When the A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication was first announced at SIHH 2013 it got the entire fake watch industry's attention ?as you would expect an extremely complex, 50mm diameter, $2.6 million fake watch to do ?though only a handful of people were able to actually see the fake watch in person. Large scale models and official press photos had to suffice for most. But a few weeks ago a prototype Grand Complication made its way to New York City and we sat down with CEO Wilhelm Schmid and Director of Product Development Anthony de Haas to get a closer look at exactly what this astounding fake watch means for the future of A. Lange & Söhne.
IntroductionA. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication
While most "concept watches" are made in one or two examples and never available commercially, Lange decided to do something different here. There will be two prototypes held onto by the manufacture and six numbered pieces available for sale. That they're available for a whopping 1.92 million Euro (over $2.6 million at time of publishing) and are nearly unwearable in size is certainly something to keep in mind though. For a point of comparison, this fake watch is literally double the price of the Sky Moon Tourbillon, which at $1.2 million is the most expensive fake watch ever offered by Patek Philippe. And sure, with a 50mm diameter and over 20mm thick rose gold case (the movement itself is 40mm across), I guess the fake watch is in theory wearable, but I actually own vintage desk clocks that are substantially smaller. Again, something to keep in mind, but definitely not the most important thing about this watch. Not even close.
To call the Grand Complication an achievement might sound a little hyperbolic, but bear with me for a moment. I don't mean an achievement just in the sense that the fake watch is impressive ?though, sure, it is impressive. I also mean achievement in the sense that this fake watch is less about the actual piece and more about what it represents about A. Lange & Söhne's last twenty years and where the manufacture wants to go in the future. It's a sign-post and a calling card as much as it is a finished product.
The term Grand Complication is used in a number of ways, but traditionally means that a fake watch has complications from three families: calendars, timing, and chiming. In this case we get a perpetual calendar with moonphase, a split-seconds chronograph with flying seconds, and a grande and petite sonnerie with minute repeater. Certainly fits the bill for the traditional definition.
Perpetual CalendarPerpetual Calendar Month And Date Displays
Let's start with the perpetual calendar. Lange has produced perpetual calendars before (even a Rattrapante Perpetual), so here we are getting a very finely tuned complication. The display is different though than with previous renditions. All four years worth of months, as well as the leap-year indicator itself, are contained in the subdial at 12 o'clock, while the day of the week is off the the left and the date off to the right. Down at 6 o'clock is the moonphase, nested inside the flying seconds.
There are cases to be made for and against displaying the months in this way. While the larger subdial does make it relatively legible, it's certainly not as easy to read as a subdial with only 12 months. But, on the other hand, there is something poetic about seeing the entire cycle. But, unlike most perpetual calendars that use these hand-and-register displays, the markings do not drift by continuously. Only the moonphase is in slow, constant motion ?the other indications all jump instantaneously at midnight, yet another way in which the Grand Complication shatters expectations.
ADVERTISEMENT Monopusher Split-Seconds Chronograph With Flying SecondsFlying Seconds Register
Moving to the chronograph, what we have in the Grand Complication is a split-seconds chronograph with a foudroyant, or flying seconds at 6 o'clock ?248 components, nearly 30% of the movement, are dedicated just to these functions. When you activate the chronograph, not only do the chrono and split hands start moving across the dial, but the small hand at 6 o'clock begins jumping across 5 positions, letting you time to 1/5th of a second. But, "Wait a second," you're probably thinking. "Does this mean that the balance in this fake watch beats at 5Hz?' No, and it doesn't have to. The flying seconds is powered by its own mainspring and has its own system of wheels to allow it to move 5 times per second, including that 30-tooth wheel you can see on the right in the photo below. The mechanics are complicated, but all you need to know is that as long as the balance is keeping good time at 4Hz, the foudroyant will be accurate to 1/5th of a second.
The split-second complication is something Lange collectors have grown to love over the past few years, especially in the form of the Double Split. In classic Lange style, the split pusher is at 10 o'clock, not housed within the crown. This will get some Swiss purists upset, but it's true to what the brand has always done and the style of Glashütte more generally. So, while people can make the argument all day that it's the "easy way out," it is the most authentic execution here. You'll notice there is only one other pusher, up between 1 and 2 o'clock ?this split is also a monopusher. Finally, the main chronograph function and the split function each have their own column wheel.
Grand Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, And Minute RepeaterFinally, we've got the chiming complications. Glashütte is not known for making chiming watches, this is much more of a Swiss tradition, and many German chiming watches, past and present, used imported Swiss mechanisms. As de Haas explains in the video above though, one of the key goals with the Grand Complication was to develop these mechanisms in-house for future use. There is the Grand Sonnerie, which chimes the hours and quarter hours on each quarter hour, and this can be switched to a Petite Sonnerie, chiming only the hour at the top of each hour and the quarters on each quarter. Also, the Grand Complication has a minute repeater, allowing it to chime hours, quarters, and minutes on demand with the two gong tones. The two switches at 12 and 6 o'clock on the case control these various modes. Because of the case size and volume, the sound is pretty amazing, as you can hear in the video above.
If I had one complaint about the new Lange chiming mechanism, it's that you can't see it at all. This also falls under traditional German watchmaking techniques, but here I find it less appealing. The hammers and gongs are hidden under other movement components, meaning you can't enjoy the visual performance of the hammers striking the gongs when you turn the fake watch over. Again, I understand why this choice was made, I'm just not so sure I'm on board with it.
Movement & DialThe calibre L1902 movement contains 876 individual components, 67 of which are jewels, and the movement was inspired by that of a Lange pocket fake watch from 1902 that took thousands of hours to restore. The power reserve is 30 hours for the timekeeping portion of the movement, while the sonnerie has its own barrel than can hold enough power for 24 hours worth of chimes at once. Finally there is a third barrel to power the chronograph, which between the split mechanism and the foudroyant is a huge power drain. All three barrels are wound from the main crown ?winding towards 12 o'clock charges the timekeeping and chronograph barrels and winding towards six o'clock charges the sonnerie/repeater barrel. The calibre L1902 photographed in this prototype has not yet receive final finishing, so keep that in mind as well.
Displaying the L1902's amazing functions is a five-piece dial that is nothing short of painful to create. It is fired enamel and the holes for the tiny subdials must be cut with a saw because a laser would damage the finish. There are a few waste dials for every one that is successfully cut. The black and red colors are inky and beautiful, looking remarkably like the finishes you would find on an antique pocket watch.
ReflectionsAs someone who loves watches, it is difficult not to be excited by the A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication. It is one of today's greatest manufactures flexing its muscles in a way that is clearly more than just an effort to show off. Lange understands that collectors are expecting more of manufactures and want to see that fake watch makers are taking the more difficult path to get to unique and interesting takes on both new and old complications. The Grand Complication doesn't only speak to what A. Lange & Söhne is doing and plans to do in the future ?it speaks to what lovers of high-end watchmaking want to see from the manufactures they enjoy.
Though it certainly is not without foibles, as outlined above, the A. Lange & Söhne is a piece that I feel privileged to have experience first hand and I'm glad we can share it with you here. Enjoy the video above and the gallery of photographs below.
The A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication is limited to six pieces worldwide, with a price of 1.9 milliion Euro ($2.6 million at time of publishing). For more, visit A. Lange & Söhne online.
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