Salmon Dial 345.056 A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar

It took until 2019 for Lange to give in and make a salmon dial. The logic tracks, as it’s a bit uncomfortably close to Swiss aesthetic. But these days, Lange are comfortable in their own skin. And that’s allowed some traditionally Swiss aesthetics to enter the chat. However, Lange are Lange. So where many Salmon dials are simply lacquer or galvanic, this is solid pink gold like FPJ has made famous. It’s salmon, but also adds the depth of an authentic material, which was Wilhelm Schmid’s aim. You have three options if you want this look. The Datograph QP Tourbillon, 1815 Split QP, or this. A Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar.

Some will tell you a Lange 1 should not have a rotor, and they are right. But sometimes an object can be so beautiful that it can become a category. That’s what this is. You need a rotor for a QP, let’s be a bit practical. And L021.3 was built ground-up to be a QP from the start, integrated and not added on top. The ring month display is just rad, a new take that allows this Lange 1 to still look like a Lange 1 in a mirror (note elements are horizontally flipped over center compared to a normal one). The date, in combination with an applied marker, points to the correct month, a very refined and easy to read QP display. The calibre doesn’t cut corners anywhere, despite being covered by a rotor. Tons of chatons, striping, ample anglage with angles, engraving, it’s all here. 

150 of these were made with a salmon dial, which is what Lange giveth when they taketh away thy Tourbillon. If that sentence didn’t make sense. The Lange 1 Perpetual was introduced in 2012 with a tourbillon and aggressive pricing. In 2021, this second generation was introduced, but the tourbillon was relieved and pricing was lowered considerably. A simple, salmonier, more relatable Lange 1 Perpetual isn’t a bad thing. It also came down from 42mm to the true Lange 1 38.5 case for the second generation. In the long run, it will be extremely interesting to see whether this limited run of 150 examples with a salmon dial or the complicated and more valuable earlier pieces dominate collector interest. As much as I love complication, my money might be on Omega-3.

This example appears only lightly worn. The case is great. I see not even surface wear, which I don’t say often. The dial is unblemished. It comes from a well-regarded London retailer.