Lest we forget, A. Lange Söhne spearheaded the shift toward in-house vertical integration that transformed watchmaking in the 1990s. Today, the manufacture continues that tradition by introducing new iterations of its flagship complications.
Feting the technical accomplishments of A. Lange Söhne, the new Triple Split in platinum is limited to 100 examples, and the new 1815 Up/Down is limited to 300 editions in pink gold and 300 editions in white gold.
A. Lange Söhne Triple Split
The A. Lange Söhne Triple Split remains the world’s only mechanical split-seconds chronograph capable of measuring intermediate, comparative, and total additive times for up to 12 hours. Originally introduced in 2018 in white gold and followed by a pink gold version in 2021, the Saxon manufacture just revealed a third iteration during this year’s Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace: a 100-piece limited edition crafted in 950 platinum with a rhodié-colored dial.
Evolution of the World’s Only 12-Hour Rattrapante
When A. Lange Söhne launched the original Triple Split in 750 white gold with a gray dial, it set a milestone in modern chronograph construction. The manufacture expanded the lineup with a 750 pink gold version featuring a blue dial.
The latest model introduces a 950 platinum case paired with a rhodié-colored dial, contrasting gray auxiliary dials, and blued-steel rattrapante hands for the minute and hour counters. The chronograph minute counter is fashioned from rhodiumed 750 gold, while the chronograph hour counter is rhodiumed steel.
A peripheral tachymeter scale along the outer dial allows the wearer to calculate average speeds over a distance of 1,000 meters.
Calibre L132.1: Technical Mastery and Energy Efficiency
Measuring 43.2mm in diameter and 15.6mm in height, the platinum case houses the hand-finished Calibre L132.1. Endowed with both a triple split-seconds mechanism and a flyback function, the movement incorporates a patented low-friction disengagement system. As split-seconds chronographs are notoriously power-hungry, this disengagement mechanism isolates the friction-intensive processes on the seconds and minute-counter arbors, preserving amplitude and rate stability when the rattrapante hands are stopped.
At 6 o’clock, Lange’s signature Ab/Auf (Up/Down) power reserve indicator balances the 12-hour chronograph counter at 12 o’clock, displaying how much of the 55-hour power reserve remains.
How the Triple Rattrapante Function Works
Unlike standard split-seconds chronographs that only measure intermediate times up to 60 seconds, the A. Lange Söhne Triple Split extends split-time measurement up to 12 hours across seconds, minutes, and hours. Actuating the 2 o’clock pusher starts all six chronograph and rattrapante hands simultaneously; pressing the 10 o’clock rattrapante pusher freezes the three blued-steel hands to display an intermediate time while the rhodiumed chronograph hands continue tracking overall elapsed duration. A second press of the 10 o’clock pusher instantly aligns the stopped hands back with the running chronograph hands, while the 4 o’clock pusher triggers the flyback function to stop, reset, and restart all active hands in a single step.
The Gold-Standard of Finishing
The new A. Lange Söhne Triple Split in 950 platinum comes fitted on a dark-brown alligator leather strap secured by a platinum deployant buckle. True to the traditions of the Glashütte manufacture, Calibre L132.1 features untreated German silver plates and bridges decorated with Glashütte ribbing, five gold screwed chatons, and a hand-engraved balance cock. Every movement is precision-adjusted in five positions.
A. Lange Söhne Triple Split (Platinum)
- Reference: 424.025F
- Limitation: Limited edition of 100 pieces
- Case Dimensions: 43.2mm diameter × 15.6mm thickness
- Dial: Rhodié-colored main dial with dark gray sub-dials
- Movement: In-house Calibre L132.1 (Hand-wound, 567 components, 21,600 vph)
- Power Reserve: 55 hours with Ab/Auf (Up/Down) indicator
- Key Complications: Triple rattrapante (seconds, minutes, hours), flyback chronograph, tachymeter scale, power reserve display
A. Lange Söhne 1815 Up/Down
Unveiled alongside the Triple Split at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, A. Lange Söhne has introduced two new iterations of the 1815 Up/Down in 750 white gold and 750 pink gold. Limited to 300 pieces per case material, this pair of novelties pairs a rich blue dial with argenté-colored sub-dials to reinterpret one of the Glashütte manufacture’s most historic complications.
Honoring an 1879 Saxon Patent
The new timepieces celebrate their namesake complication—the Ab/Auf (Up/Down) power reserve display—which has been a signature hallmark of Lange watchmaking since the manufacture received Imperial Patent No. 9349 for the mechanism in 1879.
Positioned at 8 o’clock, the power reserve display informs the wearer how much of the watch’s 72-hour power reserve remains. The indicator is mechanically integrated directly into the movement using a compact planetary gear system rather than an added module. Visually, it is counterbalanced by the subsidiary seconds sub-dial at 4 o’clock.
Pocket Watch Aesthetics in Modern Proportions
The argenté-colored sub-dials feature blued hands, creating a vivid contrast against the deep blue, recessed central main dial—a design language directly inspired by historic Lange pocket watches, alongside the traditional railway-track minute scale and crisp Arabic numerals. The central lancet hour and minute hands are color-matched to their respective precious metal cases.
Measuring a compact 37.5mm in diameter and a slim 8.7mm in height, the case houses the manually wound Calibre L051.2. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the movement features classic pocket-watch architecture, including a three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, solarized winding wheels, seven gold chatons secured by blued screws, and signature balance cock hand-engraved with Lange’s traditional floral scrolls.
The 750 white gold edition comes fitted on a blue alligator leather strap, while the 750 pink gold model is presented on a reddish-brown alligator leather strap.
A. Lange Söhne 1815 Up/Down (Pink Gold and White Gold)
- Reference: 244.037 (pink gold) and 244.028 (white gold)
- Limitation: Limited edition of 300 pieces each
- Case Dimensions: 37.5mm diameter × 8.7mm thickness
- Dial: Blue main dial with recessed center and argenté-colored sub-dials
- Movement: In-house Calibre L051.2 (Hand-wound, 72-hour power reserve)
- Key Feature: Integrated Ab/Auf (Up/Down) power reserve indicator at 8 o’clock
- Straps: Blue alligator leather (white gold) / Reddish-brown alligator leather (pink gold)
Timely FAQs
What makes the A. Lange Söhne Triple Split unique compared to traditional split-seconds chronographs?
How does Calibre L132.1 in the Triple Split prevent power loss during extended time measurements?
What is the historical origin of the "Up/Down" (Ab/Auf) power reserve indicator on the 1815 Up/Down?
