The 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar melds
the technical fascination of a rattrapante chronograph with the
enduring precision of a perpetual calendar that does not need to be
corrected until the year 2100, and then by only one day.
The meanwhile eighth chronograph calibre
developed by A. Lange & Söhne is yet another manifestation of the
brand’s exceptional competence in this apotheosis of precision
watchmaking. With a rattrapante chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a
moon-phase display, and a power-reserve indicator, it unites more
horological complications than the well-organised dial suggests at first
sight.
Rattrapante chronograph
Since the presentation of the Datograph
in 1999, the eminent manufactory had repeatedly raised the bar in the
design of sophisticated chronographs with no fewer than seven
proprietary calibres, including milestones such as the Double Split and
the Tourbograph “Pour le Mérite”. The first part of its name already
indicates that the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar represents a
worthy continuation of the successful series: it joins the top league of
chronographs, the so-called rattrapante or split-seconds chronographs.
Its push piece at the 10 o’clock position implies that there is more
than meets the eye. The mechanism behind it is visible through the
sapphire-crystal caseback and ranks among the most fascinating ones in a
movement. Stopping elapsed or lap times is handled precisely in the
classic manner with two column wheels. The central, superposed
chronograph hand and rattrapante hand make it possible to measure any
number of lap times within the course of a minute. The minute-counter
and power-reserve displays are located at 12 o’clock. The longer
blued-steel hand indicates the count of stopped seconds. Conversely, the
shorter golden hand in the inner circle tells the owner of the watch
when the time has come to replenish the energy of the mainspring via the
winding crown.
Perpetual calendar
Of the 631 individual parts of the newly
developed manufacture calibre L101.1, more than 200 components are part
of the perpetual calendar mechanism. It not only knows the durations of
all months in the course of a calendar year but also indicates all leap
years until the year 2100. That year, according to the Gregorian
calendar, is not a leap year, which is why the date must be manually
advanced by one day, with pushbutton convenience. The same applies to
all other secular years, the next one being 2200. The paired calendar
indications are positioned at 9 and 3 o’clock. The subsidiary dial on
the left indicates the date and the day of the week, the one on the
right the month and the leap year. The newly designed solid-gold lunar
disc beneath the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock emulates the
synodic lunation so precisely that it only needs to be corrected by one
day every 122 years.
Homage to the pocket watch
Arabic numerals, a railway-track minute
scale, gold and blued hands as well as four round subsidiary dials in a
clover-leaf configuration characterise the design of the
1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar. It is the classic design mantra of
the 1815 watch family that has its roots in A. Lange & Söhne’s grand
pocket watch tradition. The prominent case in platinum or pink gold
with a diameter of 41.9 millimetres rounds out the impressive
personality of this horological masterpiece.
Movement
|
Lange manufacture calibre L101.1, manually wound,
crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled
by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated
German silver; balance cock engraved by hand
|
|
Movement
parts
|
631
|
|
Jewels
|
43
|
|
Screwed
gold chatons
|
4
|
|
Escapement
|
Lever
escapement
|
|
Oscillator
|
Shock-resistant
screw balance, superior-quality balance spring manufactured
in-house, frequency 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour, precision
beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring
|
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Power
reserve
|
42
hours when fully wound
|
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Functions
|
Time
indicated in hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds; rattrapante chronograph
with minute counter; perpetual calendar with date, day of week, month, moon
phase and leap year; power-reserve indicator
|
|
Operating
elements
|
Crown for winding the
watch and setting the time; two chronograph push pieces, one push piece to
operate the rattrapante mechanism; separate correction push pieces for
adjusting the date, day, month, and moon phase
|
|
Case
dimensions
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Diameter:
41.9 millimetres; height: 14.7 millimetres
|
|
Movement
dimensions
|
Diameter:
32.6 millimetres; height: 9.1 millimetres
|
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Crystal
and caseback
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Sapphire
crystal (hardness 9)
|
|
References
|
421.025
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421.032
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Case
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Platinum
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Pink
gold
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Dial
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Solid
silver, rhodié
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Solid
silver, argenté
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Hands
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Rhodiumed gold;
hours, minutes, minute-counter and rattrapante hand blued steel; chrono hand
gold-plated steel
|
Pink gold;
minute-counter and rattrapante hand blued steel; chrono hand gold-plated
steel
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Strap
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Hand-stitched
crocodile strap, black
|
Hand-stitched
crocodile strap, reddish-brown
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Buckle
|
Lange
deployant buckle in platinum
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Lange
deployant buckle in pink gold
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