A. Lange & Söhne - Zeitwerk Minute Repeater Honeygold

1 0 Tuesday, 24 October 2023 Edit this post

A. Lange & Söhne is unveiling today a new limited edition, crafted from Lange-exclusive Honeygold, of its Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, the only mechanical wristwatch combining a jumping numerals display with a decimal minute repeater that sounds the hours, ten-minute intervals and minutes.

The new Zeitwerk Minute Repeater Honeygold ref. 147.050F joins the models in platinum with a rhodié-coloured dial, launched in 2015, and the limited 30-watch edition in white gold with a deep-blue dial, presented in 2020.

Matched to an elegant grey dial in 925 silver, the Honeygold alloy used for the 44.2 mm x 14.1 mm case gives this minute repeater a unique sonority, producing a clear and reverberant sound with a warm timbre.

In fact, apart from the gongs and gong hammers, the case material has the greatest impact on the sound. Similar to a musical instrument, different tone colours and sound impressions are created, depending on the material used. Consisting of gold, manganese, zinc and silicone, Lange’s honey gold offers increased corrosion resistance, durability, and resistance to scratches compared to yellow or rose gold.

This exceptional model is different from most minute repeaters as it chimes ten-minute intervals instead of the conventional quarter-hours. This way, its unique sound format precisely corresponds to the mechanical-digital time as displayed.

As soon as the button at 10 o’clock is activated, a low-pitched tone is sounded for each elapsed hour, a double tone (high-pitched/low-pitched) for each elapsed ten-minute period, and a high-pitched tone for each elapsed minute.

In case of the time displayed in the pictures (07:52), seven low-pitched tones, five double tones, and two high-pitched tones are struck, exactly corresponding to what the eyes see.

The gongs are meticulously hand-tuned to deliver a pure, resonant sound and harmonise with the sound characteristics of the Lange-exclusive case alloy.

Additionally, all components are carefully tuned by one of our master watchmakers. This requires multiple disassembly, reworking, reassembly and finally, testing procedures. Much of the manufacturing time is thus dedicated to perfecting the sound.

The elaborate polishing of the gongs and black polishing of the gong hammers requires great dexterity and experience. These components are subtly integrated in the design of the dial and can be observed in action during the repetition sequence offering an enchanting spectacle.

The Zeitwerk Minute Repeater comes with a unique button mechanism for triggering the repeater. Because the power for the striking mechanism is delivered by the twin mainspring barrel, there is no need for a slide ‒ common in minute repeaters – to tension a separate spring.

The display module consists of three discs that show the time with large-format numerals that can be read from left to right in the natural way. The patented mechanism makes the numerals jump every minute, and at the top of the hour, all three discs jump forward together by one increment.

To manage these actions, a robust mainspring is necessary. Equally important is ensuring that the rapidly moving discs slow down in a controlled manner to prevent damage to the movement. This is achieved through a fly governor that absorbs excess energy after each transition.

Composed of 771 parts, the L043.5 manufacture calibre is meticulously hand-finished at the highest standards. Beneath the hand-engraved balance cock, the balance wheel with eccentric poising weights and a free-sprung balance spring beats at a slow frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour.

To avoid mechanical conflicts that would occur if the owner were to set the time during a chiming sequence, A. Lange & Söhne developed a safety feature that prevents the crown from being pulled while the striking mechanism is active. When activated, the winding train is uncoupled from the ratchet wheel that powers it. This way, the winding wheel train including the crown cannot turn while the gongs are being struck, which would waste a considerable amount of energy.

It is also important to note that the switching of the numeral discs is delayed until the chiming sequence has ended. This process takes about 20 seconds for the maximum succession of tones, as in the case of 12:59 (twelve low tones for the hours, five double strikes for the ten-minute intervals, and nine high tones for the single minutes). This is important in order to ensure that the acoustic time indication always corresponds to the time displayed on the dial.

Since the mainspring also powers the striking mechanism through the ratchet wheel, the number of times the repeater chimes and how long it chimes for affects the available power reserve. For this reason, the striking mechanism can no longer be activated if the remaining power reserve is less than twelve hours. On the power-reserve indicator, this point is identified with a red mark.

Like all Zeitwerk watch models, the manufacture calibre L043.5 features a constant-force escapement between the barrel and the balance. This escapement acts like a pacemaker for the instantaneous advance of the numerals discs in one-minute intervals. At the same time, it contributes to rate stability by assuring that the balance – regardless of the state of wind of the watch – is powered with a consistent amount of force across the entire power-reserve duration.

Paired with a dark-brown, hand-stitched leather strap, the new A. Lange & Söhne - Zeitwerk Minute Repeater Honeygold ref. 147.050F is limited to 30 watches and is exclusively available in select A. Lange & Söhne boutiques. The price is provided on request only. alange-soehne.com