A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Striking Time in Rose Gold

As a sweeping rule, watch people care about details. We fixate on fonts, deliberate over detent escapements, scrutinize split seconds. Lange are one of very, very few watchmakers who concentrate more on details than their clientele. Way, way more in fact. If one made a list of the most visually impressive watch movements of the last decade, I believe three of them would have come from Lange. I leave it to you do guess which in the comments. One of them, without a moment’s hesitation, is this cal L043.2 mechanical-digital faced striking time. Showcased today in rose gold, this is one very rare example of modern watchmaking at its very Zenith (the noun, not that Zenith).

Mechanical digital watch faces in horology are a bizarre category onto themselves. Lange’s was inspired by the Dresden Opera House clock built by Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes (with help of one Ferdinand Lange). The Dresden Clock, like this Zeitwerk, utilizes a rementoire after the balance to store and deploy energy needed to instantaneously rotate the face. While the central dial sports one screw on the left, the rightmost hole is the column which these wheels revolve on. There is an upper 3/4 power reserve indicator and lower petite seconds track. The striking time complication is viewable on the dial’s outer track, with the chimes circumscribed in the dial. The incredible back makes full exhibition of all that effort. A skeletonized balancecock, swan regulator, and anchor-shaped rementoire bridge work together for a back nearly as harmonious as this front. Perhaps even more impressive.

This example appears lightly worn and well-preserved. The case sports very small, light surface wear. This is probably quite a robust rose gold alloy, which helps its long-term resilience. You don’t have to fret wearing it constantly, the initial light markings are in already. That’s how I’d want it anyway. How can one hide an object this gorgeous away from the world? Da VIncis belong in public and so does this. It comes with its full set from a very reputable retailer.

Find this Zeitwerk Striking Time here from Watch4Moi for 95000 USD.