A. Lange & Söhne has just unveiled the fourth livery for the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, now featuring a pink gold dial. The Jumping Seconds made its debut in 2016, but its unusual feature set and harmonious layout remain impressive nine years later.

The new model is a 100-piece limited edition in 18k white gold and features what collectors will no-doubt refer to as a ‘salmon’ dial. But unlike most ‘salmon’ dials that are plated, the dial of the Jumping Seconds is solid 18k pink gold. In other words, its colour is more than skin-deep.

Initial thoughts

Though it feels like we must be on the tail end of the trend toward salmon dials, Lange’s pink gold dials always look good and might stir up interest in what still feels like an underrated watch. Nearly a decade after launch, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds remains one of the great regulator-style wristwatches.

There’s an extraordinary coherence at play between the design, which references a historical German pocket watch and elevates the deadbeat seconds display, and the movement, which features a one-second remontoir and a return-to-zero mechanism.

As ever, the Jumping Seconds presents a wearable 39.9 mm case in 18k white gold, and at just 10.6 mm thick it’s pretty sleek for a watch with so much going on inside. Like its stablemates, it features the characteristic Lange case with a brushed case band and faceted lugs that are attached separately.

The L094.1 movement fills the case beautifully, and differs slightly from the orderly nature of most Lange movements. That’s due to its unusual feature set, which includes a remontoir and uses a type of vertical clutch, similar to what you’d find in a modern chronograph, to reset the seconds to zero when the crown is pulled.

The power reserve is short for a Lange, at just 42 hours, but that’s because the remontoir requires a minimum amount of energy to power the jumping seconds display. At least it’s easy to keep track of, with an elegant triangular power reserve indicator discreetly placed between the hour and minute scales that turns red when the watch needs to be wound.

I’m expecting a retail price around US$100,000, in line with that of the current model with a black dial. It’s not cheap, but it’s about right for a watch with so much technical firepower and a design to match. There’s nothing else quite like it; thematically the most similar watch is probably the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Optimum which is harder to come by and trades the zero reset functionality for a more exotic escapement.

The ultimate regulator

Visually, the defining characteristic of the Jumping Seconds is its unusual overlapping regulator-style time display that gives each indictor its own dial. The layout takes its inspiration from an 18th century pocket watch made by the legendary Glashütte watchmaker Johann Heinrich Seyffert, and stacks the indicators in a pyramid shape.

This design emphasises the jumping seconds display, which takes center stage, allowing the wearer to appreciate the to-the-second precision offered by the remontoir. It also makes it easy to enjoy the signature feature of the watch, which is its return-to-zero mechanism that jumps the seconds hand back to zero when the crown is pulled to set the time.

Admittedly, the time display can be a little awkward at certain times of the day, especially when the hour and minute hands overlap, but its a worthwhile sacrifice that results in a highly distinctive and thematically harmonious dial. There’s also a pleasing amount of negative space around the edges of the dial, and the power reserve indicator is so subtle you could be excused for missing it.

Judging by the brand’s other watches with this dial treatment, like the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, it should present a shimmering, frosted finish.

The pink gold dial of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is shown to illustrate the dial texture.

The quirky chronometer

Lange is a maker of movements above all else, and pulled out all the stops for the caliber L094.1. Naturally, the movement features untreated German silver plates, gold chatons for the jewels, heat-blued screws, and a free-hand engraved balance cock. But there are also a few flourishes that stand out, even compared to other Lange movements.

Chief among them is the transparent jewel for the escape wheel pivot that reveals the star-and-flirt beneath. This mechanism functions like an auxiliary escapement to unlock the jumping seconds train once per second. Part of the genius of the L094.1 is that it uses separate trains for the main power flow and that of the jumping seconds, isolating the escapement from fluctuations caused by the big jumps of the seconds hand.

The blued remontoir spring is also revealed through a set of cut-outs in the primary plate, which livens up the presentation. All this technology results in a somewhat haphazard layout, but this is forgivable and as consolation the brand has dressed things up with a couple of crisp inner and outer angles on the bridge that holds the vertical clutch for the return-to-zero mechanism.

The blued remontoir spring

The zero-reset mechanism

Key facts and price

A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds
Ref. 252.056

Diameter: 39.9 mm
Height: 10.6 mm
Material: 18k white gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: L094.1
Functions: Hours, minutes, jumping seconds, and power reserve
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Hand wind
Power reserve: 42 hours

Strap: Alligator with matching pin buckle

Limited edition: 100 pieces
Availability: At A. Lange & Söhne boutiques only
Price: Approximately US$100,000 excluding taxes

For more, visit alange-soehne.com.

First introduced in 2014 as A. Lange & Söhne’s “entry-level” tourbillon (if there is such a thing for the German brand), the 1815 Tourbillon now returns as a limited edition in a striking, but familiar, guise.

