Last year A. Lange & Söhne facelifted its most recognisable wristwatch, the Lange 1. The German watchmaker kept the design almost identical, save for minor tweaks here and there, while installing a newly developed, functionally superior movement. Now Lange has done the same with the Lange 1 Moon Phase, but added an extra complication in the form of a discreet day and night indicator integrated into the moon phase display.

The second generation Lange 1 Moon Phase underwent the same redesign as the Lange 1. While the case remains the same 38.5mm in diameter, the bezel has narrowed and now has a tiny step upwards where it meets the sapphire crystal.

Likewise the dial retains its distinctive layout, but the typeface for the letters and numbers has changed, while the sub-dials are now finished with fine concentric engine-turning.

Aesthetic changes aside, the key feature of the new Lange 1 Moon Phase is its movement, the calibre L121.3 that is based on the L121.1 movement of the new Lange 1. That means the Lange 1 Moon Phase has all the conveniences of the new Lange 1 movement, including a three-day power reserve, instantaneous date and a seconds that stops at zero when the power reserve runs out.

Seventy extra parts were required for the moon phase display, making the movement slightly thicker, but not by much. The new movement is 6.3mm high compared to the 5.7mm of the basic Lange 1.

The moon phase is accurate to a day in 122.6 years, which is the same as the previous model as well as most ordinary moon phase watches. But the moon phase display is actually a moon disc shaped like a figure of “8” that sits against a blue background, rather than a conventional full disc.

While the moon days takes about 29.5 days to complete one revolution, the day and night disc that sits below makes one complete round every 24 hours. During the day it is a pale blue, gradually turning dark blue towards nighttime, with laser cut stars dotting the night sky.

Price and availability 

The new Lange 1 Moon Phase will be available in mid 2017 in three guises. Platinum (ref. 192.025) is priced at €52,000, while both the white gold (ref. 192.029) and pink gold (ref. 192.032) are €39,500 each. Prices included German value-added tax.