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SIHH 2010: A Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual Calendar Watch
Jan 26, 2010
Of all the tantalizing watches revealed by A. Lange & Sohne at SIHH 2010, without question one of the most beautiful is the Saxonia Annual Calendar. Aesthetically reminiscent of the brand's complicated Langematik Perpetual, but with a dial that is distinctly less "busy", this classical timepiece in a white or pink gold case offers up a harmoniously arranged layout of the famous Lange outsized date, days of the week and months via pointer indications, and a moon phase indication with a small seconds display. The fact that this new model is an annual calendar means that adjustment of the date displays need be performed only once each year, in February.
Crafted exclusively from 18-karat pink or white gold, the case of the A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual Calendar watch measures 38.5mm in diameter, a size which many will find an optimal balance point between a dress watch ideal and the contemporary fashion trend for larger timepieces. The dials of both versions are crafted from solid silver and reflect the timeless elegance which is a hallmark of the house of Lange; atop the sublime "argente" dial surface, the eye can pick out applied hour indices in polished gold, and lustrous blued steel hands for the calendar and time indications. Also compelling is the supremely elegant moon phase disc at 6 o'clock that captures all the symbolic beauty of this classic horological complication. Turning the watch on its side reveals the contrastingly brushed case flanks and three corrector pieces--two on the
left side and one on the right--that permit adjustment of the calendar displays and moon disc. Correction of the moon phase indicator, however, is not something many owners of the Saxonia Annual Calendar will have to be concerned about: assuming the timepiece were to run without stopping, it would take 122 years before the display would be off from astronomic reality by a single day!
Naturally, a superbly crafted A. Lange & Sohne manufacture caliber powers the Saxonia Annual Calendar timepiece. Designated as L085.1, this movement of 476 parts is based upon the well-established Lange Sax-0-Mat format, and uses a bidirectional three-quarter rotor in an artful combination of 21-karat gold and platinum. In addition to the delightful intricacy of the rotor itself, which displays the brand signature in
relief, the caliber abounds with the finest in traditional Glashutte finishing: bridges in German silver glisten with a lovely ribbed finish and blued screws. The escape wheel bridge showcases a black polished cover
plate, and the balance cock displays intricate hand engraving as well as a shapely swan-neck fine adjustment spring. The balance wheel, outfitted with screws on its rim, completes 21,600 oscillations per hour. Power reserve of the L085.1 Sax-0-Mat caliber with a fully-tensioned spring barrel is 46 hours. However, it is the ingenious and useful "zero reset" system which is probably the Sax-0-Mat caliber's most characteristic technical signature; a real advantage for precise setting of the watch, this mechanism propels the second hand precisely back to zero whenever the crown is withdrawn.
The Saxonia Annual Calendar watch, like other timepieces in A. Lange & Sohne's collection, is fitted with a sapphire crystal; in this model, this element displays a subtle curvature that perfectly compliments the profile
of the polished bezel. A luxurious hand-stitched strap of crocodile leather nestles between the polished lugs, terminating in the massive engraved Lange prong buckle in white or pink gold.
More about A. Lange & Sohne:
A. Lange & Sohne brand & timepiece collections
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