The Saxony-based manufactory, A. Lange & Söhne, delivered a range of elegant timepieces at the Watches and Wonders 2022 exhibition. At the Geneva event, the brand presented the Richard Lange Minute Repeater, the Odysseus, and the Grand Lange 1 in two variants - white and pink gold. 

Richard Lange Minute Repeater

Creating a minute repeater is an arduous task, A. Lange & Söhne admits. But a challenge is what the brand seeks. Adding to the very beautiful and highly functional Richard Lange family, the brand has revealed the Richard Lange Minute Repeater with elaborate sound functions. With its white, three-part enamel dial, the 50-watch limited edition platinum timepiece is both acoustically and visually charming.

Based on the traditional sound format, when the slide -- integrated into the left-hand case flank -- is activated, the chiming mechanism strikes the hours, the quarter hours, and the minutes. Guided by a mechanical arrangement, the two differently tuned gongs can strike 720 different sequences - one for every minute in the twelve-hour cycle. Set a lower pitch is the hour tone, the quarter hours have a double tone, and the minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour have been set a higher pitched tone.

The chiming mechanism is visually appealing too. When the repeater sequence is activated, the sapphire crystal caseback reveals how the mirror-polished gong hammers execute the respective sequence of strikes on the two gongs that are wrapped around the movement.

The chiming mechanism has a pause elimination feature. To prevent damage to the chiming mechanism, the piece comes equipped with a safety device, stopping the minute repeater from getting activated when the crown is pulled out. The meticulous engineering is represented by its various mechanical facets, like the patented hammer blocker that causes the hammers to stay in their home position for fractions of a second after the gongs have been struck. This allows the rebounding hammers to not bounce and strike the gongs again.

The 39mm platinum case has a height of only 9.7mm and features satin-finished flanks. The white enamel dial has a solid gold core which has been crafted in-house. A fine red line above the 12 adds a refined colour accent to the whole scheme of things. The limited edition watch is worn on a black, hand-stitched leather strap with a platinum deployant buckle. It is powered by manually wound L122.1 movement that is visible through the caseback, delivering a power reserve of around 72 hours.

Odysseus

The Odysseus is a high-end technical piece that's elegant and delivers a robust performance. Perfect for both leisure and sports, the watch has a large day and date display that can be easily adjusted with the distinguished tapered buttons. The new ice-blue colour and an exclusive surface structure embellish the dial of the brand's first titanium timepiece which is a 250-watch limited edition.

Lighter than steel, titanium improves the comfort of wearing a watch. With a diameter of 40.5mm and a height of 11.1mm, the watch sits snug on the wrist. Third in the Odysseus family and first to wear a titanium body, its brilliance is its exclusivity perhaps. The watch, with a screw-down crown, is water-resistant upto 120 metres.

On the dial, where the blue magic is happening, the fine guilloched grooves extend in the arcs to the hour markers. Among the Arabic five-minute numerals in black, the red printed 60 catches the eye as a colour accent. The titanium case of the watch meets a titanium bracelet which features an easily operable adjustment mechanism.

Powered by the Lange Manufacture Calibre L155.1 Datomatic automatic movement, it delivers a power reserve of around 50 hours and beats at a frequency of 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour (4 hertz). With the German-silver plate decorated with Glashütte ribbing and the screwed gold chaton that marks the position of the escape wheel, all parts of the engine are hand-finished.

Grand Lange 1

The year 2022 welcomes a redesigned Grand Lange 1, featuring a grey dial that is housed in either an 18K pink gold case or a white gold one. The case has a diameter of 41mm and is just 8.2mm high. With the original born in 2013, the latest Grand Lange 1 augments the vivid legacy of the Lange 1 family of watches. The off-centre display of the time includes the Lange outsize date in a gold-framed double aperture, a power reserve indicator with the characteristic 'UP/DOWN' inscription, and recessed subsidiary dials with concentric lines and flat appliques.

On the dial are Roman numerals and the lozenge-shaped markers in white or pink gold. The white gold reference of the timepiece comes with a black leather strap and the pink gold iteration is paired with a red-brown leather strap.

The manually wound Calibre l095.1 powers the new Grand Lange 1 and has only one mainspring barrel. The engine achieves a power reserve of around 72 hours and can be admired through the sapphire crystal caseback.

Images: Courtesy Lange