A. Lange & Söhne

Two significant things happened at the standard bearer of German watchmaking this year. One is the streamlining of the collection - the 1815, Saxonia and Langematik ranges have all been discontinued and replaced with a new Saxonia line. The other is the Lange 31, unveiled in Dresden a few weeks before SIHH and the topic of much discussion.

The Lange 31 is big in all respects:

31-day power reserve
46mm in diameter
15.9mm in height
230g in weight
6ft long mainspring (2 of them!)
EUR135,000 provisional retail price

The Lange 31 is without a doubt a technical tour de force. It has the longest power reserve of any wristwatch ever made, and probably the longest mainspring as well; three quarters of the movement consists of the 2 stacked mainsprings. All of the incredible torque generated by the two mainsprings is regulated by a remontoir which ensures a constant delivery of energy, on average, to the escapement.

Both mainsprings are so long that winding them conventionally via the crown would be unfeasible. Thus Lange has returned to the key winding technology of pocket watches and clocks, and the Lange 31 is powered up with a beautifully finished key that fits into a socket at the back. The key itself is complex, containing a "backstop ratchet to allow smooth winding", as well as "a torque limiter [to prevent] accidental overtightening of the springs". Two keys are provided with the watch, one for the desk and another for travel use.

I am full of admiration for the Lange 31. It is a masterful achievement. But like the Breguet La Tradition tourbillon, masterpiece or not, it is simply too big to wear. I know the mainsprings are enormous, and the size of the case is dictated by the size of the mainsprings, but that does not change the fact that it sits like a platinum hockey puck on the wrist.

Nonetheless, those with large wrists and wallets will be tempted. Potential buyers would want to note that Lange will only start deliveries of this watch from late 2008 or early 2009 onwards; the company wants to complete delivery of the Tourbograph before embarking on production of the Lange 31.

Next we move on the new Saxonia range. The first Saxonia was actually one of the original Lange watches presented at the rebirth of the company in 1994, along with the Lange 1, Arkade and Pour le Méritetourbillon. But somehow it never caught on and the Saxonia never saw the sales of its compatriots of 1994. Now along with the 1815 and Langematik collections, the Saxonia has been discontinued and replaced with a new Saxonia line that neatly encompasses the price points and complications of the outgoing watches, except for the 1815 chronograph.

Taking the place of the Langematik with date is the SaxoniaAutomatik, available in the combinations shown below.

The 1815 manual wind has evolved into the Saxonia, available in five variations as follows.

And in the spirit of the times, no collection would be complete with an "XL" or in this case, "Grand" version. I present the 40mm diameter Grand SaxoniaAutomatik (the other two Saxonia watches are 37mm wide).

The Langematik-Perpetual was presented in pink gold this year, previously it was only in yellow gold and platinum. This watch looks best in this combination, the warmth of the pink gold complements the romantic blue and gold of the moonphase best.

Finally Lange unveiled two new models for ladies, the Cabaret Soirée and the Little Lange 1 Soirée. Both models are in pink gold with black mother of pearl dials and diamond set bezels, on matching galuchat (stingray skin) straps. These two watches are nothing inspired, the gold and mother of pearl combination has been done many times before; nonetheless they look very good, especially the Cabaret - it is probably the best looking Lange ladies watch to date.