A. Lange & Söhne Launch Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum

The Lange 1 Time Zone is one of the most distinctive worldtimer watches that I’ve come across in recent years and now a new edition is here. The new watch is similar to the updated 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar in that it’s a refresh of an old model in a new material. In this instance the material in question is platinum, making this the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum.

In principle the way that the Lange 1 Time Zone displays its two time zones isn’t that exotic, but the way it’s presented makes it feel fresh. The primary, local time display is offset towards the lefthand side of the dial, consisting of a 12-hour day/night subdial featuring Roman numerals and a small seconds display. Then, the second time zone is told via another subdial in the bottom right, which is also a 12-hour display with day/night indication but this one has an additional golden arrow that points to the peripheral cities ring to indicate which time zone it’s representing.

Compared with a traditional worldtimer display like the Raymond Weil Freelancer GMT Worldtimer the only real difference is that the Lange 1 separates all the functions out onto their own subdials. Whereas they’re commonly all stacked on top of each other in the centre. What this achieves is that the Lange 1 Time Zone feels like a piece of haute horology even though the complications it features aren’t traditionally described as such.

I think that’s important for this watch because you want it to feel special. The 41.9mm case is made from platinum, one of the most prestigious, expensive and difficult to work with materials in watchmaking. On a purely sentimental level, you want the watch to look as prestigious as it is and I think the Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum achieves that. Plus, it does genuinely look great with the monochromatic rhodium across the dial that matches the case.

The movement inside is the Lange Manufacture Calibre L141.1, a manual piece with a power reserve of 72-hours. It features the main time zone complications that we’ve already discussed but also the signature Lange 1 big date and a power reserve indicator. Through the sapphire exhibition caseback you can also see the immaculate finishing such as the Glashütte stripes on the German silver three-quarter plate.

As for price, well, as with the vast majority of platinum A. Lange & Söhnes the Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum is price on request. Considering that we know the existing pink gold version £61,400, I would put my estimate for the plat in the region of £70-90k. I think it’s a solid watch but ultimately the excitement comes from it being a Lange 1 rather than the individual combination of the platinum and time zone complication. I would be equally interested in a Lange 1 of a different type or doubly excited about a brand new one.