A. Lange & Söhne’s best complex watch
A. Lange & Söhne added a new rose gold dial to the 1815 Ratrapant Perpetual Calendar.
By Yuto Hosoda
The 1815 Ratrapant Perpetual Calendar is a complication watch by A. Lange & Söhne. It combines a perpetual calendar that does not require calendar correction until 2100 and a latlapante (split chronograph) that can measure lap times using two chronograph seconds hands.
Among the complications, the perpetual calendar and lattrapante are called the flower shapes. Naturally, it is a high hurdle to put these on at the same time. Not only is each mechanism complex, but they all take up a lot of space. The Perpetual Calendar moves the calendar mechanism by placing multiple large levers on the back of the day, that is, behind the dial. On the other hand, on the back cover side, it is necessary to place the chronograph mechanism and the lattrapante mechanism on top of each other.
Therefore, watches that combine these two mechanisms tend to be thicker. However, the thickness of the movement is 9.1 mm, which is thin considering the configuration. This was achieved by widening the foundationplate of the movement and placing the parts horizontally to reduce the overlap between the parts. As a result, the case thickness was 14.7 mm, which is a practical size.
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The new addition to the 1815 Ratrapant Perpetual Calendar, a “practical high complication”, has a classic look thanks to a solid pink gold dial. The combination of four in-dials on the dial, blue steel hour, minute, and chronograph seconds hands and 30-minute totalizers is reminiscent of the complex pocket watches of yesteryear.
Of course, there is only a watch of this class by A. Lange & Söhne, and the finish is also uncomplaining. In addition, the push of the chronograph pusher is light and pleasant. While it is a high complication with outstanding functions, it also has excellent total balance. It’s one of the best watches, but unfortunately it’s limited to 100 watches. It’s hard to get.
A.LANGE & SÖHNE
1815 Ratrapant Perpetual Calendar
18KWG case× leather strap, hand-wound, 41.9mm diameter, limited to 100 pieces worldwide, price inquiry.
A. Lange & Söhne
TEL:0120-23-1845
https://www.alange-soehne.com
Bun, Yuto Hosoda
Editing: Akira Kamiya (GQ)
