A. Lange & Söhne has unveiled a new version of its Zeitwerk Date, combining the rich tones of 18K pink gold with a sophisticated grey dial. While not particularly different in terms of features, this latest version brings a warm, elegant aesthetic to the technical mastery that defines the Zeitwerk family.
Everyone familiar with the A Lange & Söhne brand knows that if the "Big Three" of watchmaking were to be expanded to the "Big Four", A Lange would be one of the top contenders to take that fourth place.
While the Lange 1 collection makes that case better than any other, the Zeitwerk isn't far behind. If the brand is new to you, just take a look at the finishing on its collections, and you'll be a fan before you know it.
First introduced in 2009, the Zeitwerk broke convention with its precisely jumping digital time display. In 2019, the model gained a distinctive feature, a subtle ring-shaped date display that elegantly circles the dial and moves in unison with the passing days.
If you're unfamiliar with a jumping hour watch, the easiest way to think of it is a digital watch powered by a mechanical setup. For a more descriptive definition, La Patiala delivers, along with a list of examples, topped, of course, by the A. Lange Zeitwerk, the uncrowned king of jumping hour watches.
The clever date ring, printed with numerals from 1 to 31, uses a small red segment underneath to mark the current day, advancing with a subtle switch at midnight. A pusher at 8 o'clock allows quick correction, triggering the date change upon release.
The digital hours and minutes remain horizontally aligned on the dial's center axis, framed by the signature time bridge in German silver. This unique visual and mechanical element links the exterior design with the technical brilliance housed in the watch.
The Zeitwerk Date is powered by the manually wound calibre L043.8, which operates at 2.5Hz (18,000 semi-oscillations per hour) and boasts a 72-hour power reserve. A twin mainspring barrel provides the energy required to operate the jumping numeral discs, while a patented constant-force escapement regulates energy delivery.
Every 60 seconds, the escapement triggers the jumping numerals mechanism with remarkable accuracy regardless of the power reserve's depletion level. The 516-component movement features hand-finished details visible through the sapphire crystal caseback. These include solarised ratchet wheels and a finely engraved constant-force escapement bridge.
Enhancing the model's usability, the hour display can be independently adjusted using a pusher located at 4 o'clock. Each activation disengages the hour ring from the jumping numeral mechanism, making correction simple without interfering with the system's overall timing.
As with the date, the change occurs upon release of the pusher, emphasizing mechanical elegance and precision.
Encased in 44.2mm of 18k pink gold and 12.3mm thick, the Zeitwerk Date is fitted with a dark brown hand-stitched alligator leather strap and a beautiful matching 18k pink gold prong buckle. Its dial is crafted from solid silver with a grey finish, complementing the time bridge's rhodiumed German silver and pink gold hands on the subdials.
At midnight, when the three numeral discs and date ring switch in unison, the watch delivers a mechanical performance worthy of its refined appearance. Gold star A. Lange.