The new 1815 Tourbillon features a glossy black enamel dial – similar to that found on this year’s Minute Repeater Perpetual – and the same L102.1 movement found in the original version. Like the much pricier Minute Repeater Perpetual, the new tourbillon is not a Handwerkskunst edition, but still boasts a hand-enamelled dial made in-house.

Initial thoughts

As the base model tourbillon in Lange’s catalogue, the 1815 Tourbillon is less elaborate than the brand’s other tourbillon offerings. But it is nonetheless impressive as the tourbillon incorporates both a hacking and zero-reset mechanism. At most other brands, such a movement would be a top-of-the line offering.

That said, the earlier versions were a bit plain. Even the limited edition with a white enamel dial was a little mundane. The Handwerkskunst version was outstanding, but it was just 30 pieces.

The new 1815 Tourbillon isn’t extravagantly different; it is essentially a cosmetic update. But it makes all the difference. The glossy black dial is tremendously more appealing than the white enamel dial from before, especially since it is achieved with the champleve technique, eliminating the need for printed numerals.

That said, it feels a little soon after the Minute Repeater Perpetual that has a similar, but more complex, dial. It feels a lot for a short period of time, but the reality is fortunately different. With each limited to 50 produced over several years, neither of the black enamel dial models will be common. The twin debuts with black enamel dials is probably Lange just flexing its in-house enamel workshop that has taken several years to reach optimal capacity.

The 1815 Tourbillon with a black enamel dial will retail for about €200,000, equivalent to US$240,000, which is steep-ish but not exorbitant as such things go. But it might not be possible to consider this in isolation.

I am certain many owners of the Minute Repeater Perpetual will buy the new tourbillon as well; together they will cost a cool US$1 million.

The Minute Repeater Perpetual (left), and 1815 Tourbillon

Piano black

Lange has only made a handful of models with a black enamel dial. Like earlier such models, the dial of the new 1815 Tourbillon is also made in-house. The dial starts out as a white gold disc that is engraved, then painted with enamel, fired in an oven, and finally polished to a lustrous shine.

While the material is different, the dial design is classic 1815 with large Arabic numerals and a railway minute track. Majority of the dial is monochromatic, save for the aperture at six o’clock that reveals the tourbillon. Notably, the edges of the aperture are chamfered by hand – very carefully due to the fragile nature of enamel.

The tourbillon is identical to that found in earlier versions of the model. Although the 1815 Tourbillon is the simplest tourbillon made by Lange, the tourbillon regulator is anything but.

The carriage is secured by a black polished steel bridge with a V-shaped profile that requires lots of manual file work to achieve, while the arms of the cage are similarly black polished and chamfered. And the endstone for its lower pivot is a diamond, just like in 19th century pocket watches.

Despite its traditional looks, the tourbillon is no ordinary tourbillon. The L102.1 is one of the few Lange tourbillon calibres equipped with the brand’s patented hacking, zero-reset mechanism.

When the crown is pulled to set the time, a steel lever touches the balance wheel, stopping the tourbillon. Simultaneously, another lever advances a heart cam on the seconds hand axis, sending the seconds hand to the 12 o’clock position where it sits stationary until the crown is pushed back in.

The hacking lever for the balance wheel

The rest of the movement is classic Lange. The view from the back reveals the signature three-quarter plate in ribbed German silver, along with a hand-engraved cock for the tourbillon.

Key facts and price

A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Tourbillon with black enamel dial
Ref. 730.094F

Diameter: 39.5 mm
Height: 11.3 mm
Material: Platinum
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: L102.1
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and tourbillon
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Hand wind
Power reserve: 72 hours

Strap: Alligator with matching folding clasp

Limited edition: 50 pieces
Availability: At A. Lange & Söhne boutiques only
Price: Approximately US$240,000

For more, visit alange-soehne.com.

Behrens teams up with Vianney Halter for the bold, electric meter-inspired KHW Watch, in white or rose gold. The extremely dense movement combines the brand’s chain-driven hour display with rotating minute and power reserve cylinders, and a surprise on the back. It also represents a new frontier for the Chinese brand, as its most expensive offering yet.

Initial Thoughts

While Behrens’ watches do not always appeal to me aesthetically, I think the brand is an ideal champion for Chinese watchmaking. Unlike some brands marketing Chinese-built watches to global enthusiasts, Behrens is Chinese owned and operated. The brand’s founder, Lin Bingqiang, cut his teeth making parts and custom modules in Shenzhen for brands down in Hong Kong before starting Behrens in 2012.

An exploded view of the 870 part movement.

