Up to this moment, the high end Annual Calendar segment is almost the monopoly of a particular prime Genevan brand. Considering the bold and distinctive lines in aesthetic design, the fine movement decoration and the highest standard set by Lange, this should be an early warning to the Annual Calendar establishment. For Lange, this piece also fills an important gap in the overall product positioning of the brand
More choice means more power to the Lange fans.
Texts below are as supplied by Lange Uhren.
Paragon Class: the SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR
It has been anxiously awaited by many watch enthusiasts – the A. Lange & Söhne with
an annual calendar, one of the most popular and useful complications in horology. And
now here it is: the SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR. It amalgamates the concepts of
a watch, a calendar, and mechanical ingenuity into a unique timekeeping instrument
that in this category no doubt establishes a new benchmark in design and
technology.
After the distinguished Saxon manufactory
had presented nearly all grand horological
complications and enriched them with
landmark innovations – including a perpetual
calendar – the emergence of an A.
Lange & Söhne watch with an annual calendar
was only a matter of time. The horological
complication which arguably
offers the greatest convenience in daily life
is now available in a Lange watch for the
first time: the SAXONIA ANNUAL
CALENDAR.
Beneath a dial of delightful clarity and graceful proportions, an elaborate mechanical
program automatically advances the day of the week, the date, and the month under
consideration of its duration in days. The calendar assembly only needs to be corrected
once a year. All three calendar indications as well as the moon phase are harmoniously
arranged on a dial of exquisite coherence. With this new watch in the elegant
SAXONIA style and decidedly contemporary flair, A. Lange & Söhne reaffirms its
commitment to a proud tradition that repeatedly spawned horological milestones.
Apart from the unparalleled combination of the annual calendar and Lange’s iconic
outsize date, the SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR stands out with an exceptionally
precise moon-phase display and the famous self-winding SAX-0-MAT calibre with its
ingenious ZERO-RESET handsetting mechanism. With its superior quality attributes, it
is predestined to become the paragon in this horological calendar discipline.
Beauty through clarity
During the development of the SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR, Lange’s product designers
placed great emphasis on the coherent organisation and aesthetic balance of
the numerous displays on the dial. With its sleek baton-style hour markers, crisp minute
scale, and rhomboid arrangement of calendar indications, the dial is refreshingly congruent.
It features prominent lancet hands that sweep over the easily legible Lange
outsize date in the characteristic twin-frame aperture at the top of the dial. This layout
reflects a modern design principle that derives its beauty from functional integrity. The
most important information – the time and the date – is provided at a first glance. The
second glance passes to the left to the subsidiary dial at 9 o’clock which indicates the
day of the week. The stage for the moon is at 6 o’clock: this display is so precise that it
only needs to be corrected by one day every 122 years. The same position is shared
by the subsidiary seconds dial that echoes the life of the movement. Finally, the
months are indicated on the subsidiary dial at 3 o’clock. The calendar mechanism of
the SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR automatically switches the months with 30 and
31 days and only needs to be corrected once a year: on the last day of February or the
first day of March. After extended periods in the fully unwound state, all three calendar
indications and the moon-phase display can be quickly and individually updated with
separate recessed push pieces.
A movement of noble descent
One of the most complex latest-generation self-winding movements powers the
SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR: the superbly crafted, multiple-award-winning SAX-0-
MAT calibre. The zero in its name refers to the patented ZERO-RESET function that
stops the movement when the crown is pulled and instantly advances the seconds
hand to 12 o’clock so that the watch can be easily and comfortably synchronised with
an official time signal. The design of the winding mechanism is also an object lesson in
technical prowess: the gold rotor with the peripheral platinum centrifugal mass is
suspended between ball bearings and winds the mainspring bi-directionally. It is so
effective that it produces an ample power reserve even on the wrist of a calm wearer.
The passion and time invested in the finish of the movement parts also belong to the
Lange culture. Even surfaces that are concealed after the assembly of the movement
are meticulously decorated with refined patterns. The hand-engraved balance cock
turns each watch into a one-of-a-kind treasure. The SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR is
available in a white-gold or pink-gold case with a diameter of 38.5 millimetres.
Data sheet SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR
Movement Lange manufacture calibre L085.1 SAX-0-MAT, self-winding,
crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards and largely
decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five
positions; three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver
with integrated three-quarter rotor in 21-carat gold and centrifugal
mass in platinum, reversing and reduction gear with four ball
bearings; balance cock engraved by hand
No. of movement parts 476
No. of jewels 43
Escapement Lever escapement
Oscillation system Shock-resistant glucydur screw balance, Nivarox balance spring,
frequency 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour, whiplash precision
index adjuster with patented beat adjustment mechanism
Power reserve 46 hours when fully wound
Functions Time indication with hours and minutes, subsidiary seconds with
stop seconds and ZERO-RESET function, annual calendar with
patented outsize date, day-of-week, month, and moon-phase
displays
Operating elements Crown for winding the watch and setting the time,
one recessed push piece each to advance the
outsize date, day-of-week, month, and moon-phase displays
Case dimensions Diameter: 38.5 millimetres; height: 9.8 millimetres
Movement dimensions Diameter: 30.4 millimetres; height: 5.4 millimetres
References 330.026 330.032
Case White gold Pink gold
Dial Solid silver, argenté Solid silver, argenté
Hands Blued steel Rhodiumed pink gold; blued
steel
Glass and caseback Sapphire crystal (hardness 9)
Strap Hand-stitched crocodile strap and Lange prong buckle in solid
white or pink gold