News
Strap on a piece of lasting history
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People fond of history are sure to appreciate the deep-rooted tradition behind each A Lange & Söhne watch that comes out of the Glashütte workshop of the German watchmaker.
And the latest addition to the portfolio, the Dh971,849 Cabaret Tourbillon – available in platinum and pink gold editions – is steeped in the firm's enviable heritage.
Fabian Krone, CEO of Lange Uhren, said: "There is a lot of history behind this watch. In 1997, the first Cabaret amazed the world with its elegant rectangular shape that evoked the luxury, charisma, and perfection of the Art Deco epoch.
"Cabaret alludes to the Art Deco period when the cabaret culture in Europe was at it peak. It was a time when rectangular shaped watch cases were the epitome of elegance and refinement. Years after the launch of its predecessor, the Cabaret Tourbillon has set the stage for a world debut starring the balance in a rotating carriage.
"Even though the tourbillon was invented more than 200 years ago, it has lost none of its fascination and Lange has just written a new chapter in the history of the tourbillon with the first stop-seconds feature ever implemented in a tourbillon calibre.
"For the first time, the 'whirlwind' – the literal translation of tourbillon – has been tamed with a stop-seconds mechanism.
"It all started with a watchmaker's question: 'If the tourbillon stands for superior rate accuracy, why had no one so far invented a device that would make it possible to instantaneously and precisely stop and restart such a watch for synchronisation purposes?' This enigma that persisted throughout the 200-year history of the tourbillon challenged the calibre of designers at Lange to find a solution to this riddle and the Cabaret Tourbillon was born."
And one would not expect any less from them considering their lineage.
Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the founder of the German precision watchmaking industry in the Saxon town of Glashütte, was the great-grandfather of the founder of A Lange & Söhne, Walter Lange.
Ferdinand Adolph Lange's constructions, the first with mathematically calculated going-train parts, as well as a new frame design with three-quarter plates, the proprietary Glashütte lever escapement and compensation balance, precision index adjusters or balance springs with terminal curves, represent the highest standards in watchmaking.
And A Lange & Söhne is carrying on that great tradition to this day.
Each Lange model conceals a proprietary manufacture movement developed by the in-house design team. Nearly all parts of these exclusive movements, numbering in the thousands across the entire range of calibres, are produced in the manufactory – for instance plates, bridges, levers, springs, wheels, and pinions.
Each individual component is painstakingly finished by hand.
Lange's master watchmakers decorate even those surfaces not visible in the assembled movement. Tools and fixtures needed for these processes are manufactured in-house. Every balance cock is artistically engraved with the free-hand technique, transforming each Lange watch into a one-of-a-kind treasure. The movements are assembled by watchmakers, carefully adjusted in five positions, and then disassembled again.
Only then are the individual parts given the last finishing touches, cleaned yet again, and finally re-assembled to craft a perfect movement, this time with the authentic blued steel screws.
Before a watch leaves the factory, it is subjected to exhaustive testing over several weeks.
Fabian Krone said: "Each Lange watch is hand engraved. Since the balance clock has extensive detailing, a common request by
our customers is to have their initials, or those of a loved one, engraved and incorporated into the intrinsic design.
"Even though the Cabaret Tourbillon is not limited in edition, very few pieces will be made each year due to our limited production capacities, especially for complicated timepieces."
And the latest addition to the portfolio, the Dh971,849 Cabaret Tourbillon – available in platinum and pink gold editions – is steeped in the firm's enviable heritage.
Fabian Krone, CEO of Lange Uhren, said: "There is a lot of history behind this watch. In 1997, the first Cabaret amazed the world with its elegant rectangular shape that evoked the luxury, charisma, and perfection of the Art Deco epoch.
"Cabaret alludes to the Art Deco period when the cabaret culture in Europe was at it peak. It was a time when rectangular shaped watch cases were the epitome of elegance and refinement. Years after the launch of its predecessor, the Cabaret Tourbillon has set the stage for a world debut starring the balance in a rotating carriage.
"Even though the tourbillon was invented more than 200 years ago, it has lost none of its fascination and Lange has just written a new chapter in the history of the tourbillon with the first stop-seconds feature ever implemented in a tourbillon calibre.
"For the first time, the 'whirlwind' – the literal translation of tourbillon – has been tamed with a stop-seconds mechanism.
"It all started with a watchmaker's question: 'If the tourbillon stands for superior rate accuracy, why had no one so far invented a device that would make it possible to instantaneously and precisely stop and restart such a watch for synchronisation purposes?' This enigma that persisted throughout the 200-year history of the tourbillon challenged the calibre of designers at Lange to find a solution to this riddle and the Cabaret Tourbillon was born."
And one would not expect any less from them considering their lineage.
Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the founder of the German precision watchmaking industry in the Saxon town of Glashütte, was the great-grandfather of the founder of A Lange & Söhne, Walter Lange.
Ferdinand Adolph Lange's constructions, the first with mathematically calculated going-train parts, as well as a new frame design with three-quarter plates, the proprietary Glashütte lever escapement and compensation balance, precision index adjusters or balance springs with terminal curves, represent the highest standards in watchmaking.
And A Lange & Söhne is carrying on that great tradition to this day.
Each Lange model conceals a proprietary manufacture movement developed by the in-house design team. Nearly all parts of these exclusive movements, numbering in the thousands across the entire range of calibres, are produced in the manufactory – for instance plates, bridges, levers, springs, wheels, and pinions.
Each individual component is painstakingly finished by hand.
Lange's master watchmakers decorate even those surfaces not visible in the assembled movement. Tools and fixtures needed for these processes are manufactured in-house. Every balance cock is artistically engraved with the free-hand technique, transforming each Lange watch into a one-of-a-kind treasure. The movements are assembled by watchmakers, carefully adjusted in five positions, and then disassembled again.
Only then are the individual parts given the last finishing touches, cleaned yet again, and finally re-assembled to craft a perfect movement, this time with the authentic blued steel screws.
Before a watch leaves the factory, it is subjected to exhaustive testing over several weeks.
Fabian Krone said: "Each Lange watch is hand engraved. Since the balance clock has extensive detailing, a common request by
our customers is to have their initials, or those of a loved one, engraved and incorporated into the intrinsic design.
"Even though the Cabaret Tourbillon is not limited in edition, very few pieces will be made each year due to our limited production capacities, especially for complicated timepieces."