Impressions Of The New A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange "Pour le Merite" And 1815 Watch Models

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed)
Jan 19th 2009 at 11:02AM

Today the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie SIHH 2009 officially begins in Geneva, where the best of the best watch makers come to display what new and beautiful watches the welcoming crowd can expect to see in stores soon. The perennial show favorite A. Lange & Sohne presents two new models: the limited edition Richard Lange "Pour Le Merite" and a new version of the best selling 1815 model. Sharp eyes watch the Lange Uhren manufacture eager to see how classic tradition can be made fresh each year. I got a chance to view the watches before the show and can report that I am impressed.

Gallery: A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Pour le Merite and 1815 watches

The Richard Lange "Pour le Merite" looks beautiful in person with its large enamel dial and meticulously polished 40.5mm wide pink gold or platinum case. Style is 'no nonsense luxury,' a quality that connoisseurs have appreciated from the brand since its inception. As such, hidden in the watch and viewable from the case back is a rare and intricate useful complication that is part of Lange's in-house L044.1 movement; a fusee chain driven transmission that delivers energy from the mainspring barrel to the escapement. The chain itself seen in person is hard to fathom given its incredibly thin yet detailed construction. Further amazing are the delicate hands at Lange Uhren that craft and assemble the chains. Such skill is a "wow" factor the brand is proud of. Better yet, the fusee chain complication is much more effective at increasing rate constancy than the highly sought after tourbillon balance wheel carriage, making it more than just a novelty.

As an update to the previous 1815 model, the 2009 A. Lange & Sohne 1815 comes in a new 40mm wide size with the brand new manually wound L051.1 manufacture movement. The larger sized case begs for a more detailed observation of the Arabic numerals applied on the enamel dial, as well as the perfectly sized blued-steel hands. The painted numerals are raised just a bit, and the three part construction of the enamel dial has two layers that incorporate the subsidiary seconds dial. These two elements combine to create an attractive visual depth to the 1815's already legible face. While the 1815 is offered in white gold, rose gold, yellow gold, and a limited edition in platinum, the watch really looks spectacular in any color. As is common with Lange watches, the gleam of the precious metals and the texture of the crocodile strap on the 1815, add splendor to the knowledge that the movement inside the watch is of the most carefully made machines on the planet.

Many thanks to A. Lange & Sohne for giving this timepiece fanatic the opportunity to enjoy these new models first-hand.

A. Lange & Söhne invite you to contact them for a free A. Lange & Sohne DVD and catalog sent straight to you.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 1815, a. lange sohne, A.LangeSohne, lange uhren, LangeUhren, pour le merite, PourLeMerite, richard lange, RichardLange, sihh, soehne, timepiece, watch