Grand Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar

Not all perpetual calendars are made equal - we know that. The special ones are not only a technical feat but also easy to read - enter the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.

Perpetual calendars unlike the annual calendar counterparts knows the numbers of days in a month and correctly jumps to the right date at the switch over. For 11 months in a year, the days will either be 31 or 30 days. But for February, it will be 28 days for three years and during the leap year, will have 29 days. The perpetual calendar mechanism takes into consideration the leap year and ensures that for that one year, the date display jumps from 28 to 29 and from 29 to 01 as with the case of the Lange which has the big date function.

So much has been said about the perpetual calendar in a mechanical timepiece but all said and done, the perpetual calendar has to be, first and foremost, legible. A few timepieces have got it right - the Moser Perpetual One for one. And with the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, the manufacture Lange has another winner.

The off-centre Lange 1 layout with a clearly intuitive dial layout. Lange 1 is perhaps the most well known off-centre dial timepiece that is so symmetrically proportionate. The day, date, month, and moon phase are very well laid out. Two other indicators are the leap year and the day/night indicator within the time dial.

The display of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is laid out in a rather "unconventional" way. Typical perpetual calendars will use the sub-dials to display the days, months etc. But with the Lange TPC, the unique layout allows the owner a clear view of the timepiece - uncluttered view. (Pardon the smudges on the sapphire glass - my bad).

The outer ring revolves anti-clockwise displaying the month of the year. At the 8 to 10 o'clock displays the day of the week and the Lange big date is unmistakable. The 7 displays the moon phase. Right at the 6 is the leap year display. The dial is clean and the indicators can be clearly read.

Turn around and you will see an automatic movement. A beautiful 21k gold and platinum rotor. And what a well hand engraved rotor.

Turn the rotor to the other side and it reveals the Tourbillon. As with the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, the Tourbillon has a stop seconds mechanism.

Again, another hallmark is clearly visible - the hand engraved bridges of the cocks. And beneath it, the Tourbillon.

The people at Lange prefers to keep the dial of the Lange 1 TPC clean and therefore the Tourbillon is found at the back on the movement side.

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is an exciting package. The case size measures 41.9mm and when fully wound, provides 50 hours of power reserve.

A Lange 1 is a Lange 1. Only that the people at Glashutte made it a more iconic - with a stop second Tourbillon and adding on a Perpetual Calendar complication. Well done again!

Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon - Stunning Beauty!

The Lange Datograph is an icon and the Datograph Perpetual made it more drool worthy. Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon? Well, that goes into the realm of dream worthy!

The folks at Lange know one thing - how to make an exciting and beautiful chronograph movement. Add on a perpetual calendar and the beautiful 3D movement is stunning but the latest iteration where they added a Tourbillon to the movement adds a different dimension to the whole piece.

The layout of the dial is proportionate and surprisingly legible. The perpetual calendar also features a moon phase that is accurate for more than 100 years. And the instantaneously recognisable large date that is a hallmark of the Datograph series is also evident. The case is a very wearable 41.5mm.

Most brands would want the Tourbillon as their centre piece but the folks at Lange prefer the discreet approach preferring to keep the Tourbillon to the back.

But the Datograph is always about the movement. ALWAYS!

The column wheel chronograph movement is more than 700 parts and comes with a diamond end stone.

The Datograph movement is already an impressive movement. With the Tourbillon at the back, my attention was drawn immediately to the Tourbillon. Impressive indeed! There is a lot to like about the movement - the blue screws and the rubies add a splash of colour to the three dimensional hand wound movement.

The power reserve is around 50 hours and this example is a prototype - 000/100. The platinum case beauty is made in a limited edition of 100 pieces. The diamond end stone is located above the Tourbillon. Lange made history when they unveiled the Cabaret Tourbillon - the first Tourbillon which could achieve a stop second. What this means is that when the crown is pulled, the Tourbillon cage will stop and allow the time setting to be more accurate. With the traditional Tourbillon, the stop second feature was not possible until the Cabaret Tourbillon was released. The same feature is available on the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon.

What makes the Datograph special is the jumping counters - instant jumps. And the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is no different. All the indicators of the perpetual calendar and the date changes instantaneously which is a technical feat in itself. Because of the gear arrangements and the perpetual calendar modules, most perpetual calendars will have their indicators change between 10pm and 4am with the watch fully "correct" by 4am the next day. But not so with the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon which jumps instantaneously - not many movements are able to achieve this.

Technical feat aside, the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is an incredible timepiece. I am sure this timepiece will feature in many collectors' "Dream Watch" list. It sure is on mine! If only I could afford one.

Thanks to Patrick at the Lange Boutique at Ion Orchard for arranging the pieces availability and also to Gaetan Guillosson for hosting the event. Watch out for more reports on some other awesome Lange timepieces.

