Introducing The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds In Pink Gold

The dial design is based on a pocket watch originally made by the Dresden-based watchmaker, Johann Heinrich Seyffert, in the late 18th century, and it has been used by Lange for the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour Le Mérite as well. The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds has, as the name says, a jumping seconds complication (this is traditionally called a deadbeat seconds complication but for obvious reasons, most manufacturers nowadays prefer to avoid the term) and the largest subdial is devoted to showcasing the seconds hand – in both versions, done in blued steel to contrast with the plated gold hands (rhodium for the platinum version, and rose gold for the rose gold model just introduced).

The result's a warmer version of the watch, of course, but also one with a bit stronger sense of contrast in the color scheme. The blued steel second hand's been retained, as well as what's under the hood: the Lange caliber L094.1, which has several features characteristic of a high grade, precision oriented mechanical movement.

Architecturally, this is basically a modified 3/4 plate movement. The balance is a free-sprung adjustable mass type (of course with Lange's signature engraved balance cock). The watch is also equipped with the (very rare) constant force mechanism known as a remontoire d'égalité. This mechanism is actually a very old one in horology; it is essentially a second power source for the balance, which drives one of the gear train wheels and is itself periodically rewound by the mainspring. The idea is to provide as unvarying energy as possible; the more consistent the energy going to the balance, the better rate stability should be. The remontoire in any form is rather rare; the gravity remontoire, which is intended for use in static clocks, was invented by the Swiss mathematician and horologist Jost Burgi around 1595, and John Harrison invented the spring remontoire while developing his H2 sea clock (he subsequently used a remontoire in H4, which won the Longitude Prize).

The remontoire d'égalité in the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is rewound once every second, and the advance of the remontoire drives the seconds hand in one-second jumps. There's also quite an ingenious and complex mechanism for setting the time. The watch has a stop-seconds function, but also a reset-to-zero function for the seconds hand, to make setting the time exactly an easier undertaking. In order to re-set the seconds hand to zero, it's necessary to isolate the remontoire from the rest of the gear train and this is done with a vertical clutch system and reset-to-zero heart piece, that are essentially identical to what you would find in a chronograph.

In pink gold, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is priced at $78,100 and is available now. If you'd like a more in-depth look at this very original design and its mechanisms, check out our Hands On from 2016, right here.