put them in a safe, but actually we put a lot of emphasis into the fact that you can wear these watches every single day.’

alange-soehne.com