The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 collection is also composed of many different models. These watches feature classically elegant designs that resemble those of the company’s early pocket watches. Arabic numerals, a railroad minute scale, and alpha hands define these timepieces. Three-hand models with a small seconds dial offer a power reserve of 55 And about the price. The new A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down will sell for $27,400 in both rose and yellow gold, and $28,600 in white gold. Expect to see these in stores in the coming months, and I encourage you all to take a look at this one in the metal, because it’s really something very nice. For more details click here.
The 1815 ANNUAL CALENDAR is the second A. Lange & Söhne timepiece endowed with the eponymous function.
With its name, the 1815 refers to the birth year of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the manufactory’s founder. In 1845, he set off for Glashütte, a village in Saxony. His bold decision was not only the groundbreaking moment for German precision watchmaking but also helped start a new economic upswing in a distressed region.
The 1815 Chronograph is 39.5 mm in diameter, and it is actually slightly thinner than the Patek 5170, at 10.8 mm. The movement is the Lange caliber L951.5, and it’s 30.6 mm in diameter, and 6.1mm thick.
An ambassador of tradition. With its name, the 1815 refers to the birth year of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the manufactory’s founder. In 1845, he set off for Glashütte, a village in Saxony. His bold decision was not only the groundbreaking moment for German precision watchmaking but also helped start a new economic upswing in a distressed region.
The name of the 1815 watch family is a reference to the year in which Ferdinand Adolph Lange was born. With its artisanal perfection and many elements that can be traced back to him, it is a fitting tribute to the man who established precision watchmaking in Germany. Its outstanding legibility and individual, high-contrast design render it a contemporary watch.
A. Lange & Söhne. The short film shows the 1815 Chronograph and its striking design features: The three-dimensional subdivided dial, with its Arabic numerals and blued hands for the hours, minutes, seconds and chronograph functions and the equally aesthetic and complicated movement, with its dragging chronograph mechanism and vibrating off-set balance.
A. Lange & Söhne based the design of the 1815 collection on historic Glashütte pocket watches. The “1815” in the name is a reference to the birth year of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, who founded Glashütte’s watch industry in 1845. That same year, he opened his workshop with 15 apprentices, including former miners and basket makers.
The 1815 ANNUAL CALENDAR is the second A. Lange & Söhne timepiece endowed with the eponymous function. But in contrast to the self-winding SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR with an outsize date presented in 2010, this model features a manually wound movement and an analogue date, following the classic construction and design principles of the 1815 watch family.
The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 replica has been around with us for two decades, since its inception in 1994. Over the years, it was updated twice, once in 2005 and the latest in 2014. Deployant had the rare opportunity to get our hands on all the three generations of the 1815, and today we will find out if the latest version is better than its predecessors.
The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 has always been one of my favourite dress watches of all time. It is simple, subtle, and it exudes a sense of elegance and class at the same time. The finishing of this watch, as per all A. Lange and Sohne’s timepieces, is of the highest quality too. But I digressed too much.
At the first glance, it is really difficult to tell the difference between the three generations of the 1815. However, upon closer inspection, the subtle differences began to show.
One of the greatest difference between these three watches would be its case size. The original version (in Yellow Gold, as per featured in the pictures above) is the smallest at 36mm. Its successor, which was launched in 2005, is the largest at 40mm in size (in White Gold, as shown in the pictures above). The latest version (in Pink Gold) sits in between its predecessors at 38.5mm. The case size of the latest version is neither too big nor too small by today’s standards. Certainly a great plus point over here.
Like the Lange 1 and the Grand Lange 1, the change in the case size of the watch resulted in the change of the dial size in similar proportions as well. The dial size of the latest version of the 1815 is significantly smaller. We found that out when we lined up the minute hand at the beginning of the “A” from the “A. Lange & Söhne” emblem that was printed on the dial. As shown in the picture, the latest one lined up on the 51 minute mark, while its immediate predecessor lined up beyond the 51 minute mark. Also, there is a difference in the position of the “Made in Germany” emblem on the dial itself. In the latest version, it is situated between the arabic numerals and the railway-track minute scale. As for its predecessors, it is situated between the railway-track minute scale and the bezel itself.
On the subject of bezels and casing, the latest 1815 features a “Step Bezel” as well. It gives the latest variant a slightly more refined and sophisticated finish, rather than the simple rounded-edge bezel that its predecessors had.
In terms of the movements used, the latest version of the 1815 shares the same L051.1 caliber as its immediate predecessor. Only the original version used a different movement, the L941.1 caliber. It came as a surprise to me, as I thought that Lange would use a different movement for the newer 1815. Because of the same movement used, and that the case size is different, the end result would be a thinner metal portion on the caseback for the latest version of the 1815. It looks slightly more aesthetically pleasing, in my opinion. Perhaps it is the work of proportions?
Another interesting difference that we have noted between the L941.1 caliber (used on the original 1815) and the L051.1 caliber (used on the subsequent 1815s) is the escapement. In the older caliber, a collet carrying two pins is present. By adjusting the collet position, the two pins can be moved to adjust the length of the hairspring is present. The escapement will beat faster with a shorter hairspring, and vice versa. On the L051.1 caliber, however, Lange pre-calculates the length required.
It is very difficult to make something that is already exceptional even better. This is the case with the A. Lange & Söhne’s 1815. I thought that it was already a really splendid watch, in terms of its design and finishing. But the Lange team managed to make it even slightly better, with the new bezel design and a smaller case size. The only disappointment is the fact that the latest version of the 1815 would be sharing the same movement as its predecessor, which is something that Lange would not have usually done. On the other hand, some people may have the “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” mentality, and believe that this is alright to use the L051.1 caliber once again. Well, it is up to each individual to decide if Lange should have done otherwise. But one thing is for sure. This is still an exceptional dress watch, and it is definitely an improvement from its predecessors, albeit slightly.
The latest version of the 1815 is available in Pink Gold, Yellow Gold, and White Gold with matching leather straps. For more details and pricing information, do contact your local A. Lange & Söhne boutique or Authorised Dealers to find out more.