8
A. Lange & Söhne
Ref. 119.032
Grand Lange 1 Luna Mundi
A rare and attractive set of two limited edition gold wristwatches with large date and moonphase display
Full-Cataloguing
Each watch correctly indicates the moon’s position as seen from different hemispheres, the white gold model features the UrsaMajor (or Big Dipper) constellation on the dial and depicts the phases of the moon as seen in the Northern Hemisphere whereas the pink gold model features the Southern Cross and depicts the phases of the moon in the Southern Hemisphere.
The watchmakers and engineers at Lange devised a very accurate system for the indication of the moonphases that move continuously (as opposed to most common versions found where the moon jumps an increment once or twice a day) and are so accurate that they need to be set once every 122 years.
The calibre L901.8 and L901.7 housed within features Lange’s superlative Technicolor finish. The Ursa Major model features 398 components, whereas Southern Cross’ cal L901.7, requires four more parts, including an additional wheel that reverses the rotation of the moon disc.
A. Lange & Söhne
German | 1845Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Dresden, Germany, the firm established an entire watchmaking culture and industry in Glashütte. The brand quickly became Germany's finest watchmaker, first creating dependable, easy-to-repair watches before going on to produce some of the world's finest complicated pocket watches, including Grande Sonnerie watches, tourbillon watches and Grande Complications.
On the final day of World War II, their factories were destroyed by Russian bombers, and in 1948 the brand was confiscated by the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Ferdinand's great grandson Walter Lange re-established the brand with the objective to once again produce top-quality luxury watches. Now part of the Richemont Group, its original vintage and modern creations are highly coveted by collectors. Key models from the modern era include the Lange 1, Pour Le Mérite Tourbillon and the Zeitwerk.