Many Chinese manufacturers excel at the engineering and manufacturing side, but have weak soft skills and lack vision. Behrens is strong on all fronts, and this is the brand’s most ambitious, and expensive, project yet. The brand may be over-reliant on computer-generated imagery, but I can confirm these watches are real, functional, and doing the rounds at Geneva Watch Week.

Case

On the heels of a collaboration with Konstantin Chaykin, Vianney Halter’s partnership is now with Behrens. This comes only days after Mr Halter’s collaboration with Massena Lab. His style dominated the aesthetics of that watch, though here it feels like Behrens took the lead.

A vintage electrical meter in Vianney Halter’s workshop first impelled the design, though the end result looks somewhat like Behrens’ “wat board” style watches.

The bezel-less sapphire crystal – nearly as tall as the mid-case – and rounded-rectangle silhouette capture the electrical meter aesthetic well, though it also resembles a smart watch, by coincidence. Despite the unusual case design, which includes a pair of buttons at 12 0’clock, the watch is still water resistant to 30 m.

This is only Behrens’ second precious metal watch, following the Kung Fu Platinum Edition from a few years back. Until now, the brand limited itself to less expensive materials, such as base metals, sapphire, and composites. Gold is appropriate for the brand’s most expensive watch, and added heft differentiates it from the similarly shaped Ultra-Light 20G.

Serpentine Hours

Inspired by the classic video game Snake, the chain running the movement perimeter completes one circuit in twelve hours with a single lumen dot acting as an hour hand. A string of six smaller dots, the Snake, chases the hour dot around and around.

The chain runs on ruby bearings, reminiscent of the Romain Gauthier’s Logical One, to minimise friction against the steel sprockets. Naturally, this chain comprises a majority of the movement’s 870 parts.

Behrens also mentions a temperature compensation system to “ensuring the stability of the micro-chain mechanism in all environments”.

While not explicitly identified, I notice the lower two sprockets are part of their own subassembly, mounted on springs. If the chain were to contract under extremely cold conditions it would compress those springs slightly, moving the lower sprockets upward, though that is only speculation on my part.

Two rotating cylinders, inspired by the aluminum disks on vintage electricity meters, flank the balance bridge. The right tracks the minutes, with one minute resolution thanks to the interaction of stationary and moving scales.

The tangled wire inspired bridges for the power train are another electric meter allusion. Despite their complexity, I suspect there are cut on a normal three-axis CNC mill with a lot of patience and care. These renders represent the movement decoration fairly: somewhat industrial but thorough and well executed.

The cylinder on the left is split between the day night indicator, and power reserve indicator. When fully wound the watch will run for three days, thanks to a pair of stacked mainspring barrels.

The balance is free-sprung, which has become very common in Chinese tourbillons over the last few years, but remains rare in non-revolving escapements.

This specific cam-style was likely inspired by the Swatch Group design used in the Powermatic 80 and others, which is adjusted using just a normal screwdriver and a tool shaped like a tiny foot to support the balance.

Flip the watch over and you’ll be greeted by the date and moon phases on the case back. Double sided pocket watches are an elegant way to present lots of information without crowding a single dial, but it is often awkward in wristwatches without an easy way to reverse the case while on the wrist.

A case back moon phase display works well enough as it’s not very useful in everyday life, though the date might benefit from front facing placement. Both are adjusted using a pair of buttons in the case band.

Key facts and price

Behrens x Vianney Halter KHW Watch
Ref. BHRM2WG01 (white gold)
Ref. BHRM2RG01 (rose gold)

Diameter: 35 mm by 41 mm
Height: 10.9 mm
Material: White or rose gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: BM06
Features: Hours, minutes, day/night, and power reserve indicator, date, moon phase.
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Manual wind
Power reserve: 72 hours

Strap: Cowhide leather with gold pin buckle matched to case material

Limited edition: 9 pieces each
Availability: Direct from Behrens
Price: US$44,800

For more information, visit behrenswatches.com.

Schaffhausen-based H. Moser & Cie. returns to a complication it once offered with the Pioneer Flying Hours, a new take on the wandering hours. The watch indicates the minutes on a central ring, while the hours seemingly jump from one window to the other. With this intriguing new display, the Flying Hours might just be being one of the most interesting jumping hours on the market. 

Initial thoughts

The Pioneer Flying Hours is not Moser’s first attempt at the wandering hours: the Endeavour Flying Hours was launched some seven years ago and an update on the historical complication. With new Pioneer, however, Moser manages to capture the mystique of both early wandering hours and mysterious clocks with its darting, wandering display.

It is a tidy and admittedly novel reinterpretation of the wandering hours, which will surely appeal to collectors. There is something poetic about the minutes scale moving continuously across shuttered apertures, its sweep much like a bridge between points in time, here represented spatially.

The combination of the sporty and large Pioneer case is also odd with the wandering hours, historically a complication associated with more formal, slim cases. At almost 43 mm, the case is large even for a sports watch.

