On the occasion of Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025, A. Lange & Söhne unveils the Minute Repeater Perpetual ref. 607.091FE. Price is available on request
On the occasion of Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025, A. Lange & Söhne unveils the Minute Repeater Perpetual ref. 607.091FE, a Haute Horlogerie creation combining two of the most sophisticated horological complications, rarely together.
The newly developed hand-wound movement, integrating a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar, is housed in a 40.5 mm x 12.1 mm case crafted from 950 platinum.
When the slide integrated into the left-hand case flank is actuated, the chiming mechanism strikes the hours with a low pitch, the quarter-hours with a double tone, and the minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter-hour with a higher-pitched tone.
The two differently tuned gongs offer a repertoire of 720 unique sequences, one for every minute in a twelve-hour period.
The movement of the gong hammers and the gongs themselves, orchestrated by the 194-part mechanism, can be admired through the sapphire-crystal caseback.
To optimise operation, the classic minute repeater includes a pause elimination mechanism that skips the pause between the hour and minute strike when no double tone is required in the first 14 minutes after the top of the hour.
A safety device prevents activation of the minute repeater when the crown is pulled, and the crown cannot be pulled while the chiming mechanism is engaged.
Finally, the patented hammer blocker holds the hammers in their home position for a fraction of a second after striking, ensuring they do not rebound and strike the gongs again.
A crystal-clear sound is achieved through hand-tuned gongs that harmonise perfectly with platinum's acoustic properties. Each component is meticulously adjusted by a Lange master watchmaker, who carefully calibrates the hammers' material, shape, and hardness to ensure optimal sound quality.
In parallel, the perpetual calendar mechanism ensures the precise display of the date, day of the week and month, even taking into account the leap years. The calendar indications must only be corrected by one day but not until 1 March 2100; according to the rules of the Gregorian calendar, the leap year will then be skipped.
This also applies to the moon-phase display. In fact, this astronomical complication emulates the lunar cycle so accurately that it only needs to be corrected by one day every 122.6 years.
All calendar indications can jointly be advanced with one single corrector.
The four-part dial is made of white gold and filled with black enamel in a delicate and time-consuming procedure.
The resulting glossy black surface becomes the ideal background to make the various displays and the Lange outsize date stand out beautifully.
The subsidiary dial at 9 o’clock accommodates the day-of-week and the 24-hour displays while a second one located at 3 o’clock is graced by the month and leap-year indications. A third subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock showcases the small seconds and the moon-phase display: both moons in 750 gold are surrounded by more than 100 hand-engraved stars.
All subdials are framed by a circular lesene, a delicate white gold border. A larger one also encircles the main dial, positioned between the outsize date and the Roman numerals.
The sapphire-crystal caseback reveals the technical complexity and high level of artisanal finishing of the newly developed Lange manufacture calibre L122.2, composed of 640 parts.
The aesthetic highlights include the balance cock that is engraved with a free-hand technique, with the whiplash spring mounted on top. The lateral setscrew assures the precision regulation of the interaction between the escapement and the oscillation system.
The three-quarter plate, made of untreated German silver, is decorated with black-rhodium engravings. Four screwed gold chatons adorn its grained surface.
The two manually bent gongs frame the movement while the two gong hammers are finished using black polishing, a technique that involves a considerable amount of manual work. It ensures that incident light is reflected in only one direction. Viewed from one perspective only, the surface is jet black, yet seen from all other angles, it appears to have a mirror-like gloss.
The barrel bridge, the centrifugal-governor bridge and the gong hammer bridges are adorned with solarisation, creating a visual entity.
The most dynamic component of the movement, the centrifugal governor, is mounted in an overhung position, making it almost silent when operational. It rotates at a speed of more than 2,000 revolutions per minute when the striking mechanism is running. This guarantees the uniform cadence of the strikes.
The in-house crafted, freely oscillating balance spring beats at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) while the mainspring barre provides a 72-hour power reserve.
Paired with a black, hand-stitched alligator leather strap with a deployant platinum buckle, the new A. Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual, ref. 607.091FE, is a limited edition of 50 watches exclusively available at select boutiques of the brand. The price is provided on request. alange-soehne.com
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