425.050 A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold

Before the Datograph Honey-Lumen or Handwerkskunt, there was this. It doesn’t fall neatly into any normal Lange category despite debuting in the 1815 collection. And it was out of chronology, Lange did the advanced homework first. They conquered the Double Split (splitting minutes and seconds) in 2004, Pour Le Mérite Tourbograph in 2005, and Triple Split (minutes, seconds, and hours) in 2018. But Lange only released their first ‘simple’ rattrapante or split seconds chronograph just four years ago. And what a split it is. This is one of the quieter, more special chronographs Lange have ever made. Yes, it is a classic high complication. But, for being very complicated, it appears perfectly simple. Minimal even. Germans, man.

This 425.050 was that first rattrapante, made in just 100 examples, and I say it doesn’t fall nearly into normal Lange categories because, well, look at it. The twin registers are vertically stacked, highly unusual for Glashütte. Further, the pinion is flanked by ‘Glashütte in Sachsen’, in case you were confused where that was. Now, that flanking text is a very direct call back to some early Langes like the 102.001. But here it’s the town, not brand. Which is a little redundant because 6 is still signed Made in Germany . . .it’s just missing the post code and street number. But that’s kind of why you fall in love with it: it really is different to anything they’ve made before or since.

And that’s far too many words devoted to the dial on what is ultimately a watchmaking and movement-driven watch. The L101.2 is unique, with frosting instead of striping in reference to FA Lange treatment. The split pincer is very much the star of this show, alongside a greater canvas of engraving work than normal here treated with rhodium. The contrasting metals for the split hand and three-dot quarters (a nod to Saxon porcelain) in red push this one just over the top for me. With all the multi-splits of the last decade, it always felt like Lange had to outperform the Swiss. This was the first it felt like they settled down, confident, ready to just make something lovely without trying too hard. There aren’t many perfect watches in the last ten years. This might be one. Leaving out the price. 

This example appears lovely and without fault as far as I can see. They're relatively new watches, most have been well cared for. It comes from a well-regarded London retailer, full works.