PeterCDE
10167
A small mirror
Dear enthusiasts,
there´s a nice detail deserving a closer look; it´s rarely mentioned, but Lange´s casework can provide a real surprise.
Here´s an example, the "Walter Lange" limited edition in white gold:
Like with the "Cuvette", these pieces prominently feature a hinged back of solid metal.
That´s unusual, not only for the Lange portfolio; hinged backs make for a special challenge due to the small size of the hinge, which needs to be sturdy enough to withstand decades of wear but can´t be large in order to preserve the proportions and dimensions of a wrist watch case.
That´s a combination hard to achieve and probably we´re not surprised to learn all of these require meticulous manual labor to come to life.
But there´s another feature, which is part of the rear lid.
The inside is perfectly polished to a mirror polish and reveals itself only to the owner or those allowed to have a glimpse.
And it´s fairly more difficult to achieve than one may believe, given all steel parts of the movement are perfectly polished and finely finished.
Other than movement parts, the inside of a solid watch back provides a much larger space and a common rule notes, the larger the work piece, the more difficult to obtain a perfect polishing. That´s in the nature of the metal, because white gold is softer than other materials and adds to the challenge particularly of choosing the right abbrasives and tools, which requires a long experience and practice. And it´s due to the method, as these are hand-polished; a lapse of the hand and the polishing is ruined, which requires to start all over again. This makes for a challenge and it´s not that rarely seen a metal back being polished 2, 3 or 5 times until the perfectly smooth, fine and mirror-like outcome is achieved.
The "mirror back" of the "Walter Lange" and those rare Lange timepieces featuring a solid hinged back probably isn´t spectacular as the beautiful dials and wonderful movements, but it´s more to it than one may guess at a casual glimpse. And that´s to me very "Lange"; attention up to the smallest details and perfection in all of them.
Greetings from Germany,
Peter
A small mirror
Thanks Peter ...
