A. Lange & Söhne

Today I picked up a copy of the german Chronos, with a bonus mag from "Tribune des Arts" featuring A. Lange & Söhne.

This is a glorious and accurately translated bi-lingual presentation, although the material is mostly provided by ALS itself, that any of us here would be glad to have!

However, I would like to ask all of you a question about honey gold.

Many of us have heard that silicon (silicium) was used in the process, making Lange the first company to use silicon in the case, and not for the hair spring or escapment wheel. At least that's the way I understood it.

But let's get serious.

Tribune des Artes writes, and I quote:

"A. Lange & Söhne uses only gold with a finess of 750/1000. In this respect, 18-carat white gold without any admixture of palladium, nickel, or silver is the point of departure."

Well, you have to mix the 1000 chemically pure gold with something to bring it down to the 750 of 18kr gold: red, yellow or white. OK, you have to take something out of the white gold mix to add something else, bringing it back to 750. Besides, using nickel is banned in the European Union for the case, because of the ions causing skin allergies or even getting into the blood stream. Palladium is a good choice - for white gold - but here we are dealing with honey gold!

"The scintillating honey hue is due to the carefully balanced addition of small amounts of copper, zinc, and manganese. What is more a special thermal process is applied to harden this new precious metal to about 320 Vickers, roughly twice as much as ordinary gold. These are the hard facts concerning Lange's honey-coloured gold."

These may be the "hard facts", but where does silicon get into the act - just a pinch of it in the thermal sauce, for spice, color (colour) and flavour (flavor)?

Some clarification - like clarified butter - would be greatly appreciated, especially from ALS - without giving away their cooking temperature and secret recipe.

amerix This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 12:30:17 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 12:32:02 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 12:39:56 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 12:50:59 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 12:51:35 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 12:53:36 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 13:04:07

Maybe this information will help you a little bit:



Source: Peter Starlingers BLOG

and the honey coloured gold:



(source: Lange)

Regards! Sascha
This message has been edited by Sascha on 2010-08-12 13:05:09

I have read these PRs, but the emphasis is upon silicon ...

I am sure that it does a great job - but more for the PR than for the metallurgy?

Best,
Amery

.... or accept

than Rolex Everose - with its published percent of platinum in the 750 gold mix?

One is harder, but the other will not lose its gold color in a chlorinated swimming pool.

amerix

Technical details are truly a driving factor to become a watch enthusiast, but in case of the HG ( second time that I use the abbreviation HG ! ) it is just the
sheer joy of it !

What I did not know and discovered since I own it, is the shifting shade property, or better to say the different reflection of light, that generates the impression of various gold shades: from a light rose to a light yellow gold, with this elusiveness to escape to WG all the time, just for a blink of an eye.

So, in HG it is not to know " what keeps the world in it's inner together", it is TO ENJOY !

Regards

Moritz

as well as your other words, dear Moritz!

There are tales of virgins being sacrificed to the melting pot to make a church bell. Not that I necessarily believe them, but I do appreciate a pure, clear tone - no matter what the ingrediants were.

I love Lange - if little else in life deserves such a word ...

Hearty good wishes!

Amery
This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-08-12 16:23:40

... Lange  watches are one of the most authentic watches on the market.

The overall design is credible, the execution in craftsmanship is simply divine and the technicality is always topnotch.

I always stood still for a (long) moment if I saw a RL or a Lange 1 in the window of an AD and enjoyed the mystical, nearly occult signals they send to me.
A Lange is truly a must have in any collectors portfolio, and I am lucky, blessed and feel humbled to call a limited 1815 my possession... a true highlight !


Cordially

Moritz

I may be drifting off the original topic.

I assume that the honey gold is made by metallurgists outside of Lange, but Lange has the exclusive rights to use the material for the next one or two years.

After the one or two years, patents or contracts will likely expire and we may see other brands using honey gold because of its hardness properties.

So, here's the good news, we may see more honey gold watches in the future!

makes me happy.Even though i haven t seen it yet,I know that its gonna be a magic encounter.

Now the question is.......where and when is Lange gonna use it again?

Honey coloured zeitwerk with chocolate dial ??????

Just jocking!

Mo

How to view any gold case, especially from one from Lange, without wondering how would it look - how would it have looked - in HG.

Glad that I have (so far) kept to platinum

Amery