A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Updated in Platinum

The A. Lange & Söhne catalogue is deceptively large so when news emerged of a new Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar in platinum, I half thought one had already been launched this year. A quick research revealed that I was mixing up the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar and Lange 1 Time Zone Platinum in my head. Although, if you were to mix those two watches together you would indeed get the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum.

Structurally, the new piece has the same design as the original Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar from 2021, which means it has a 41.9mm diameter case with a gorgeously sweeping round shape and relatively subtle, but not insubstantial, lugs and crown. Of course, there is a prominent difference in that the new edition is made from platinum, one of the most prestigious precious metals, renowned for its purity and density, both of which make it easier to maintain than gold equivalents.

The second major update to the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum is the black dial. The original models were anthracite or salmon and compared with those the black makes for a strong, bold statement. It’s dark and sleek, especially with the contrasting finishes of the grained subdials. The black colour also emphasises the rich colour of the moonphase located towards the bottom left of the display. As for the other functions on display, you have the main hours and minutes off-set to the right, in the top left is a big date window above a retrograde days of the week indicator. At the very bottom is the leap year indicator alongside the indicator for the peripheral months ring.

Powering these myriad complications is the Calibre L021.3, an automatic movement with a 50-hour power reserve. There are 621 parts in this movement, which is easy to believe looking through the exhibition caseback where you can see the immaculate finishing. The golden rotor is intricately engraved and the Glashütte stripes on the plate look fantastic. It really feels like the back of the watch is far more ostentatious than the front, which is in keeping with A. Lange & Söhne’s Saxon sensibilities.

Like the vast majority of A. Lange & Söhne Perpetual Calendars, if not all of them, the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Platinum is a boutique exclusive and price on request. In my opinion, this is the nicest version of the watch they’ve produced so far, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see some white or silver dial variants in future as we’ve already seen on models like the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.