lot 17

A. Lange & Söhne

Langematik Perpetual

Estimate CHF 25 000 / CHF 30 000
Starting bid CHF 25 000

Hammer price CHF 47 000
Total bids 23
Buyer’s premium will not be charged

Specification

CasePlatinum case 950/1000 with sapphire caseback, lateral correctors at 10,9,8,& 4 o'clock
StrapOriginal black Alligator leather strap, with a platinum pin buckle
DialSilvered stepped dial with applied Roman numerals, big date at 12 o'clock, month & leap year indication at 3 o'clock, small seconds & moon phase at 6 o'clock, weekday & 24 hour indication at 9 o'clock
MovementGerman silver automatic movement, Glasshütte striped, 21k gold & platinum micro rotor, blued srcews, hand engraved balance cock, swan neck fine adjustment, perpetual calender functions.
Cal.L922.1
Ref.310.025X
Movement No.76470
Case No.186321
D=38.5mm

Condition report

Case:Very good, small sing of wear
Strap:Very good, small sing of wear
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:Very good, all functions working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 280°
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx +13 sec/day
Papers:Yes
Extract from archives:Yes

Details

An important, rare and attractive platinum perpetual calendar wristwatch of the world-famous German brand A. Lange & Söhne, founded in 1845. Present reference launched in 2001. Case in platinum 950, diameter 38.5mm, 10.2mm thick, sapphire caseback, signed winding crown in 18k white gold. Rhodium-plated solid-silver dial, slightly recessed sub-dials with fine circular grooves, hands in rhodium-plated gold, luminous hour, minute, day-of-the week and month indicator hands, applied Roman numerals in rhodium-plated gold. Caliber L922.1 Sax-0-Mat, self-winding with three-quarter mini-rotor in 21k gold, relief engraved and finely hammered, platinum heavy segment, power reserve of up to 46 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, small seconds hand and moonphase indicator at 6 o’clock, perpetual calendar with big date indicator at 12 o’clock, day of the week and day/night indicator at 9 o’clock, month and leap year indicator at 3 o’clock. Black leather strap, A. Lange & Söhne platinum 950 pin buckle.

Lot essay

The Langematik Perpetual, launched in 2001, was the first Lange perpetual calendar wristwatch. A. Lange & Söhne started this reference, which is currently produced without major modifications, with two models – one in platinum with a rhodium-plated solid-silver dial (Ref. 310.025, as the present example) and one in 18k yellow gold with a cream coloured so-called ‘champagne’ dial (Ref. 310.021). The latter was taken out of production in 2007, while the former remained in the brand’s catalogues until 2017 and is accordingly the longest-lived reference among Langematik Perpetuals.

The L922.1 Sax-0-Mat caliber of the Langematik Perpetual is a completely in-house development by A. Lange & Söhne based on the L921.2 Sax-0-Mat caliber, the brand’s first self-winding movement since its 1990 revival. Accordingly, the perpetual calendar module is also designed by the brand, meaning the Langematik Perpetual has three attractive features. These are, firstly, a perpetual calendar with a large date indicator. Before A. Lange & Söhne, only Ulysse Nardin perpetual calendars had this particular complication. Secondly, the self-winding system is powered by a three-quarter mini-rotor, giving the movement a unique look. Thirdly, this movement, like all calibers based on the L921 Sax-0-Mat, includes the function of stopping and resetting the small seconds hand to zero when setting the time, something extremely rare for that time.

The combination of rare features, including the perpetual calendar with a big date, modest and elegant design with harmoniously proportional platinum case and rhodium-plated solid-silver dial, along with a high-end self-winding caliber, one of the best automatic movements of the modern epoch, make the present lot highly desirable.

Observers consider the L921 and its derivative 922 calibers to be the finest self-winding wristwatch movements ever created by A. Lange & Söhne. The unique functional features, with the brand’s own zero-reset mechanism for zeroing the small seconds hand when the crown is pulled out, are complemented by outstanding technical and aesthetic qualities. These include the eye-catching three-quarter mini-rotor, which is produced from a solid 21k gold with a platinum peripheral mass. The rotor is decorated with a high-relief engraving with a finely hammered background, which seems to be an appropriate addition to the freehand engraved balance cock with a micrometric screw regulator and swan-neck flat spring.

In the finishing of the movement, we find the A. Lange & Söhne style at its best. The untreated German silver three-quarter plate and other movement bridges are adorned with Glashütte ribbing (a type of Côtes de Genève) and engraved and gilded inscriptions. The mainplate, also in untreated German silver, reveals a perlage finish. The chamfers are bevelled and mirror polished, the screws are blued, and the steel escape wheel bridge cap is mirror-polished by hand. Movement parts in German silver eventually develop a golden-grey patina, typical of this material, which, as we observe in the present example, creates a rich warm hue, unusual for movements with standard nickel or rhodium plating. This has long become one of the valuable features of Lange calibers.

Reasons to bid

The A. Lange & Söhne Langematik Perpetual Ref. 310.025 should be regarded as an excellent purchase for the collector who desires an important, rare and attractive platinum perpetual calendar wristwatch from a world-famous traditional watch brand, the undisputed market leader in German high watchmaking. The combination of rare features, including the perpetual calendar with a big date, modest and elegant design with harmoniously proportional platinum case and rhodium-plated solid-silver dial, along with a high-end self-winding caliber, one of the best automatic movements of the modern epoch, make the present lot highly desirable. The exquisite finishing of the movement’s parts and its typical Lange appearance will impress the heart of any connoisseur, and A. Lange & Söhne’s reputation in these aspects should be recognised as impeccable.