The Zeitwerk is an anomaly in the collections of A. Lange & Söhne. They are at the archetypal German brand known for their traditional Saxon watchmaking and elegant style in collections like the 1815, Saxonia, Richard Lange and even in the somewhat unusual displays of the Lange 1. Even their sports watch, the Odysseus, has charming retro influences in its sector style display. The Zeitwerk then stands out in its complete modernity. Though that’s not to say it isn’t also luxurious, as evidenced by A. Lange & Söhne releasing the first Zeitwerk Date in pink gold.
The Zeitwerk, at its core, is a jumping hours watch – adding yet more credence to our hypothesis that 2025 is the year of the jumping hours. At 9 o’clock it features an instantaneous change hour disc, mirrored at 3 o’clock by a jumping minutes function that changes once every 60 seconds. The layout is inspired by digital displays, hence its modern feel.
That modernity is emphasised by the quasi-industrial aesthetic of the dial with its central bridge in German silver featuring exposed screws. The same goes for the power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, like the pressure gauge on a piece of heavy machinery. The only hint of retro design comes from the small seconds subdial at 6 with its railway track scale.
All that is true also of the 2019 white gold edition, which was the first and up until today the only Zeitwerk Date model to be produced. The addition of a pink gold case with the new version makes the watch more overtly luxurious, though they’ve kept the grey tone of the dial unchanged. It makes the watch a sort of reverse salmon design, which works surprisingly well, adding a sense of warmth to the watch.
The pink, rosy tone of the gold adds emphasis to the small red details found on the dial. Namely the last section of the power reserve indicator and the titular date function. The date operates by having a peripheral 31-day scale made of glass beneath which a single red indicator moves to highlight the current day, changing instantly at midnight. There’s also a pusher at 4 o’clock to manually set it.
Powering the jumping numerals and various display elements is the L043.8 manual winding calibre. While the display itself looks relatively simple, it’s a case of a serene swan furiously kicking beneath the surface. Jumping numeral complications are incredibly difficult to perfect because of the immense strain on the system every time a numeral changes, due to the force required for an instant jump. This is compounded by the fact that the calibre needs to jump once every minute with up to three discs changing at a time on the hour.
For that reason, it uses a twin mainspring barrel so that it has enough power to enact the jumping function. It also uses a constant force mechanism to ensure that each impulse has the same force behind it regardless of the overall energy in the system, which is important to avoid failed jumps that might damage the movement. So, while the seconds hand might appear to be the only part of the watch moving at any one moment (the 72-hour power reserve meaning the reserve indicator’s motion is fairly gradual) the movement is still working incredibly hard.
It’s really an incredibly feat of micro engineering. And it looks great through the exhibition caseback to boot, with Lange’s typical high level of finishing that’s entirely traditional as opposed to the modern feel of the dial. Between the level of finishing, mechanical prowess and luxury materials involved – and this just being Lange – it is unsurprisingly price on request.
Price and Specs:
More details at A. Lange & Söhne.
As they say, everything that goes around, comes around, the same may be said of the recently rediscovered idea for Jumping Hour watches.
Nothing new with this concept, it has been around for more years than most people are aware of, but having now been resurrected in new (and old format), by a fair few brands, I still question if these will catch on, or a repeat some of the 1950’s / 1960’s temporary fad. Having said this, some of the new iterations are lovely looking watches, others (using the old format of tiny windows, have their disadvantages (small viewing windows are difficult to read, and the large areas of exposed metal are prone to scratching). So the watches by Fears (the Brunswick) are more of a link between old and new. If I were in the market for a jump hour watch, I would be considering the Bulgari Gerald genta (if I had a large amount of cash to spare), or the Chronoswiss Sirius Flying Regulator Jumping Hour (at a more realistic price). The A.Lange & Söhne Release Zeitwerk is, a pleasant enough looking timepiece, but a bit bold and bulky for my taste, and no doubt the price will be astronomic.
Each to their own I guess.