Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne Year: 2018 Reference No: 330.039 Movement No: 115’466 Case No: No. 11/25, 237’636 Model Name: Saxonia Annual Calendar U.S. Boutique Exclusive Material: 18K white gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. L.085.1, 43 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Alligator Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold buckle Dimensions: 38.5mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement, and buckle signed. Accessories: Accompanied by A. Lange & Söhne guarantee booklet dated July 18th 2018, polishing cloth, setting pin, leather folio, numbered cloth, numbered presentation box, additional strap, key, fitted presentation box, and outer packaging. Further accompanied by numbered and branded Swiss Kubik winder, instruction manual, charger, generic A. Lange & Söhne presentation box, and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
The most ingenious timepieces are those that are executed with utmost simplicity, masking a depth of creativity and technical mastery. Such is the case with the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar, in this instance realized in 18K white gold. Fitted with a lustrous grey dial and rhodium-treated micro-rotor, it was created especially for Lange’s American boutiques in Miami, Costa Mesa, and New York in only 25 pieces.
The first annual calendar watch was introduced in the Saxonia line by Lange in 2010. The annual calendar is an interesting complication in horology – technically difficult to manufacture, yet available at a fraction of the price of a perpetual calendar, with the only compromise being the yearly adjustment for the leap year. Compared with the caliber L 922.1 found in the Langematik Perpetual, with 478 individual parts and 43 jewels, the L.084.1 possesses 476 components and the same number of jewels, 43.
The splendid grey dial, made of German silver, strikes the perfect contrast with the white gold case, and the subtle design tweak of matching the background of the date windows to the color of the dial adds a level of aesthetic cohesion. This design choice is the first ever in the Saxonia line, introduced particularly for this limited edition. While the white gold Saxonia Annual Calendar typically has blued steel subdial hands, Lange has selected the silver-toned (white gold treated with rhodium) subdial hands typically found in the platinum examples for this limited edition. The most exclusive and unique element of this limited edition is the rhodium-treated micro-rotor. Made of 21-carat gold with outer mass made in platinum, it is typically left as is, but in this case the rotor has been fully plated in blackened rhodium, then circular graining was applied to the raised text of the rotor, exposing the yellow gold again – a treatment exclusively done for this limited edition.
Only twenty-five pieces were ever made, allocated between the three U.S. boutiques, hence the opportunities to acquire such a piece are far and few between. This particular example comes from the original owner, virtually unworn and complete with the full suite of original accessories.
Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Dresden, Germany, the firm established an entire watchmaking culture and industry in Glashütte. The brand quickly became Germany's finest watchmaker, first creating dependable, easy-to-repair watches before going on to produce some of the world's finest complicated pocket watches, including Grande Sonnerie watches, tourbillon watches and Grande Complications.
On the final day of World War II, their factories were destroyed by Russian bombers, and in 1948 the brand was confiscated by the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Ferdinand's great grandson Walter Lange re-established the brand with the objective to once again produce top-quality luxury watches. Now part of the Richemont Group, its original vintage and modern creations are highly coveted by collectors. Key models from the modern era include the Lange 1, Pour Le Mérite Tourbillon and the Zeitwerk.
