Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite” |
With a limited 218-watch edition of the Richard Lange “Pour
le Mérite,” A. Lange & Söhne revives the concept of the uncompromisingly
precise timekeeping instrument. The new version in white gold with a black dial
had its debut at the company’s international dealer convention in Dresden this month. Its fusée-and-chain transmission ensures constant torque and
superb rate accuracy.
The fusée-and-chain is visible from the back. |
Since the inaugural collection of the new era was showcased
in the autumn of 1994, the exclusive timepieces with the attribute “Pour le
Mérite” have represented the technological avant-garde at A. Lange & Söhne.
Each of the four models launched so far is endowed with a fusée-and-chain
mechanism. The Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite,” first introduced in 2009,
exemplifies an ambitious tribute to precision in its purest form: the sole
objective of its complication, discernible only on the movement side, is to
improve rate accuracy. The rose-gold and platinum versions, now sold out, are
now being complemented with a limited white-gold edition featuring a black
dial.
The solid white-gold case of the new edition has a diameter
of 40.5mm. White Roman numerals and the rhodiumed gold hands contrast well
against the black silver dial. Small Arabic numerals in red for 15, 30, 45, and
60 minutes add handsome nuances of color to the underlying black-and-white
design. A hand-stitched black alligator leather strap with solid white-gold
buckle underscores the stylistic clarity of the Richard Lange “Pour le Mérite”.
The salient technical hallmark of the Richard Lange “Pour le
Mérite” – and of all “Pour le Mérite” models since 1994 – is a fusée-and-chain
transmission that consummately defined new benchmarks in precision watchmaking.
Inspired by historic pocket watches and integrated into a wristwatch by A.
Lange & Söhne for the first time, the mechanism guarantees constant torque
and thus stability of the amplitude of the balance across the entire
power-reserve range. Wrapped around the mainspring barrel, the chain delivers
the power of the mainspring to the wheel train via the cone-shaped fusée. This
keeps the torque constant. When the watch is fully wound, the chain pulls at
the smaller circumference of the fusée, i.e. at the shorter lever. Conversely,
when the tension of the mainspring is nearly depleted, the chain pulls at the
larger circumference of the fusée, the longer lever. In principle, the
mechanism works like the gearing of a bicycle except that the gear ratios are
infinitely variable rather than fixed.
Caliber L044.1 |
The 636-part chain can support a weight of over two
kilograms. But to fully exploit the positive effect of the fusée-and-chain
device, the product developers added a technical refinement: two separate
mechanisms block the winding system before fully wound and fully unwound
states. Both prevent the chain – which is only 0.25mm thick and 156mm long –
from being overstressed.
The fusée-and-chain transmission causes the fusée to rotate
in one direction during the winding process and in the opposite direction when
the watch is running. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure that the watch
continues to run even when it is being wound. An elaborate planetary gearing
inside the fusée maintains the flow of power from the fusée to the movement
during the winding phase. It is composed of 38 tiny parts, which the watchmaker
must fit into the tight (8.6mm) diameter inside the fusée.
All this remains concealed beneath the black dial. But the
most important parts of the fusée-and-chain device are clearly visible through
the sapphire-crystal caseback. Generously dimensioned openings in the
three-quarter plate made of German silver reveal the mechanism.
In the heart of the manufacture caliber L044.1, crafted to
the strictest Lange quality criteria and lavishly decorated by hand, a freely
oscillating Lange hairspring powers the large screw balance at a frequency of
21,600 semi-oscillations per hour. With four solid-gold poising screws, its
moment of inertia can be adjusted precisely to the torque delivered by the
fusée. The splendid finissage of all movement parts even includes straight
graining of the upper side of the chain, which is also crafted in-house.
Manifesting artisanship at its finest, the engravings on the balance cock as
well as on the escape wheel and fourth-wheel cock give each of the 218 watches
the status of a unique work of art. The number of watches of this edition has a
special meaning. The current number of global points of sale at which A. Lange
& Söhne timepieces are available is 218.
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