Lang & Heyne
Lang & Heyne was founded in the historical German city of Dresden in 2001 whose philosophy was to create hand-made timepieces of the highest quality in the purest of Saxon tradition. With an estimated output of no more than 80 timepieces a year, Lange & Henye creates exclusive and innovative timepieces for watch aficionados.
Lang & Heyne developed an entirely new movement in-house for this special project, choosing their exquisite Friedrich II as the model. It is for the first time, Lang & Heyne integrated a Remontoir mechanism into the movement, but with a slight twist, using titanium as the base material. This costly but durable material has been a popular choice of material for watch cases for a long time due to its skin-friendly characteristic, it is evident that it does not show any allergenic effects on skin contact.
It is almost unheard of until now, with movement made in titanium, a material which is hard to manufacture and process mainly due to its hardness and many other interesting properties that make it even harder for most manufacturers to consider this material as an option to create a movement out of it. The independent German manufacturer took on this challenge together with the brilliant team of watchmakers, Lang & Heyne was able to create a movement almost entirely made out of titanium. Knowing that the thermal conductivity is poor, which makes mechanical processing more difficult, the matt finish of the main plate was achieved by blasting the graining with ceramic beads and the polishing of the main plate, trigonal bridge, lever bridge and balance cock are done laboriously by hand with wood and polishing paste.
The result was an impressive movement both technically and aesthetically. One will be greeted by a warm greyish sandblasted finishing that is beautifully decorated which contrasts nicely with the purple screws that can only be achieved by heating it a precise temperature. The movement is further enhanced with the tasteful engraving ‘Prototype 00’ on the baseplate.
The Friedrich II Remontoir ‘Prototype’ model is simple and discreet and If the dial is the face of the watch, the simple sunk black enamel dial and Arabic numerals are the features that give depth to its personality. The minimalistic appearance symbolizes the amusement of simplicity, yet, not having to sacrifice exclusive details at the same time. Noticeably, the high-quality index 00 and second indexes are in red rhombi filled by hand with superluminova, a non-radioactive and nontoxic afterglow pigments for illuminating markings on watch dials.
Toping it off, the bracelet was exclusively designed and produced in stainless steel just for this unique piece. It is made of Milanese wrap knitted fabric and the length of the bracelet can be adjusted by the screws that is able to be removed individually. The present timepiece is luring and seductive thanks not only to the complex mechanism one has come to expect from Lang & Henye as well as its serene black enamel dial and an innovative approach to use titanium for the movement which was a quantum leap for the brand.
Phillips is honoured to present this sophisticated design and unique timepiece for the first time. Offers an enormous combination of breakthroughs for any discerning collector.
The Lavish Attic
Located in Central Hong Kong, The Lavish Attic is the destination for some of the most exquisite and exclusive luxury timepieces from around the globe. In 2013, the same year of its establishment, the team met by chance a talented and passionate master watchmaker in Dresden, Germany's cradle of Saxon watchmaking. Inspired by the great rulers in Saxony, the watchmakers of Lang & Heyne created Haute horology combining extraordinary complications, unique constructions and stunning aesthetics. Soon afterwards, The Lavish Attic officially introduced the watches made by Lang & Heyne to the elites and connoisseurs in the region.