foversta[PuristSPro Moderator]
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Part 9: the Grand Lange 1 "Lumen" (Press Release)
Feb 02, 2013,03:08 AM
The enlightenment of the outsize
date
The limited GRAND LANGE 1 “Lumen”
offers enlightenment: a semi-transparent dial exposes the ingenious
mechanism of the first luminescent outsize date display by A. Lange
& Söhne.
Legible even in the
dark: GRAND LANGE 1 “Lumen”When it was
first presented, it evoked excitement and kicked off a trend that soon
found many imitators: the Lange outsize date. Together with the
asymmetric dial, it elevated the LANGE 1 to the status of an icon of
classic design. However, the secret behind the complex mechanism
responsible for this unprecedented date display format remained hidden
beneath the solid-silver dial. Now, the GRAND LANGE 1 with the Latin
attribute “Lumen” reveals this secret. The name of the timepiece, which
comes in a limited edition of 200 watches in platinum cases, says it
all. Parts of its dial consist of semi-transparent sapphire crystal.
Only the outer ring and the surfaces of the displays for hours and
minutes as well as small seconds are made of blackened silver. The
sapphire crystal surfaces reveal the disc mechanism of the first outsize
date that glows in the dark. Additionally, the time and the power
reserve are also legible in the dark.
The technical
challenge encountered during the development of the GRAND LANGE 1
“Lumen” was to ensure maximum luminosity for the date display, even
immediately after the daily switching operation. Lange’s product
developers solved this issue in an exceptional way. While the tens cross
was coated with a white luminous compound and subsequently imprinted
with black numerals, the units disc consists of transparent glass
imprinted with black numerals and rotates before a luminous
background.
The sapphire crystal sections
of the dial are treated with a special coating that blocks most of the
visible spectrum of light. For the invisible UV light spectrum, however,
the coating does not represent a barrier. Therefore, UV radiation can
pass through to the luminous surfaces of the outsize date unhindered.
This produces an interesting side effect: the date platform with its
manually applied perlage, normally seen only by the watchmaker during
the assembly process, is now visible to the owner as well. The small,
overlapping circular graining produced by hand using a rotating abrasive
peg is normally concealed underneath the
dial.
The craftsmanship and
virtuosity invested in the L095.2 manufacture movement, which is
assembled twice, can also be admired from the other side through the
sapphire-crystal caseback. Indeed, the GRAND LANGE 1 “Lumen” radiates
charisma from every angle. Only last year, A. Lange & Söhne
endowed the GRAND LANGE 1 with a totally new, manually wound calibre.
The omission of the second mainspring barrel as well as the effective
arrangement of the parts reduced the overall height of the calibre
without any compromise in terms of power reserve, making it possible to
transpose the graceful dial, architecture of the LANGE 1 to the enlarged
model. The dial of the GRAND LANGE 1 “Lumen” presents the indications
of the hours, minutes, seconds, outsize date, and power reserve without
any overlaps.