Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Tourbillon in Platinum with a Black Enamel Dial
Lange’s pioneering tourbillon with ingenious solutions for precision time-setting returns in gleaming platinum armour with a glossy black Grand Feu enamel dial.
While A. Lange & Söhne is the most esteemed and historic player on the Glashütte block with traditions reaching back to 1845, the brand hones its Saxon pragmatism by introducing ingenious and contemporary solutions to age-old problems. The 1815 Tourbillon, released in 2014, is a prime example. A classic to the core, the 1815 Tourbillon is equipped with Lange’s patented stop-seconds mechanism and zero-reset function, two practical devices designed for precision time settings. The new 50-piece edition returns in a radiant platinum case and contrasting jet-black Grand Feu enamel dial.
Since tourbillons were invented to counter the effects of gravity on the oscillation system and improve rate accuracy, Lange’s engineers reasoned that a device intended to uphold the highest levels of precision would benefit from a stop-seconds function to ensure precision time settings down to the second. While stop-seconds devices are not exceptional, the introduction of one into a complex tourbillon regulator poses infinite challenges and can compromise its performance. Developed in 2008 for the Cabaret Tourbillon, Lange’s patented stop-seconds mechanism is a rarity in the rarefied world of tourbillons. To make precision time-setting even simpler, the 1815 Tourbillon is also equipped with a practical zero-reset function, which causes the seconds hand to jump to the zero position when the crown is pulled, allowing the minute hand to be precisely aligned with a minute marker. This mechanism is fully explained here.
The luxurious platinum case, with a 39.5mm diameter and height of 11.3mm, is the fifth iteration of the 1815 Tourbillon and the twelfth Lange timepiece with a Grand Feu enamel dial. First presented in a limited-edition platinum case (and a non-limited pink gold case) in 2014, the 1815 Tourbillon has appeared in a spectacular Handwerkskunst edition with a tremblage dial, and again in platinum with a white enamel dial in 2018.
The novelty of the 2025 edition is the marvellous inky black Grand Feu enamel dial crafted entirely in-house. The large circular aperture for the tourbillon is bevelled by hand – a tricky procedure given the enamel borders. Beautifully finished, the black-polished bridge suspending the one-minute tourbillon shines light on the spectacle. The classic features of the 1815 family, inspired by Lange’s 19th-century precision pocket watches, stand out beautifully against the glossy black dial with the characteristic railway-track minutes scale on the periphery, large Arabic numerals, blued hands and a recessed centre.
Like all Lange’s watches, the movement is assembled twice and decorated to the brand’s exacting standards. In addition to the patented technical features cited above, Lange’s in-house manual-winding calibre L102.1 reveals features introduced by the founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange, like the classic ¾ plate made of untreated German silver plate, the screwed gold chatons, and the diamond endstone on the tourbillon’s axis. On the technical front, the movement beats at a frequency of 21,600vph and can store up to 72 hours of power reserve.
The 1815 Tourbillon is a limited edition of 50 watches. It is paired with a handsome, glossy black alligator leather strap with a platinum deployant buckle. The price, as is customary at Lange, is upon request. More information at alange-soehne.com.