P.S. - I have been looking at the timepiece over and over again and it is just so easy to overlook the chronograph function of this Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon. The perpetual calendar feature on the dial is so complete that one can be easily forgiven when they overlook the column wheel chronograph that the Dato is so famed for.

The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon - Another Dream Watch

First image of the Lange Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon. Stunning piece!

Another dream watch on many people's list, including mine.

More pictures and report on the timepiece coming up.

Golden Bridge by Corum - Gina's Favourite Timepiece

The Corum Golden Bridge designed and developed by Mr. Vincent Calabrese is an icon. Originally in a rectangular case, the timepiece has since seen some changes in their case - tonneau and lately round. The timepiece is simple and yet alluring.

The baguette movement is legendary and it is in my humble opinion, made for the ladies. Yes the Golden Bridge comes without diamonds but I think the diamonds in this case makes it a lot more appealing. I first featured this timepiece some time back in 2014 and then again the Miss Golden Bridge in 2015. But I just can't get enough so here are more pictures of the icon.

The Golden Bridge with two rows of diamond in a full size case.

The see-through case gives the timepiece a different dimension.

And the beauty of the baguette movement...

Full frontal shot.

And now the Miss Golden Bridge. A smaller albeit more dainty size specially for the ladies.

And now, for the back view.

And what about the side view showing off the linear movement?

Another look at the pretty piece.

How can a lady not like this?

Another look at the rear of the see through timepiece.

And if you want to read Gina's review in on owning the Miss Golden Bridge, you may go to the article on Deployant.

The only other baguette movement I have is the JLC 8 Days Baguette Clock. I will be doing an update on that side by side to determine the similarities and the differences of each timepiece.

Recently, Corum re-introduced the Corum Golden Bridge Round. Deployant did a review on the round case Golden Bridge. Somehow, the people at Corum has done such a good job with the rectangular and tonneau case that I cannot accept the round case version. But that is just me. What do you think? A baguette movement in a round case?

Nautilus Chronograph 5980R

The Nautilus is as iconic as it comes and the folks from Patek Philippe added a chronograph function and it was a hit.

For awhile, the Patek 5980 was the much sought after chronograph. Some dealers told me that it was selling above retail in the grey market! That is what a Patek does for you...

I like the Nautilus so when I had the opportunity to photograph one, I jumped at it.

The chronograph sub-dial is at the 6 o'clock and features a 60 minute and 12 hour indication.

Push buttons are also different from the other chronographs. Integrated "into" the case rather than two protruding push buttons. The crown is also signed.

Overall a nice piece but I still prefer the simpler 5711. And with a strap, thank you.

Double Dragon by Stefan V - Dvoynoy Drakon

If one Dragon is not enough, the logical step is to have two right? That's exactly what I had commissioned Stefan Vinogradov aka Stefan Jewels to do.

The Dragon in Chinese mythology is a legendary creature. And more significant if one is born in the Year of the Dragon. The five claw dragon in ancient times is assigned to the Emperor with the three claw dragon for the common man. And another common depiction of the Chinese dragon shows a pair of dragons fighting over a flaming ball. The ball or the pearl is associated with spiritual energy, wisdom, prosperity, power and immortality amongst other characteristics.

The result by Stefan is this beautifully handcrafted timepiece...

I had done an earlier post of the process one goes through when commissioning a timepiece with Stefan. He had already done one Dragon watch for me and I had previously documented it in another post.

The first step starts with me searching for an appropriate picture and this was what I came up with. Stefan would then put it into a software to clean up the image and then reproduce a "workable" print.

I focus more on the dial work this time around. Stefan starts with a blank brass plate...

And then transfers the picture onto the brass plate. Stefan traces and inscribes onto the brass plate.

Then the cutting begins...

And then the hand work. The filing is very exacting and is hand done. A rather laborious process that requires deft touches and most of all, patience and skills. Stefan honed his skill as a jewelry designer and is adept in setting gem stones - that explains his handiwork.

The semi-finished product... Look at the well textured body of the dragon.

Then Stefan adds the colours - the eyes and the mouth of the dragon. He tells me that he uses an enamelling technique for this. Then comes the gold plating to give the dragon its golden hue.

And the final assembled dial.

Then onto the movement... Again, all handcrafted.

The parts are then blackened and polished. And the main spring barrel cover is engraved with my initials and red enamelling applied.

Picture of the dial with the individual movement parts.

The finished product. Front...

And back...

It is another well made handcrafted timepiece by the talented Stefan V. In fact, I like this creation more than the earlier piece. Both are nice, but this one has more meaning to it. At least for me it does. I shall be taking more pictures of the timepiece and featuring it in another post.

Credits - all pictures provided for by Stefan and taken by his wife Svetlana.