With the Lange 1 Time Zone, premiered in 2005, A. Lange & Söhne presented their vision of a high-end GMT watch of Glashütte provenience. Adding to its functionality is a newly developed caliber that indicates the daylight-saving time. This second generation was originally released in 2020 with a white gold case and black dial, with a second version sporting a pink gold case and argenté face.
The latest variant to join the cosmopolitain watch family is a variant in platinum 950 framing a rhodium dial. This monochrome color combination adds a new twist to the classic, highlighting the elegant charisma and smart display of its all indications. The dimensions of the Lange 1 Time Zone have not been modified: the case boasts a diameter of 41.9 mm and a height of 10.9mm.
As is key for every Lange timepiece, the Lange 1 Time Zone was designed with superb readability in mind. By placing the ring with the 24 reference cities on the periphery, the harmonious arrangement does not sacrifice the distinctive, off-center dial architecture of the Lange 1 watch family. The display of the home time, second time zone, the outsize date, and the power-reserve indicator are arrayed in a harmonious and very clear manner.
While the larger time circle indicates home time, the smaller sub dial displays the time in a second time zone. When the corrector button at 8 o’clock is actuated, the city ring switches in the easterly direction by one time zone. At the same time, the hour hand in the small sub dial advances by one hour and indicates the zone time of the city ‒ and corresponding time zone ‒ at which the gold applied arrow marker points.
The indication of daylight-saving time includes a refined technical feature. A color segment in the arrow shows whether the selected city and time zone implement daylight-saving time. If this is the case, the small aperture is filled in red. If standard time is observed in this location all year round, the background remains unchanged.
To distinguish between day and night in both time zones, the Lange 1 Time Zones boasts colored ring-shaped day/night indicators linked to the hour hands. They are located in the center of both sub dials and inform whether the respective time indication is valid for the first or the second half of the day via a blue semi circle.
Another clever feature of the Lange 1 Time Zone is a synchronization mechanism that allows the zone time to be transferred from the smaller sub dial to the larger one, thus making it possible to define a new main time as the home time. When the crown is pulled in the second position, the times of both zones can be adjusted synchronously. However, if the time-zone correction button is pressed and held, the hour hand of the time-zone dial will be stopped in its position. Now, the defined new main time can be set independently of the time zone. However, it may be necessary to correct the outsize date, which is connected with main time, by actuating the date correction button at 10 o’clock.
At the heart of the Lange 1 Time Zone ticks the manufacture calibre L141.1, which provides a power reserve of 72 hours. Further sophisticated details include a classic screw balance and a freely oscillating balance spring crafted in-house that is calibrated for a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour.
The exhibition case back brings to life many Lange-typical quality hallmarks. Those include the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, the screwed gold chatons, blued screws, an elaborate whiplash precision index adjuster, and an intermediate-wheel cock. The hand-crafted decoration of the manually-wound movement reflects the brand’s high standards down to the smallest detail.
Pricing for the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone is available upon request.
To learn more, visit A. Lange & Söhne, here.