The new 1815 Tourbillon in black grand feu enamel flexes the brand’s watchmaking pedigree
Refinement in watchmaking reveals itself in many guises. At times it lies in the restraint of a simple, time-only piece that speaks to the purist’s sensibilities. At others, it resides in the complexity of a movement that demonstrates the full breadth of horological mastery. Whichever way you choose to define it, however, A. Lange & Söhne’s latest addition to the 1815 collection appears to embody both.
Sporting an exquisite 39.5mm platinum case, the new 1815 Tourbillon (ref. 730.094F) imbues the brand’s signature understated design language with just a touch of watchmaking bravura. While the tourbillon, which takes up substantial real estate in the bottom half of the dial, instantly draws the eye, it is framed by a composition that boasts surprising depth.
The lustrous black grand feu enamel dial, for example, offers a deep and visually rich surface. To achieve this effect, the dial, first crafted in white gold, undergoes a delicate and meticulous enamelling process that includes countless firings in extremely high temperatures. Due to its delicate nature and inability to conceal the slightest imperfection, a black enamel dial is among the most challenging finishes to achieve. Upon this dark canvas, the crisp white Arabic numerals and railway-track minute scale—hallmarks of the 1815 collection—are rendered in striking clarity.
This sense of order, however, finds its counterpoint in the watch’s tourbillon. Taking up almost the entire space between 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock, the tourbillon, encircled within a hand-chamfered aperture, is exquisitely finished; its bridges black-polished to a mirror surface that shifts between a reflective gleam and a jet-black sheen depending on the light.
And while this is far from the first time Lange has incorporated a tourbillon into its 1815 collection (the brand first introduced the complication to the line in 2014), the combination of the gleaming platinum case, lustrous black enamel dial, and finely executed tourbillon lends this latest edition a weightier sense of gravitas.
Beyond its visual splendour, the complication allows Lange to demonstrate its horological pedigree. First devised over two centuries ago to counteract the effects of gravity on a watch’s rate, the tourbillon has long been a symbol of mechanical virtuosity. Lange elevates it further with two refinements that enable seamless timesetting: a stop-seconds mechanism that stops the timepiece when the crown is pulled and an instant zero-reset function that snaps the seconds hand back to the zero position.
Powered by the manually wound calibre L102.1, the watch offers a 72-hour power reserve. Limited to just 50 pieces, the 1815 Tourbillon in black grand feu enamel offers an eloquent expression of watchmaking at its most refined.
