A Lange & Söhne’s 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar, Now In Pink
The King of German watchmaking, A Lange & Söhne is undeniably one of the greatest makers of the modern era, and their newest offering is a grand complication masterpiece, now cased in white gold with a pink-gold “salmon” colored dial.
The new 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is cased in 18k white gold with a pink-gold (salmon) colored dial, limited to 100 pieces. This Ref. 412.056 is Lange’s third boutique exclusive 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar, joining the platinum cased, white-dial 412.025FE and the 18k pink-gold (rose-gold) cased white-dial 421.032FE released in years prior. This is also Lange’s third pink-gold dial timepiece – the others being the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar (Ref. 345.056E) and the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillion (Ref. 740.056FE).
This new addition to Lange’s catalog is a highly rare grand complication timepiece, with such a combination of complications only achievable by brands of the highest pedigree in movement manufacturing such as Patek Philippe – the legendary manufacturer sometimes known as the King of Complications. Mastery of grand complication is not the only thing that this Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar shares with Patek – the pink-gold (otherwise known as salmon) colored dial is a staple of classic dress watchmaking seen in many legendary pieces from Patek Philippe.
The Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar was introduced in 2013, where it won the Grand Complications category in the annual prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie. It can be understood that this new pink-gold reference is a celebration of the model’s 10 year anniversary.
Cased in a 41.9 mm 18k white gold case, the dial is adorned with four sub dials, an intricate railway minute track around the outer edge of the dial, and beautiful blue leaf-style hands. Impeccably printed Arabic numerals are highly legible on the warm golden hued dial, exuding class and the beauty of the 1815 watch family.
The L101.1 calibre within the timepiece is a classic two-column wheel chronograph with 43 jewels that operates at a 21,600 vibrations per hour, or 3 Hertz rate. The watch can be manually wound with up to 42 hours of power reserve, which can be monitored using a power reserve indicator on the watch’s dial. Observed through the sapphire case back, the calibre is highly decorated with a variety of finishing techniques including straight graining and polished chamfers and bevels. Lange is highly praised for their phenomenal movement finishing, often complimented with hand-engraved pieces, and this 631-component movement within this reference is no exception.
The Complications
If nothing else, the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is a demonstration of grand complication that can only be achieved by makers of the highest level.
Firstly, the rattrapante. Translated from French, rattrapante effectively translates to “catch up,” which is an overly simplistic way to describe one specific function of the rare complication. Similar to the average chronograph, rattrapante watches retain the chronograph seconds hand in the middle of the watch rather than a sub dial. But the rattrapante watch includes a second chronograph hand in the center of the watch, joining the necessary hours and minutes hands to create a set of four primary hands in this 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar. When activated, both chronograph hands run together until a pusher can be used to stop the second chronograph hand while the other continues running. The pusher can then be pressed to jump the stopped hand to catch up with the still-running chronograph hand. This elevated chronograph function is seldom seen due to the difficulty of manufacturing and the cost associated with it.
Furthermore, this timepiece is also a perpetual calendar with a moon phase. As long as the watch remains winded, the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar will track the month, day, and date until the year 2100, accounting for leap years and the uneven lengths of varying months. The moon phase is programmed to correctly display for a lengthened 122.6 years of the Gregorian calendar.
To break it down, the month and leap-year indicator are located at three o’clock, while the running seconds is located at six o’clock along with the beautiful moon-phase complication. At nine o’clock, Lange has inserted a date sub dial reading from 1 to 31 as well as the day complication with abbreviated markers from Monday (MO) through Sunday (SU). Finally, at twelve o’clock lies a thirty minute chronograph register with its own smaller blue hand as well as a power reserve indicator reading from AB (fully winded) to AUF (depleted power reserve).
Our Commentary
Though the timepiece lacks Lange’s signature Germanic big “outsize” digital date window, the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is still recognizably a Lange design. A Lange & Söhne’s expertise and mastery in fine watchmaking cannot be understated and their ambition to deliver exceptional grand complication calibres should serve as inspiration to other high horology watchmakers.
While this new release is functionally identical to the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar releases dating back to 2013, the pink-gold dial color is a welcome change. Though the “salmon” colored dial frenzy is in its decline, it remains in high demand, delivering an arguably elevated appearance compared to the existing white-dial references.
A Lange & Söhne’s 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is the maker’s latest reminder that they are not only the King of German watchmaking, but also masters of grand complication. With only 100 pieces to be produced, we recommend contacting A Lange & Söhne as soon as possible and crossing your fingers.
