In the upcoming 25th anniversary set that will comprise 10 different variants of the Lange 1, one watch will tower above all the others in complexity, size, and price – the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “25th Anniversary”. In fact, it’ll account for almost half of the estimated retail of the entire set (which will also include the simpler Lange 1 Tourbillon.)

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is the ultimate Lange 1: boasting an ingenious perpetual calendar with big date and a peripheral months indicator, plus a tourbillon and automatic winding. Especially clever is the manner in which the many indications of the perpetual calendar are incorporated into the traditional Lange 1 dial without changing the signature layout.

The dial is solid silver, with blued steel hands

And the tourbillon in the L082.1 movement is hidden, visible only from the back. In fact, the tourbillon far within the movement, making it pretty difficult to observe, which is probably the only downside of the movement construction.

It is Lange’s patented stop-seconds tourbillon, meaning when the crown is pulled to set the time, the tourbillon cage and balance wheel both halt thanks to a hacking lever that touches the cage.

Like the rest of the 25th anniversary editions, this has a silver dial and blued steel hands. Though such hands are common on top of the line Lange complicated watches, making this relatively unusual.

Besides the silver and blue dial, two details distinguish this from the standard version of the watch (though not quite a elaborate as the Handwerkskunst edition). The first is the anniversary engraving on the balance and tourbillon cocks, which is not only filled in blue lacquer but also incorporates a “25” into the motif. And the other is the hand-engraved, white gold moon phase disc, the same disc found on the anniversary moon phase.

Size-wise the watch is identical to the standard model: the case is 18k white gold, 41.9mm wide and 12.2mm high.

Key facts

Diameter: 41.9mm
Material: 18k white gold

Movement: Cal. L082.1
Power reserve: 50 hours

Strap: Crocodile

Price and availability

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “25th Anniversary” (ref. 720.066) is priced at €321,100 including 20% German VAT. It is a limited edition of 25 watches, which will be part of the 10-piece set that will be officially launched in October 2019.

Though the watches will not be sold separately, each watch has an individual retail price, meaning it is feasible to split the set, at least unofficially.

Update April 25, 2019: Case dimensions added.

Update May 1, 2019: Key facts added.

Known for its customisable “meca-quartz” chronographs and Snoopy watches, Hong Kong-based Undone Watches has now unveiled its third model – the Basecamp, a “tool” watch that is vintage-inspired but basic and affordable.

While the earlier Undone’s first dive watch was a chunky full-spec dive watch with a ceramic bezel and a 200m depth rating, the Basecamp is only rated to 50m. Consequently, it is smaller, lighter at just 66g, and cheaper.

Strictly speaking, the depth rating means the Basecamp isn’t a dive watch – the ISO standard for dive watches requires a rating of at least 100m – but the Basecamp looks the part, and is enhanced by a couple of interesting, retro-inspired details.

The styling is informed by a variety of vintage watches – unsurprisingly as Undone’s founder started out with a vintage watch repair shop – so it’s a mix of everything but the look still works well. In fact, it’s also reminiscent of Seiko mods, something enthusiasts were trying to achieve with their “SKX” divers using aftermarket parts.

The case is stainless steel, with polished flanks and a brushed top, each separated by a lengthwise polished bevel. It’s fitted with a prominent domed crystal made from of Lexan, a resin polycarbonate (basically a kind of plastic) that’s more impact resistant than acrylic Plexiglas. However, the strength comes at a cost – Lexan is less resistant to scratches and isn’t as crystal clear as Plexiglas.

The case measures 40mm wide and 15mm in height. While it is still thicker than most actual dive watches, much of its thickness comes from the bubble-like crystal that is 3mm high.

The most distinctive aspect of the watch is the “sterile” bezel inspired by the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms “3H Bund”, created for the West German armed forces, or Bundeswehr. Specifically it was issued to the kampfschwimmer, or combat divers, in the mid 1970s.

Devoid of markings except for a single triangle marker, hence the “sterile” moniker, the bezel was a result of the fact that combat diver missions were lengthy, measured in hours, making minute hashmarks unnecessary. As on the Fifty Fathoms, the bezel on the Basecamp is rotates bidirectionally and smoothly, without an inner click spring, and is covered with acrylic to reproduce the look of the Bakelite original.

And the matte black dial has faux-vintage lume on the hour markers, which have Arabics at the quarters and batons in-between, a layout taken from fighter jet cockpit clocks. The hour hand is orange and arrow-shaped – an element no doubt taken from none other than the Rolex Explorer II.

All said, the Basecamp is a good looking watch that is customisable to a fair extent. The white date disc for instance, can be swapped for one in black to match the dial, while the “sterile” bezel can be replaced with a more conventional elapsed minute bezel. And the case is also offered in gold-plate or black-coating.

The case back is open and reveals the Seiko NH35 inside. While not much to look at, the NH-35 a reliable workhorse that is used in the current generation Seiko 5 watches. It is self-winding with a 41-hour power reserve and hacking seconds.

Price and Availability

The Undone Basecamp is priced at US$295 and is available on undone.com now.