The 1815 Up/Down is a nod to Lange's heritage, a slightly more masculinely-proportioned bit of Glashütte watchmaking than a Saxonia that can still be dressed ‘up’, even if it doesn't fit the technical definition. Up/Down refers to the power reserve indication at 8, a counter to balance the dial's running seconds a 4 for a perfectly balanced dual subdial layout that remains distinct from chronographs. When Lange entered the modern era and relaunched in 1994, the 1815 Up/Down was one of the initial core offerings. This is every bit as core to Lange as the Lange 1, Datograph, or Zeitwerk.
The roots of the 1815 Up/Down's unconventional naming is a nod to patent filed by A. Lange & Söhne in 1879 to detect when a movement is fully wound or near empty, one of their very earliest filings. The patent included the parlance Auf (Up) and Ab (Down), which is the notation still used on the dial today. The design harks back to pocket watches made with complication in the years of Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s (the founder of the Lange, for whom this collection is named after his birthday) tenure. It is a direct tie to the very earliest days of Ferdinand Lange's partnership with his teacher, Gutkaes.
This ref. 234.026 is a second generation, introduced in 2010. The white gold case is 39mm but just 8.7mm thin, slightly more masculine than a Saxonia but with none of the height of Datograph or Zeitwerk. It features larger subdials, blued steel hands, and a very beautiful calibre L051.2. The German silver plates are beautifully finished and with far more screwed gold chatons, than say a Saxonia, peppering its surface thanks to the light complication. The floral motif hand-engraved balance cock on this example is particularly delicate, each has its own style.
The 1815 Up/Down is often overlooked, by enthusiasts and new entrants alike. There is a tendency to either gravitate toward the simplest offering from Lange, the Saxonia, the modern era's darling in the Lange 1, or the more complicated chronographs and Zeitwerk. But this is fundamental Glashütte watchmaking and even more fundamentally understated, if slightly more boldly proportioned, happy to be dressed like a three-hander and suited or on suede while walking the dog. The 1815 Up/Down is a beautifully versatile middle-ground that unites Lange's current collection with its past.
