The Saxonia Annual Calendar, no longer in production, has quietly grown to become one of the great references from the modern era of A. Lange & Söhne. While initially overlooked for the Langematik Perpetual, time has proven its less-cluttered dial without Roman numerals more desirable to collectors. But this is not the Annual Calendar as you know it. It is the ref. 330.039, 1 of 25 examples made for U.S. Boutiques and their very best clients. While the differences are subtle, this is the only place you'll find this slate grey dial typically only found in platinum limited Lange executions, where the standard 330.026 dial is white. It is both more reservedly Teutonic and more modern all at the same time. The original Saxonia Annual Calendar, a bit of a sleeper in the discontinued catalogue, is increasingly being recognized as the A. Lange & Söhne calendar watch for those who prioritize dial harmony and simplicity above all else. This is its ultimate version.
The Annual Calendar was introduced first at SIHH in 2010 and available in platinum, pink gold, and this white gold. Its dial is retrained with applied mirrored indices and small dot indices outside them, anchoring them to the chapter ring in an almost vintage way. It is a dial that focuses on balance, negative space, and clarity. Importantly, Lange matched the date discs to this dial as well. The case is a lovely 38.5mm, in classic 3-body design, but a deeply impressive 9.8mm thin.
This is only possible due to the 476-component automatic calibre L085.1, which features some hidden depths that aren't knowable from images alone. It is, inarguably, one of the great modern complicated calendar calibres. The balance features a clever zero-reset mechanism which resets the running seconds hand to zero every time the crown is pulled out, which makes accurate synchronizing a complete pleasure to perform. Though a simple concept, this requires a significant degree of mechanics to accomplish. The architecture is traditional Glashütte, with the usual broad three-quarter plate only interrupted by a hand-engraved gold rotor with platinum edge. All is finished in traditional German style, with a hand-engraved balance cock, wide striping, anglage, black polishing, blued screws, and much expanse given to perlage. This U.S. Boutique edition features a special black rhodium finish to the rotor.
Now discontinued, the Saxonia Annual Calendar was succeeded by the 1815 Annual Calendar, which is manual, did away with the date at 12 and zero-reset, grew the case to 40mm, and introduced numerals. The Saxonia has been left as a highlight for the lover of clear, minimalist complication. Its outsize date is simultaneously a celebration of Glashütte complication and nod to early Saxonia design. The design of the 330.039 has yet to be outdone, a ref. for all time, where current appreciation is largely limited to the most studious of A. Lange & Söhne collectors. This is a calendar for those who love Germanic greys and simplicity above all else.
