A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zones “Como Edition”: unique piece

The 86^th edition of the prestigious “Concours d’Elégance Villa d’Este” (“Concorso d’Eleganza Villa D’Este” in Italian) took place between 22 and 24May 2015 in Cernobbio, Italy. The German brand used its participation in the event to present the exceptional “Lange 1 Fuseaux Horaires “Como Edition”.

Natural ties between car racing and watchmaking

The event gathered unique vintage cars (produced between the 1920s and the 1970s) near Lake Como. The audience had the pleasure of discovering – or rediscovering – priceless, perfectly restored rare or even unique cars.One of the highlights of the 2015 edition was the exhibition of the “40 years of BMW Art Cars” that displayed 17 racing cars designed by various famous artists between 1975 and 2010.

BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage Concept (2015)

A. Lange & Söhne has been the exhibition’s prestigious partner since 2012. According to Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of the German manufacture, this is quite a natural partnership as “car manufacturers and Haute Horlogerie have both marked history by advancing technology and design”.

A. Lange & Söhne designed the 2015 Lange 1 Time Zone “Como Edition” to be the prize for the winner of the most prestigious “Best of Show” category. The piece is indeed based on the brand’s classic and unique Lange 1 Time Zone from 2005. On May 24, 2015, Wilhelm Schmid awarded the watch to the owner of the unique Ferrari 166 MM from 1950. Incidentally, the car’s original owner was no other than Giovanni Agnelli, former owner and director of Fiat.

A. Lange & Soehne Lange 1 Time Zone "Como Edition"

Special features of this unique piece

This “Como Edition” can be recognized by its white gold case back that is engraved with the coat of arms of the “Concours d’Elégance Villa d’Este” encircled by the two dates: the year the event took place for the first time and the present year, for which the piece has been awarded as a prize. In this version, Central Europe’s time zone is represented by the city of Como on the flange’s rotating ring, instead of Berlin as on the original model.

Perfectly readable rhodium-plated gold and luminescent hands and indexes enhance the silver dial. The main sub-dial indicates the home time whereas the second time zone is displayed on the auxiliary sub-dial. The large date aperture – an identity sign of Lange 1 watches – is at 2 o’clock, i.e. above the indicator of the impressive three-day power reserve. A day/night indicator is attached to every sub-dial. The second time zone is set through a pusher that simultaneously turns the rotating city rings representing the 24 time zones and moves the auxiliary sub-dial’s hour hand. The in-house L031.1 caliber was entirely assembled and decorated by hand. All 417 components –whether visible or not – were given a special finish as a symbol of the refinement of Saxon Haute Horlogerie.

The engraved backcase of the A. Lange & Soehne Lange 1 Time Zone "Como Edition"

The Lange 1: 15 models of an icon

The Lange 1 is today a classic of the Saxon manufacture and a prized collection in the eyes of watch enthusiasts. When it was introduced in 1994, its unique style came as a surprise to the watchmaking world. Indeed, the watch sported an asymmetrical dial, a large date and unusual technical performances (three-day power reserve).

Its revolutionary innovations, perfect finishes and unique craftsmanship turned it into a watchmaking icon and made it the embodiment of the brand’s values and skills. Ferdinand-Adolph Lange founded A. Lange & Söhne in Glasshütte in 1845. The Lange 1 collection is today available in 15 models, always equipped with the most refined complications: tourbillon, moon phase, time zones, tourbillon and perpetual calendar, semi-transparent dial.

The Calibre L031.1

Technical details of this unique piece

Case: 18-K white gold 41-mm, anti-reflective sapphire glass, white gold back hand-engraved with the coat of arms of the “Concours d’Elégance Villa d’Este”

Dial: silver, rhodium-plated gold and luminescent appliques, rhodium-plated gold and luminescent blued steel hands. Furthermore, rotating rings for the 24 time zones; main sub-dial for home time, auxiliary sub-dial for the second time zone, day/night indicators, power reserve indicator, large date aperture

Movement: L031.1 hand-wound in-house Lange caliber, double barrel, five-position precision setting, hand assembled and decorated, 417 components, 54 rubies, 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz), 72-hour power reserve

Functions: home time with day/night indicator (hours, minutes, small seconds), second time zone (hours, minutes) with day/night indicator and city rings, large date for home time, power reserve indicator;

Strap: hand-stitched black crocodile, Lange white gold pin buckle.