A. Lange & Sohne. 18k White Gold Wristwatch with "Digital Display" and Power Reserve
Model: Zeitwerk
Ref: 140.029
Cal. L043.1 mechanical movment, 68 jewels, black matte dial, two windows for hour and minute "digital display", subsidiary dial at 6 o'clock for constant seconds, power reserve display at 12 o'clock, circular case, crown at 2 o'clock, display back secured by 6 screws, 18k white gold A. Lange & Sohne buckle, case dial and movement signed. 36h Power reserve.
42mm
Accompanied by A. Lange & Sohne presentation box, Guarantee, product literature, and outer packaging
Price: SOLD
The A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk was introduced in 2009 as the brand's first watch with a "digital display", taking the jumping hour complication to a new level. Both the hour and the minutes jump instantly, a feature that was made possible by the use of a special escapement that holds and releases energy at the exact time change to move the numerals disc.
As with all Lange watches, readability is an important factor in the overall design of the watch - the majority of the dial is taken up by the time display. While the notion of a "digital time display" in a mechanical watch is not new to the world of horology, having been seen on pocket watches, the time was typically shown vertically, with the hours at the top and minutes below the hours. The movements were also susceptible to a lot of wear due to the force needed to make the numeral discs "jump". The Lange Zeitwerk not only changed the display format to read vertically, but patented their jumping numerals mechanism and incorporated a power reserve display on the dial.
Available in platinum, white gold, yellow gold and pink gold, the model was instantly popular due to its innovative movement and sleek, contemporary design. Today, it is available only in white gold and pink gold, but the Zeitwerk line has expanded to include models with additional complications, such as the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater.