A. Lange & Söhne is a serious minded brand that rarely does fancy in terms of dials, so even a simple cosmetic makeover is novel for the brand. That’s true for the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds with a pink gold dial that was just launched earlier this month, applying a striking new look to a technically compelling but arguably under-appreciated watch.

Described officially as “pink gold” – it is actually solid gold – the dial is in a shade best known as “salmon”. This gives a vivid, fresh aesthetic to a watch that’s compact and surprisingly complex, combining a regulator-style display with a deadbeat seconds linked to a remontoir, as well as a hacking, zero-reset seconds.

Initial thoughts

The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds has always been an interesting watch in technical terms; the movement is unusual in function but typical Lange in terms of quality. Calibres like this are tangible illustrations of Lange’s prowess in both engineering and aesthetics when it comes to movements.

Despite being relatively complex, the Jumping Seconds is unusually compact for a complicated Lange watch, giving it surprisingly wearable dimensions. This gives the watch tangible and intellectual appeal. But the original versions, both with silver dials, were a little boring. The subsequent version with a black dial was high contrast and more appealing.

The latest version with a pink gold dial is the easiest to like. It’s an eye-catching livery that does justice to the mechanics inside. Of all the versions, this is arguably the one to have, though being a limited edition availability may be challenging.

More generally, the “salmon” dial is faddish – just look at the number of online-only micro-brands offering dress watches in “salmon,” copper, and everything in between. Fortunately, Lange is a serious brand, and remains so.

It’s only rolled out a handful of watches with pink gold dials – five including this and all are limited editions – which keeps the colour special and also prevents the offerings from lapsing into fashion. Knowing the people who make the decisions on such things, I also trust Lange won’t overdo this colour.

The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds costs about US$100,000, which by today’s standards offers good value considering the complication and quality. There are worse watches that cost the same or more, and few watches that are comparably good and comparably priced.

Seyffert in salmon

The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds dial has an intriguing regulator display made up of three intersecting circles arranged in a pyramid. It’s modelled on pocket watch no. 93 made in the late 18th century by Johann Heinrich Seyffert, the leading Glashütte watchmaker of his time. Seyffert was also official watchmaker to the Saxon royal court, though he was active a generation before Ferdinand Adolph Lange.

Lange has employed Seyffert’s unique dial design to three different models, none of which have been bestsellers, perhaps reflecting the niche appeal of such an unconventional layout, especially for a traditional brand like Lange.

The dial takes some getting used to when reading the time, and even if after getting used to it the layout is not the most intuitive. But it is symmetrical and appealing.

Each of the indicators is self explanatory, while the small triangular aperture above six o’clock is a low-power reminder. It turns red 10 hours before the end of the 42 hour power reserve. It’s not extremely useful, and I would have preferred a cleaner dial free of this aperture. Fortunately, it is not obtrusive and generally blends into the dial.

The pink gold livery makes this Jumping Seconds more easily likeable, especially since “salmon” is such a current shade. In the usual Lange manner, the “pink gold” dial is actually solid, 18k pink gold; it’s less a colour than a description of the material. This helps it feel less faddish than the average “salmon” dial.

The case is solid 18k gold, but white. It’s identical to earlier versions of the models, so the size is smallish by Lange standards. Most of the brand’s complicated watches are bigger. In fact, the other models with the Seyffert dial are either big or enormous.

At 39.9 mm wide and 10.6 mm the case feels similar to the Lange 1. These are good proportions that make it easy to wear.

The L094.1 inside is one of Lange’s interesting calibres, both visually and functionally. Despite the relatively straightforward display on the front – it’s basically a time-only display with power reserve – the movement actually has four complications: deadbeat seconds, constant force mechanism, zero-reset hack seconds, and the low-power reserve indicator. Importantly, the complications make sense all together.

The deadbeat seconds and remontoir are a pair. The remontoir winds and unwinds once a second, providing the impulse to drive the deadbeat seconds hand that correspondingly advances one step per second. The purpose of the remontoir is to give the independent seconds hand its own, secondary power source, ensuring the timekeeping portion of the movement remains unaffected by the energy needs of the jumping seconds.

This precision-centric approach is also reflected on the front, since the regulator-style dial is historically associated with precision clocks and watches. Again, the zero-reset hacking seconds serves the same goal, since it helps with setting the time accurately against a time signal.

And the end-of-life indicator is a reminder to wind the watch, ensuring the mainspring is always in a good state of wind, ensuring the movement is kept running with an optimal amount of energy.

All of the complications are evident from the back as the movement has been constructed to show off the key mechanism.

The calibre has a smaller, two-thirds plate instead of the three-quarter plate that is standard for most Lange movements. This serves to reveal the hacking and zero-reset mechanism which sits under its own bridge. And visible on the two-thirds plate is a circular aperture that shows off the small concentric spring of the remontoir mechanism.

The movement construction also allows for more decoration than on the average time-only Lange watch. The zero-reset mechanism bridge in particular stands out for the flourishes in its decor, as does the aperture for the remontoir spring.

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: US$108,000 excluding taxes

For more, visit alange-soehne.com.

A relatively small brand in the big world of international motorsport, H. Moser & Cie. continues its collaboration with the Alpine Formula 1 team with the Streamliner Tourbillon Pierre Gasly, which takes the brand’s distinctive sport watch and adds a warm red gold colourway favoured by Mr Gasly, a French driver racing for Alpine.

The Tourbillon Pierre Gasly is offered in two configurations – a 100-piece edition on a rubber strap, and an even more special edition of 10 pieces that features a full 18k red gold bracelet and a subtle baguette ruby at ten o’clock, a detail based on the racing driver’s number. Notably, both were conceived by Mr Gasly himself, who is a fan of the brown-and-red-gold aesthetic. According to Moser chief executive Edouard Meylan, Mr Gasly already owns other watches in this livery.

Initial thoughts

Celebrity endorsements can, at times, come across as inauthentic, but this type of marketing has been part of the fabric of the luxury watch industry for decades. In fact, it was another Formula 1 star, Jim Clark, who was one of the first official celebrity brand ambassadors for a watch brand, signing on to represent Enicar back in 1966.

But while Clark promoted the standard collection of Enicar watches, Mr Gasly had the chance to put his own spin (pun intended) on Alpine team sponsor H. Moser & Cie.’s top-of-the-line sport watch, the Streamliner Tourbillon.

Edouard Meylan (left) with Pierre Gasly

In many ways the Tourbillon Pierre Gasly is a typical Streamliner, with the mid-size 40 mm case we’ve become familiar with. Customers can choose between a lightweight brown rubber strap or a heavyweight bracelet in 18k red gold. The latter is certainly the one to get, though it comes at a substantial premium.

The dials of the two models are largely identical, featuring a warm chocolate-brown fumé treatment and a subtle brand logo printed in transparent lacquer. The more limited of the two editions, the ref. 6805-0411, includes an additional embellishment at ten o’clock: a single baguette-cut ruby. This detail is a reference to both the size of the limited edition and Mr Gasly’s driver number. Globolight inserts illuminate the hands for low-light legibility.

Both models share the HMC 805 movement, which features a flying tourbillon complete with horizontally opposed double Straumann hairsprings. True to its sporty tendencies, the movement is automatic, a detail that makes it quite compatible with the Streamliner’s screw-down crown. A thoroughly modern platform, the HMC 805 features a three-day power reserve, something that has become the norm in recent years.

Moser has a good reputation for value, combining industrial craftsmanship with haute horlogerie features. On a rubber strap, the 100-piece limited edition Tourbillon Pierre Gasly is priced at CHF79,000, while the more exclusive 10-piece edition, complete with ruby baguette and full gold bracelet, comes in at CHF125,000 before taxes. It’s a big step up from one to the other, but the bracelet is a core part of the Streamliner identity and the single ruby baguette is a nice touch.

Spring-loaded

The Tourbillon Pierre Gasly deepens Moser’s ties to Formula 1, something that began with the Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine Limited Edition launched last year. This first lap was followed up by the brand’s first smartwatch and an open-worked AgenGraphe-powered chronograph.

For its third lap of this particular track, Moser collaborated directly with Pierre Gasly, who opted for the brand’s flying tourbillon with double hairsprings. Moser punches above its weight when it comes to hairsprings thanks to the expertise of its sister company Precision Engineering. As a result, Moser has a little more freedom to be creative in an area where other brands would face limitations.

This explains both the cylindrical hairspring found in the first Alpine limited edition, as well as the double Straumann hairsprings featured in the Tourbillon Pierre Gasly. Both solutions attempt to solve the same problem of isochronism in different ways. The cylindrical spring acts much like a traditional overcoil, while the twin flat hairsprings, offset 180 degrees from one another, provide a similar (if not superior) benefit.

The double hairspring has also been used by MB&F and Laurent Ferrier, but its roots are inextricable from those of Moser, having been developed for the brand in its early days by Andreas Strehler. That Moser has this capability effectively in-house is a feather in its cap and a meaningful differentiator from its peers in the industrial haute horlogerie segment of the market.

The movement is pleasantly finished and includes an open-worked gold winding mass to reveal the anthracite-coated movement bridges and the lower pivot of the 3 Hz flying tourbillon, which pivots in a ball bearing race. This feature gives an otherwise delicate gadget an aura of industrial robustness, and as a bonus it reveals the Incabloc shock absorber for the lower balance pivot, something concealed in most tourbillons.

Key facts and price

H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon Pierre Gasly
Ref. 6805-0411 (on bracelet)
Ref. 6805-0410 (on rubber strap)

Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 12.1 mm
Material: 18k 5N red gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 120 m

Movement: HMC 805
Functions: Hours, minutes, and flying tourbillon
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 72 hours

Strap: Integrated bracelet in red gold (ref. 6805-0411) or rubber strap (ref. 6805-0410)

Limited edition: 10 pieces on bracelet; 100 pieces on strap
Availability: At H. Moser & Cie. boutiques and retailers
Price: CHF125,000 on bracelet; CHF79,000 on strap

For more information, visit h-moser.com.

On episode 11 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon Moore discuss the monumental La Quête Du Temps astronomical clock that Vacheron Constantin just unveiled in Paris alongside the companion Quest of Time wristwatch. We also tackle Tudor’s first moon phase complication and what it means for the brand’s collection of dress watches.

SJX also shares his views on the news that Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour will be giving the keynote at Dubai Watch Week, a move that’s largely unprecedented for the industry’s most impenetrable brand. We also chat about the other big news in the world of watch fairs, Audemars Piguet’s return to Watches & Wonders in 2026.

Last but not least, we discuss what Girard-Perregaux’s new movement platform might reveal about the future of the brand.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.