The esteemed German watchmaking house again shows that it takes the simple things very seriously with the fourth iteration of the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds
Sometimes all you really want is your watch to tell the time accurately. Oh, and with consistency. And also, beautifully, too. Is that too much to ask? Well, A. Lange & Söhne has the perfect answer for you in the new Richard Lange Jumping Seconds.
Retaining the stateliness and elegance of its predecessors, the fourth iteration of the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds—limited to 100 pieces—comes in a gleaming 39.9mm white gold case with a gorgeous solid pink gold dial.
Its time-only interface—a Venn diagram-like intersection of sub-dials that display the hours, minutes, and seconds separately—takes inspiration from an 18th-century precision chronometer, delivering legibility that feels purposeful, and just a little poetic. The look is one of warmth and refinement, an aesthetic that Lange fans will be familiar with. Meanwhile, the watch’s simple, yet superlative, technical qualities remain unchanged.
At its heart is the hand-wound Lange calibre L094.1, which houses three key systems to deliver exacting accuracy: the constant-force escapement, the jumping-seconds mechanism, and the zero-reset system.
The constant-force escapement ensures energy is delivered evenly over the course of the 42-hour power reserve. This impulse is harnessed by the jumping-seconds mechanism, which makes the central hand advance in one-second increments—a crisp tick that underscores the watch’s precision. Pull the crown, and the zero-reset system brings the seconds hand back to 12 o’clock, allowing the time to be set with sharp precision.
Turn the watch over, and the view is breathtaking. Through the sapphire-crystal caseback, one can admire the gears and levers working in unison, set against Lange’s signature decorative flourishes: three-quarter German-silver plate with Glashütte ribbing, blued screws, screwed gold chatons, and an individually hand-engraved balance cock.
Anthony de Haas, Lange’s director of product development, describes the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds as pairing “comprehensive precision with individual elegance.” It is difficult to disagree. In a world where many watches chase spectacle, this piece is almost monk-like in its devotion to displaying the time with utmost clarity and precision.
