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Lot Essay
Lange's Richard Lange Tourbillon ‘Pour le Merite’, is a prime example of the company's complex and exclusive timepieces. The Richard Lange Collection is named after one of the founders of A. Lange & Söhne. The key feature of this superbly hand-finished tourbillon watch is the ‘regulator’ type dial. Inspired by a pocket chronometer made in the 18th century by the Saxon watchmaker Johann Heinrich Seyffert, the hours, minutes and seconds are separately indicated. The seconds is driven directly from the tourbillon which is visible through an aperture in the dial. However, the most fascinating and intriguing feature is that the segment of the hour dial that overlaps the tourbillon aperture jumps into position at 6 o’clock and upon reaching 12 o’clock the sector instantaneously disappears beneath the dial so as not to obstruct the view of the tourbillon. The movement is the manually wound caliber L072.1 which incorporates a number of fascinating technical details, amongst them the going train driven with a chain fusée. This complicated mechanism optimises the rate accuracy of the watch and is visible through an aperture in the movement plate.
A highly sophisticated planetary gearing system keeps the power to the going train steady even while the watch is being wound. Also fitted with Lange’s patent stop seconds mechanism, when the crown is pulled out the movement is stopped to allow very precise setting. The tourbillon mechanism serves the purpose of improving rate accuracy by offsetting the disruptive effect of gravity. The rotating cage is suspended by two pivots between two diamond endstones. It turns around its own axis once a minute and can be precisely balanced with small counterweights. All parts of the watch are finished by hand and every surface is decorated. Consequently, the completion of each of these masterpieces requires several months.
A highly sophisticated planetary gearing system keeps the power to the going train steady even while the watch is being wound. Also fitted with Lange’s patent stop seconds mechanism, when the crown is pulled out the movement is stopped to allow very precise setting. The tourbillon mechanism serves the purpose of improving rate accuracy by offsetting the disruptive effect of gravity. The rotating cage is suspended by two pivots between two diamond endstones. It turns around its own axis once a minute and can be precisely balanced with small counterweights. All parts of the watch are finished by hand and every surface is decorated. Consequently, the completion of each of these masterpieces requires several months.