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Part 5: the 1815 Rattrapante PC (Press Release)
Feb 02, 2013,03:05 AM
The legacy of a grand tradition: 1815 RATTRAPANTE PERPETUAL
CALENDAR
The 1815 RATTRAPANTE PERPETUAL
CALENDAR melds the technical fascination of a rattrapante chronograph
with the enduring precision of a perpetual calendar that does not need
to be corrected until the year 2100, and then by only one
day.
Stately presence:
1815 RATTRAPANTE PERPETUAL CALENDARThe
meanwhile eighth chronograph calibre developed by A. Lange &
Söhne is yet another manifestation of the brand’s exceptional competence
in this apotheosis of precision watchmaking. With a rattrapante
chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a moonphase display, and a
power-reserve indicator, it unites more horological complications than
the well-organised dial suggests at first
sight.
Rattrapante
chronographSince the presentation of the
DATOGRAPH in 1999, the eminent manufactory had repeatedly raised the bar
in the design of sophisticated chronographs with no fewer than seven
proprietary calibres, including milestones such as the DOUBLE SPLIT and
the TOURBOGRAPH “Pour le Mérite”. The first part of its name already
indicates that the 1815 RATTRAPANTE PERPETUAL CALENDAR represents a
worthy continuation of the successful series: it joins the top league of
chronographs, the so-called rattrapante or split-seconds chronographs.
Its push piece at the 10 o’clock position implies that there is more
than meets the eye. The mechanism behind it is visible through the
sapphire-crystal caseback and ranks among the most fascinating ones in a
movement. Stopping elapsed or lap times is handled precisely in the
classic manner with two column wheels. The central, superposed
chronograph hand and rattrapante hand make it possible to measure any
number of lap times within the course of a minute. The minute-counter
and power reserve displays are located at 12 o’clock. The longer
blued-steel hand indicates the count of stopped seconds. Conversely, the
shorter golden hand in the inner circle tells the owner of the watch
when the time has come to replenish the energy of the mainspring via the
winding crown.
Perpetual
calendarOf the 631 individual parts of the
newly developed manufacture calibre L101.1, more than 200 components
are part of the perpetual calendar mechanism. It not only knows the
durations of all months in the course of a calendar year but also
indicates all leap years until the year 2100. That year, according to
the Gregorian calendar, is not a leap year, which is why the date must
be manually advanced by one day, with pushbutton convenience. The same
applies to all other secular years, the next one being 2200. The paired
calendar indications are positioned at 9 and 3 o’clock. The subsidiary
dial on the left indicates the date and the day of the week, the one on
the right the month and the leap year. The newly designed solid-gold
lunar disc beneath the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock emulates the
synodic lunation so precisely that it only needs to be corrected by one
day every 122 years.
Homage to the pocket
watchArabic numerals, a railway-track
minute scale, gold and blued hands as well as four round subsidiary
dials in a clover-leaf configuration characterise the design of the 1815
RATTRAPANTE PERPETUAL CALENDAR. It is the classic design mantra of the
1815 watch family that has its roots in A. Lange & Söhne’s grand
pocket watch tradition. The prominent case in platinum or pink gold
with a diameter of 41.9 millimetres rounds out the impressive
personality of this horological
masterpiece.