Pictures by Jake Witkin
While you first choose up the A. Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual, which was launched at Watches & Wonders 2025, the burden hits you earlier than the rest. It’s platinum, so in fact it has presence, however there’s a gravitas that goes past metallic. You’re holding a watch that mixes two of essentially the most revered problems in excessive horology, and someway does so with out trying or feeling overdone. A minute repeater is among the most complicated and revered watch problems, chiming the time on demand with a sequence of tones for hours, quarters, and minutes. Initially developed within the 18th century to inform time at the hours of darkness, it stays a showcase of conventional watchmaking mastery. Every mechanism can take a whole lot of hours to construct and tune by hand, with sound high quality influenced by the case materials and building. Regardless of fashionable advances, the minute repeater stays an emblem of pure mechanical poetry. That is what’s most hanging in individual: This can be a sophisticated watch that doesn’t really feel sophisticated. It’s a look ahead to these within the know, oh you certainly know. A. Lange & Sohne is simply a kind of manufacturers.
Regardless of what’s happening inside, this isn’t a watch that asserts itself with pointless bulk. At 40.5mm broad and simply 12.1mm thick, it sits nicely. When you’ve dealt with different minute repeaters or perpetual calendars earlier than, you’ll know the way uncommon that’s. Most really feel like they’ve acquired layers upon layers of mechanical structure stacked excessive. Not this one. It’s dense, as platinum will try this, but it surely’s balanced. The load feels centered, prefer it’s hugging the wrist somewhat than dragging down one facet. It’s the form of heft that quietly reminds you it’s particular, not the sort that turns into a burden. Platinum is considerably heavier than stainless-steel, with a density of roughly 21.45 grams per cubic centimeter in comparison with round 7.9 grams per cubic centimeter for 316L stainless-steel. That makes platinum roughly 60% denser, which contributes to the noticeable heft of this watch. However on this case, the burden feels purposeful and refined, by no means overbearing. Paired with a high-gloss black alligator strap and a platinum deployant clasp, the entire package deal feels deliberately restrained and stylish, extra quiet confidence than flash.
The dial is what you’d count on from Lange, however dialed up. Excessive-gloss black enamel performs nicely with the white gold aid parts, giving off this quiet shimmer underneath mild. The format is intuitive and symmetrical: triple subdials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, the signature outsize date up prime, and a moonphase complication that might double as jewellery. That moonphase deserves a better look. It’s not simply there for adornment; the 18k gold moons sit inside a area of stars, each engraved by hand. Lange claims it solely wants a one-day correction each 122.6 years, which principally means you’ll by no means have to the touch it. Mix that with the intercalary year show, day/evening indicator, and perpetual calendar features, and also you’ve acquired a dial that has every thing you’ll want, but continues to be simple to learn.
Flip the watch over and also you’ll see the in-house L122.2 absolutely on show. We’re speaking 640 parts. Hand-polished bevels, black-polished hammers, screwed gold chatons, it’s all there. The ending is crisp, it nearly seems like a digital render… till you see the slight shimmer of a hand-applied contact. However the motion’s actual occasion trick is the minute repeater. Activating the minute repeater is akin to initiating a non-public live performance. The chime resonates with a readability and heat that belies the density of its platinum case. Every notice, low for hours, double for quarters, and excessive for minutes, rings out in a harmonious sequence, making a melodious illustration of time. This auditory expertise isn’t just a perform however an occasion, showcasing Lange’s dedication to acoustic excellence.
The repeater mechanism’s sophistication extends past sound. It intelligently omits pointless pauses, making certain a seamless move of chimes that feels pure and unbroken. Security options, like locking the crown throughout chiming and a patented hammer blocker, replicate a degree of overengineering that collectors will completely respect. Each strike is exact, intentional, and by no means rushed. Lange even has every watch hand-tuned by a grasp watchmaker to make sure pitch-perfect resonance, even after it’s cased.
This isn’t only a showcase of problems. It’s a lesson in find out how to combine them. The A. Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual in Platinum doesn’t attempt to do every thing. It chooses two problems and executes them with a degree of readability and class that’s uncommon nowadays. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t scream for consideration. Within the realm of excessive problems, the A. Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual distinguishes itself by way of restraint and refinement. Whereas contemporaries like Patek Philippe’s Grand Problems or Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers typically embrace opulence and complex designs, Lange opts for a quieter strategy. No skeletonized bridges, no wild ending prospers, simply sensible, elegant design.
Even the best way Lange showcases the motion feels deliberate. The German silver three-quarter plate emphasizes structural integrity over decorative showboating. And but, it’s all fantastically completed. You get the sense that Lange isn’t making an attempt to impress with flash. They’re impressing with self-discipline. It’s a chunk made for individuals who perceive what they’re taking a look at. Solely 50 items can be made, they usually’ll be boutique-only. Pricing hasn’t been disclosed, however let’s be actual, for those who’re looking for one, you already know what you’re moving into. For extra data, please go to the A. Lange & Sohne web site.
