When it comes to the topic of tourbillions, I guess that it’s your first thought goes to the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon of the vintage A. Lange & Sohne replica, or perhaps the bonkers Tourbograph. I get it, but the 1815 Tourbillon deserves some attention too, and Lange has just released a new limited edition version with a white enamel dial.
For those who don’t recall – or slept on Stephen’s excellent look at the 1815 Tourbillon from a couple years back – this is no casual tourbillon. Originally announced in 2014, the 1815 Tourbillon mixes Lange’s classic subtlety with an expansive and beautifully executed tourbillon visible at six on the dial. Not willing to just slap a tourbillon on it and call it day, the 1815 Tourbillon rocks a clever patented Zero-Reset mechanism that zeros the seconds hand alongside a stop-seconds feature that halts the tourbillon.
For this 100-piece limited edition, the 1815 Tourbillon with Enamel Dial, the 39.5mm case is rendered in platinum and comes in at a wearable but noticeable 11.3mm thick. The dial is the only real change here, but the enamel makes a strong statement that easily sets this version apart from the previous iterations of the 1815 Tourbillon. It’s crisp, silky smooth, and a perfect base for both the black polished tourbillon bridge and the long blued steel hands.
As tourbillons were traditionally used to ensure the accuracy of a fake watch in various positions, Lange regarded it sensible to have some way of quickly and easily setting the watch to the nearest second. Therefore, when you pull the crown out, the movement resets the seconds hand to zero and stops the tourbillon, allowing you to restart in coordination with another time. It’s nerdy, highly technical, and very Lange.
Small details, like the use of red for the 12 marker, the beautifully rendered railway minutes scale, or the way in which Lange was able to perfectly flush fit the mounting for the tourbillon bridge into the enamel, really make for a great-looking replica watch. What’s more, the mix of the old-school marine chronometer aesthetic works rather well with the open and technical look at the ticking tourbillon.
That ticking is offered by the popular replica A. Lange & Sohne’s L102.1 hand-wound movement. The L102.1 can be seen via a full sapphire case back and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s worth a good long look. Hand finished with plates crafted from German silver, the L102.1 has a power reserve of 72 hours and offers hours, minutes, and seconds. With a limitation to 100 pieces, the new enamel dial has an appeal all its own and adds a brightness that works very well with the wide view of the tourbillon.