Lest we forget, A. Lange & Söhne spearheaded the shift toward in-house vertical integration that transformed watchmaking in the 1990s. Today, the manufacture continues that tradition by introducing new iterations of its flagship complications.
Feting the technical accomplishments of A. Lange & Söhne, the new Triple Split in platinum is limited to 100 examples, and the new 1815 Up/Down is limited to 300 editions in pink gold and 300 editions in white gold.
A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split
The A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split remains the world’s only mechanical split-seconds chronograph capable of measuring intermediate, comparative, and total additive times for up to 12 hours. Originally introduced in 2018 in white gold and followed by a pink gold version in 2021, the Saxon manufacture just revealed a third iteration during this year’s Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace: a 100-piece limited edition crafted in 950 platinum with a rhodié-colored dial.
Evolution of the World’s Only 12-Hour Rattrapante
When A. Lange & Söhne launched the original Triple Split in 750 white gold with a gray dial, it set a milestone in modern chronograph construction. The manufacture expanded the lineup with a 750 pink gold version featuring a blue dial.
The latest model introduces a 950 platinum case paired with a rhodié-colored dial, contrasting gray auxiliary dials, and blued-steel rattrapante hands for the minute and hour counters. The chronograph minute counter is fashioned from rhodiumed 750 gold, while the chronograph hour counter is rhodiumed steel.
A peripheral tachymeter scale along the outer dial allows the wearer to calculate average speeds over a distance of 1,000 meters.
Calibre L132.1: Technical Mastery and Energy Efficiency
Measuring 43.2mm in diameter and 15.6mm in height, the platinum case houses the hand-finished Calibre L132.1. Endowed with both a triple split-seconds mechanism and a flyback function, the movement incorporates a patented low-friction disengagement system. As split-seconds chronographs are notoriously power-hungry, this disengagement mechanism isolates the friction-intensive processes on the seconds and minute-counter arbors, preserving amplitude and rate stability when the rattrapante hands are stopped.
At 6 o’clock, Lange’s signature Ab/Auf (Up/Down) power reserve indicator balances the 12-hour chronograph counter at 12 o’clock, displaying how much of the 55-hour power reserve remains.
How the Triple Rattrapante Function Works
Unlike standard split-seconds chronographs that only measure intermediate times up to 60 seconds, the A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split extends split-time measurement up to 12 hours across seconds, minutes, and hours. Actuating the 2 o’clock pusher starts all six chronograph and rattrapante hands simultaneously; pressing the 10 o’clock rattrapante pusher freezes the three blued-steel hands to display an intermediate time while the rhodiumed chronograph hands continue tracking overall elapsed duration. A second press of the 10 o’clock pusher instantly aligns the stopped hands back with the running chronograph hands, while the 4 o’clock pusher triggers the flyback function to stop, reset, and restart all active hands in a single step.
The Gold-Standard of Finishing
The new A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split in 950 platinum comes fitted on a dark-brown alligator leather strap secured by a platinum deployant buckle. True to the traditions of the Glashütte manufacture, Calibre L132.1 features untreated German silver plates and bridges decorated with Glashütte ribbing, five gold screwed chatons, and a hand-engraved balance cock. Every movement is precision-adjusted in five positions.
A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split (Platinum)
- Reference: 424.025F
- Limitation: Limited edition of 100 pieces
- Case Dimensions: 43.2mm diameter × 15.6mm thickness
- Dial: Rhodié-colored main dial with dark gray sub-dials
- Movement: In-house Calibre L132.1 (Hand-wound, 567 components, 21,600 vph)
- Power Reserve: 55 hours with Ab/Auf (Up/Down) indicator
- Key Complications: Triple rattrapante (seconds, minutes, hours), flyback chronograph, tachymeter scale, power reserve display
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down
Unveiled alongside the Triple Split at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, A. Lange & Söhne has introduced two new iterations of the 1815 Up/Down in 750 white gold and 750 pink gold. Limited to 300 pieces per case material, this pair of novelties pairs a rich blue dial with argenté-colored sub-dials to reinterpret one of the Glashütte manufacture’s most historic complications.
Honoring an 1879 Saxon Patent
The new timepieces celebrate their namesake complication—the Ab/Auf (Up/Down) power reserve display—which has been a signature hallmark of Lange watchmaking since the manufacture received Imperial Patent No. 9349 for the mechanism in 1879.
Positioned at 8 o’clock, the power reserve display informs the wearer how much of the watch’s 72-hour power reserve remains. The indicator is mechanically integrated directly into the movement using a compact planetary gear system rather than an added module. Visually, it is counterbalanced by the subsidiary seconds sub-dial at 4 o’clock.
Pocket Watch Aesthetics in Modern Proportions
The argenté-colored sub-dials feature blued hands, creating a vivid contrast against the deep blue, recessed central main dial—a design language directly inspired by historic Lange pocket watches, alongside the traditional railway-track minute scale and crisp Arabic numerals. The central lancet hour and minute hands are color-matched to their respective precious metal cases.
Measuring a compact 37.5mm in diameter and a slim 8.7mm in height, the case houses the manually wound Calibre L051.2. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the movement features classic pocket-watch architecture, including a three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, solarized winding wheels, seven gold chatons secured by blued screws, and signature balance cock hand-engraved with Lange’s traditional floral scrolls.
The 750 white gold edition comes fitted on a blue alligator leather strap, while the 750 pink gold model is presented on a reddish-brown alligator leather strap.
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down (Pink Gold and White Gold)
- Reference: 244.037 (pink gold) and 244.028 (white gold)
- Limitation: Limited edition of 300 pieces each
- Case Dimensions: 37.5mm diameter × 8.7mm thickness
- Dial: Blue main dial with recessed center and argenté-colored sub-dials
- Movement: In-house Calibre L051.2 (Hand-wound, 72-hour power reserve)
- Key Feature: Integrated Ab/Auf (Up/Down) power reserve indicator at 8 o’clock
- Straps: Blue alligator leather (white gold) / Reddish-brown alligator leather (pink gold)
Timely FAQs
What makes the A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split unique compared to traditional split-seconds chronographs?
How does Calibre L132.1 in the Triple Split prevent power loss during extended time measurements?
What is the historical origin of the "Up/Down" (Ab/Auf) power reserve indicator on the 1815 Up/Down?
