The ref. 221.027 is a first generation 1815 Up Down with a sparse blue dial in white gold that has not been seen since the first generation which ended in 2008. 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 1815 chronographs yet related. When Lange relaunched in 1994, the 1815 Up Down was one of the initial offerings. With charming quirks such as Gangreserve outside the blue subdial, a 36mm case, and the calibre L942.1, the 221.027 has become one of the most desirable early A. Lange & Söhne 1815s.
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.
The first generation is a more traditional proportion and construction. Unlike the following L051.2, the three-quarter plate has no reveals for the crown/ratchet wheels. Its dial is focussed on the cerulean tone, with no red accents or distractions. The Gangreserve print is specific to the first generation, a charming detail many have come to adore. The L942.1 is absolutely classic with German silver bridges and immense craft in hand finishing. It retains many screwed gold chatons and much hand engraving work on the floral balance cock. Impressively, the reserve mechanism has been engineered in a comprehensive way that adds no thickness to the standard calibre.
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. The first generation has an inherent rightness in its design. The 1815 Up Down is a beautifully versatile middle-ground of complication that unites Lange's current collection with its past.
