Your quest for the watch that is both easy to read and very precise may be at an end. Germany’s A. Lange & Söhne this week unveiled the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Watch at SIHH 2016, billing it as a “scientific observation watch” that promises both utmost precision and superb legibility
To achieve this precision, the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Watch relies on a one-second constant-force escapement ensures that the mainspring provides power evenly, eliminating any torque fluctuations to ensure the delivery of consistent one-second intervals.
The jumping seconds mechanism has played a pivotal role in A. Lange & Söhne’s history. After all, Ferdinand Adolph Lange developed a “one-second movement with a jumping hand” as early as 1867. Ten years later, the newly founded Imperial Patent Office granted one of its very first patents for his invention to the manufactory.
Synchronizing the watch is done using the Zero-Reset mechanism. When you pull the crown, the seconds hand will automatically jump to the zero position. Pushing the crown home at the top of the minute restarts the movement in sync with the reference time.
As for readability, the rhodié-coloured regulator dial is dominated by the large seconds dial at the top. Below and to the left is an hours dial and a minutes dial to the right. The power reserve, located at the intersection of the two lower dials, will turn red when ten or fewer hours of power remain. It all makes for a clean and crisp dial that is easy to read.
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Watch specifications:
- Movement: A. Lange & Söhne L094.1
- Case diameter: 39.9 millimeters
- Case thickness: 10.6 millimeters
- Case material: Platinum
- Case back: Glass material: Sapphire-crystal
- Glass material: Sapphire-crystal
- Dial: Rhodié solid silver with rhodiumed gold and blued-steel hands
- Battery/Power reserve: 42 hours
While claiming utmost precision, A. Lange & Söhne does not specify to what standards of accuracy it is holding the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Watch to.
Limited to 100 pieces, the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Watch will sell for €78,000 (about US$85,000 or CA$123,000).
Source : A. Lange & Söhne