And to nitpick: if there is anything objectionable from the get-go, that is the name. Strictly speaking, “Flying hours” describes a revolving platform that is only supported from below — like a flying tourbillon. Here the hour disks are stationary and, along with gear works, hidden under the dial, with only the minute scale visible on the dial.

The two models of the Pioneer Flying Hours are as different as they come. One version is in rose gold with blackened titanium inserts, while the other is dressed in steel. The rose gold version is paired with an aventurine dial, resulting in an interesting deep-space theme which actually fits the “mysterious” complication well. In comparison, the steel version feels a little bland and too industrial — which ironically underlines well the technical aspect of the complication. 

The revised complication

The wandering hours is the sort of pointless-yet-endearing complication that keeps mechanical watches interesting and appealing. The quirky time telling format first appeared clocks, then moved onto pocket watches, and in the modern day, wristwatches from established names like Audemars Piguet and even in creations by independents like F. P. Journe, proving its enduring charm.

The most interesting aspect of this Pioneer Flying Hours line lies in the implementation of the “flying” complication. In most wandering hours, a carousel rotates slowly around the dial, with the hours disk pointing to a minutes’ sector – the Audemars Piguet Starwheel is an example. As the hour passes, hidden star wheels and stationary fingers engage, slowly indexing the hours disk to the next position. The process is not instantaneous and is rather torque-intensive — meaning the timekeeping itself can be affected during this slow-ish change. 

With the Pioneer Flying Hours, Moser did away with this slow-moving revolving spectacle, choosing to conceal the hour disks and only display the current hour through dial apertures. Moser also found a way to make the change appear instantaneous, jumping from one hour to the next.

Interestingly, while one of the apertures displays the current hour, the other two are obscured by a shutter of sorts, which might be the trick to Moser’s “instant” hours change. While more details are not yet available, conceivably the hour disks change at the same slow pace as they did in the Endeavour model, while the shutter snaps instantly when the hour changes. As such, the shutter piece conceals the indexing of the hour disks and also leaves only the current hour visible.

As the central minutes’ sector sweeps the dial, making one full rotation every three hours, it reads the minutes against the “active” aperture showing the current hour. When the hour changes, the shutter snaps forward, the next aperture in the clockwise direction indicates the hour, becoming “active”, and the minutes sector now reads against it. 

Aventurine dial

The Pioneer Flying Hours makes its debut in two versions that are both well put together, although the fancy complication might be a little out of place in the sporty Pioneer case that’s rated to 120 m.

The sci-fi-inspired rose gold example is limited to only 100 pieces. It has a dial of aventurine, which is a glass product, in which metallic particles are artificially introduced. The result is a midnight speckled-sky look, which is unique to each piece.

Here the dark blueish hue works very well with the complication, adding another layer of mystique. Moser opted for a dark minutes sector, which almost blends into the aventurine glass base, save for the contrast colour printed minute scale. Each hour aperture has a gilded frame, making the piece both ethereal and unexpectedly legible. 

The steel version is decidedly more industrial, with its clean, off-white aesthetic and Moser’s trademark fumé dial. The steel case is simpler in construction compared to its rose gold counterpart, which is embellished with technical looking DLC titanium inserts. 

Solid movement

Powering the Flying Hours is Moser’s in-house automatic HMC 240. The movement is consistent with Moser’s recent philosophy, going for more modern looks across its caliber range. In terms of finishing, Moser doesn’t disappoint, with impeccable machine finishing applied over the anthracite-coloured bridges. 

The movement also reflects a subtle turn towards expanded production. While Moser’s earlier in-house calibres comprised of double barrel architectures and superlative regulating organs, now the tendency is towards more standardised construction.

The HMC 240 is a modular movement, with the wandering hours module piggybacked on the HMC 201 caliber. The 3 Hz movement stores 72 hours of power reserve on a single barrel via its bi-directional winding rotor. The caliber is heavily yet tastefully skeletonised, leaving most of the going train and escapement visible. 

The free-sprung balance is paired with a flat Straumann hairspring made by Precision Engineering. The presence of a full balance bridge is welcome, especially since this is conceived as a sports watch.

Key facts and price

H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Flying Hours
Ref. 3240-0900
Ref. 3240-1200

Diameter: 42.8 mm
Height: 14.2 mm
Material: 5N red gold and titanium or steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 120 m

Movement: Cal. HMC 240
Functions: Jumping wandering hours, minutes
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 72 hours

Strap: Rubber strap

Limited edition:  Red gold limited to 100 pieces
Availability: Now at H. Moser & Cie. retailers and online boutique
Price: CHF39,000 in red gold; CHF29,000 in steel

For more, visit h-moser.com.