The Glashütte-based manufacture has unveiled a new, limited-edition version of the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds. Housed in a white gold case, the model features a rosé-coloured dial and complements the existing variant with a black dial.
This technically sophisticated timepiece – equipped with a jumping seconds mechanism, constant-force escapement and zero-reset function – stands out above all for its distinctive dial layout. Reinterpreting the classical regulator design found in historic precision timepieces, the displays are not arranged in a straight line, but instead form a triangle. The prominent seconds sub-dial occupies the upper half of the dial, while the overlapping hour and minute counters are positioned to the left and right below. This configuration was inspired by pocket chronometer No. 93, crafted in 1807 by Johann Heinrich Seyffert in Saxony. The Richard Lange Split-Seconds Chronograph from A. Lange & Söhne is now also available with a rose-coloured dial in a white gold case.
By the way, other Lange models – such as the Lange 1 or the Datograph – also make use of this triangular layout, which lends the watch both harmony and a strong visual identity. Ingeniously, Lange has integrated a power-reserve indicator into the intersection of the hour and minute sub-dials. Ten hours before the 42-hour power reserve expires, the display turns red, serving as a discreet yet clear reminder to wind the watch.
Beneath its understated exterior, defined by just three hands, lies a highly sophisticated mechanical heart. In essence, the watch incorporates three complications – each concerned with the display or accuracy of the seconds. The first is the eponymous jumping seconds mechanism. This feature has a long-standing tradition at the German manufacture: as early as 1867, Ferdinand Adolph Lange developed a mechanism for it, which was later refined and patented by his sons, Richard and Emil Lange.
In the new A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, the mechanism still follows the historical construction, involving a whip and star. A five-pointed star is mounted on the escape-wheel arbor, which completes one full rotation every five seconds. Each second, the star releases a tensioned lever – known to watchmakers as the “whip.” The whip swiftly swings 360 degrees and, through an intermediate pinion and wheel, advances the seconds hand precisely by six degrees – that is, one second. Immediately afterwards, the star blocks the whip again, holding it in place until the next second.
Intricately linked to this is the constant-force mechanism, which ensures consistent energy delivery to the escapement. It neutralises the fluctuations in torque as the mainspring unwinds, thus maintaining timekeeping accuracy. To achieve this, in addition to the standard gear train housing the coiled remontoir spring, there is a secondary gear train running from the mainspring barrel to the whip. The interplay between the remontoir spring and the barrel – unleashed once per second – delivers a steady force to the escapement at all times.
The third complication is the zero-reset mechanism, which Lange has implemented in several of its models. When the crown is pulled, one lever halts the balance wheel while another resets the seconds hand to zero, much like a chronograph, via a heart-shaped cam. When the crown is pushed back in, the balance – and with it the seconds hand – immediately resumes motion. This makes it possible to set the time with exact-to-the-second precision.
Visible through the sapphire crystal caseback of the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds are the levers of the zero-reset mechanism as well as the remontoir spring. The manually wound calibre L094.1 is composed of 390 individual components. A noteworthy detail: both the balance spring and the remontoir spring are manufactured in-house by Lange in Glashütte.
As is characteristic of the manufacture, the movement features traditional finishing techniques. These include the Glashütte ribbing on the German silver three-quarter plate, a hand-engraved balance cock with a swan-neck fine adjustment, screwed gold chatons, and chamfered and polished edges throughout.
The white gold case measures 39.9 millimetres in diameter and just 10.6 millimetres in height, giving the watch an exceptionally slender profile. It is paired with a brown alligator leather strap secured by a white gold pin buckle. The new Richard Lange Jumping Seconds with rosé-coloured dial is limited to 100 pieces.
