A. Lange & Söhne has partnered with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, an automotive extravaganza held on the shore of Italy’s Lake Como that many regard as the finest event of its type in Europe and possibly the world. Every year, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid has presented the owner of the competition’s most elegant vehicle with a LANGE 1 TIME ZONE “Como Edition.” This year is the first time that an 1815 Chronograph has been chosen as the prize for the “Best of Show” category.
The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph presents in an 18-carat white-gold case, with a truly exquisite solid pink-gold dial. Its hinged “cuvette,” or case back, is engraved with the title of the event, its coat of arms, and both the current year and the year of its founding. Upon opening the cuvette, the superb hand-wound column-wheel movement that offers a flyback function, a jumping minute counter, and 60 hours of power reserve are visible through the sapphire crystal back. The 306 individual parts and 34 jewels are contained by plates and bridges made from untreated German silver and every bit of decoration is all executed by hand.
The timepiece’s 39.5mm white-gold case melds classic design with mechanical ingenuity. With its Arabic numerals and the railway-track minute scale, the dial in pink gold recalls A. Lange & Söhne’s legendary pocket watches. The brown subsidiary dials for the seconds and the minute counter contrast well against the bright background. The black rhodium gold hands for the hours and minutes, that match the case, and the steel chronograph hand, the subsidiary seconds hand, and the minute-counter hand, which are also rhodiumed, ensure good legibility as well. A dark-brown strap made of hand-stitched leather with a prong buckle in white gold rounds out the color concept. Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este will be held this year from October 1st to October 3rd.
For another of the watchmaker’s releases, check out the A. Lange & Söhne Summer 2021 Collection.