If you have a passing familiarity with the “Handwerkskunst” series by A. Lange & Söhne, you may wonder why this particular Lange 1 Tourbillon bears that rarified title. The Lange Handswerksunst watches, literally meaning “craftsmanship” in German, typically display a level of adornment and worksmanship unseen in their regular production counterparts. They all share a few common characteristics. First and foremost, Handwerkskunst pieces are all assembled by one single master watchmaker, and the assembly time is increased compared to normal Lange timepieces. All lettering on the movement is hand-engraved, and not only is the movement more elaborately engraved, but the caseback ring is wider to allow for more engraving. Examples are easily identifiable due to the delicate tremblage engraving technique, giving a “frosted” finish, sometimes combined with a floral relief engraving.

This spectacular Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerskunst bears no such elaborate dial decoration. Rather, the exposed tourbillon cock, splendid with its black polishing, swims in an inky enamel darkness, a hand-fired enamel dial made in-house by the artisans at A. Lange & Söhne, rather than outsourcing to a Swiss dial maker. According to Lange themselves, for every one dial that made it to production, twelve had to be rejected. The dials were painted, fired, and then painted again in the traditional enamelling method, on the white gold base where the dial text and basic structure is visible. The three-quarter plate made of German silver is additionally skeletonized to reveal the movement barrels, and exquisitely and lavishly hand decorated.

Released in 2014 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Lange 1, the present example is replete with its original accessories and numbered 16 of 20. Consigned by the original owner and fresh to market in crisp overall condition, it’s an exceptional example of Teutonic watchmaking mastery and hardly ever seen on the secondary market.