Introducing The Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour Le Mérite, A Regulator-Dial Tourbillon With Chain And Fusee

Lange has just unveiled the the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Merite, a tourbillon with a regulator dial inspired by a pocket watch created by 18th century Saxon horologist Johann Heinrich Seyffert.

The Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite features a tourbillon, chain-and-fusee mechanism as well as a patented hack seconds device for the tourbillon. And like all the tourbillons in the Pour le Mérite series, this has a diamond endstone. The primary innovation for the new Richard Lange Tourbillon is an hours disc showing the Roman numerals VIII to X which jumps into place at six o’clock and then retracts at 12 o’clock. This allows the tourbillon to be viewed unobscured through the circular aperture on the dial at all times, except from the times of six to 12.

The disc retracted (left) and in position

The case is 41.9 mm in diameter, and the movement has a power reserve of 36 hours.

The platinum limited edition

It will be available in a 100 piece limited edition in platinum and also regular production in rose gold. – SJX

Cal. L072.1

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Independent watchmaking

Hands-on with the Laurent Ferrier Genève Galet Classic Tourbillon Double Spiral

A newly launched independent brand that has made waves for its classical watchmaking, Laurent Ferrier, was named after the former head of Product Development at Patek Philippe. He set up the company collaboration with Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini (the “N” and “B” from the now defunct BNB Concept), who designed the brand’s first movement, the Galet Classic Tourbillon.

The watch is utterly elegant and clean on the dial, while the back reveals the glories of the movement crafted and finished in traditional Geneva style. Notice the traditional details like the click for the barrel.

Yet the watch is also modern. It utilises the Straumann Double Hairspring and the movement has several visual layers, as is evident from the photos.

It is 41 mm in diameter and available in white or rose gold, with either a white enamel dial or black onyx dial. Black enamel was impossible due to the difficulties of achieving a consistent black colour.

2011 will see the launch of the second Laurent Ferrier timepiece. From what I hear it will be a similarly well finished watch with no complications.

– SJX