A. Lange & Sohne’s watchmaking wizardry on display at special showcase

The Mechanical Masters exhibition will showcase A. Lange & Sohne's intricate proprietary movements. PHOTO: A. LANGE & SOHNE
A. Lange & Sohne will be flying in Mr Robert Hoffman to do live demonstrations on many of the brand's movements. PHOTO: A. LANGE & SOHNE

SNGAPORE – With Covid-19 more or less retreating into the shadows, the world is beginning to regain normality.

And luxury watchmakers, riding on an exuberant wave, are making up for time lost to the pandemic.

The last few months have been a dizzying period for the watch trade in Singapore, with new releases, shop openings and pop-ups galore.

Next week, horology lovers will have at least four watch exhibitions to go to, including A. Lange & Sohne’s The Mechanical Masters.

On display at the showcase – held at the Level 1 atrium of Ion Orchard from Oct 27 – will be 13 pieces by the German watchmaker, which makes only a few thousand watches a year.

Some are limited editions, some are historical models, but all boast the brand’s marvellously intricate proprietary movements that are stunningly decorated and twice assembled by hand.

Besides watches, A. Lange & Sohne will be flying in Mr Robert Hoffman, head of the Zeitwerk department, who will be doing live demonstrations on many different Lange movements from the brand’s watch families, such as the Zeitwerk and the Double Split.

The Zeitwerk is the first mechanical wristwatch that displays hours and minutes with jumping numerals.

There will also be live demonstrations of engraving and other artisanal skills involved in the intricate watchmaking process.

Here are a few things to look out for at the exhibition.

Patents and trademarks

The company was started in 1845 by Ferdinand A. Lange and went on to produce solidly constructed clocks and timepieces.

World War II, however, dealt the watchmaker a fatal blow until 1990, when Lange’s great-grandson returned to the town of Glashutte in Saxony, Germany, to not only resuscitate the brand, but also make it one of the most respected watchmakers in the world.

It achieved this by, among other things, coming out with a series of important horological patents and inventions. Many of the watches on display at The Mechanical Masters exhibition are rare pieces which showcase the company’s trademarked horological wizardry. These include:

The manual engravement of the balance cock of an A. Lange & Sohne watch. PHOTO: A. LANGE & SOHNE

Zero-Reset mechanism

In 1997, A. Lange & Sohne introduced the Sax-O-Mat calibre, a complex and intricate self-winding movement that boasts a Zero-Reset mechanism that halts the balance when the crown is pulled and, like a chronograph, instantaneously moves the seconds hand to the zero position. The award-winning calibre would go on to become the heart for several of the watchmaker’s famous models, including Langematik Perpetual and Saxonia Annual Calendar.

Other models which rely on the Sax-O-Mat include the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, where it was conceived as an independent module and fitted with a multiple-disc clutch to cushion the seconds hand in sudden bounce or rebound situations.

Stop seconds for the tourbillon

Two centuries after the tourbillon astounded the horological world, A. Lange & Sohne showed how the oscillating balance inside a revolving tourbillon cage can be halted to allow precise time setting in watches fitted with the complication.

A complex lever ensemble is triggered when the crown is pulled, pivoting a moveable V-shaped spring into the balance wheel, instantly stopping the balance. The “brake” is released when the crown is pushed, allowing the balance to immediately oscillate again. Several distinguished timepieces boast this marvellous mechanism, among them the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar and the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon.

Jumping numerals mechanism

The most distinctive feature about the Zeitwerk models is their precisely jumping numerals display, a feature that has won A. Lange & Sohne numerous plaudits for clarity of design.

The display module comprises three discs, arranged artfully with large-format numerals that can be read from left to right. A gentle click will prompt the constant-force escapement to advance to the jumping numerals mechanism from minute to minute. At the top of the hour, all three numerals discs – like a chorus line – simultaneously jump forward by precisely one increment.

Semi-transparent dial coating

A. Lange & Sohne's Zeitwerk Luminous. PHOTO: A. LANGE & SOHNE

One of the challenges facing the watchmaker’s technical team when developing the brand’s Lumen models was to charge even the luminous elements hidden underneath the dial with light energy.

The solution lies in a sapphire-crystal dial coated with a semi-transparent compound which blocks out most of the visible spectrum of light. It is, however, not a barrier to the invisible UV light spectrum. This is why the dials of the Zeitwerk Luminous, the Grand Lange 1 Lumen and the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase Lumen can glow in the dark for several hours.

Handwerkskunst

The intricate art of engraving and other artisanal skills – or Handwerkskunst in German – are key features in A. Lange & Sohne timepieces, especially limited-edition or special models.

Watch lovers will tell you that what makes a Lange watch so special is the manually executed engraving of the balance cock, visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback. The motif, unchanged all these years, is a flower around the screw in the middle of the cock, with distinctive floral patterns that go into the corners.

Although the pattern is pre-defined, engravers can decide on the number of petals for the flowers. The overall look is also affected by different factors, including the depth of cut and angle of the lines, and the force used. Whether the engraver is left- or right-handed also makes a subtle difference.

The range of tools required for this process runs the gamut, from point and round edge gravers to lining and flat burins. The art is so intricate that the apprenticeship is 3½-years long, during which the engravers have to master techniques including relief engraving and tremblage, which is used to enhance the dials of special models.

The Mechanical Masters

Where: Level 1 atrium, Ion Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn
When: Oct 27 to 30, 10am to 9pm
Admission: Free with pre-booking at https://str.sg/wVnA

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.