Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A. Lange & Sohne – RICHARD LANGE Jumping Seconds Platinum


A. Lange & SohneRICHARD LANGE Jumping Seconds Platinum Limited Edition NEW


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Split-second precision

The first pieces of the RICHARD LANGE JUMPING SECONDS in platinum have recently been delivered to the dealers of A. Lange & Söhne. The typical regulator dial, the classic jumping seconds mechanism, the constant-force escapement and the ZERO-RESET mechanism come together in a fascinating reinterpretation of the scientific observation watch.

For ten years, the name RICHARD LANGE has stood for a continually growing watch family. It convincingly transitions the scientific observation watch, a genre traditionally nurtured by A. Lange & Söhne, from the past to the present. Additionally, its name pays tribute to Ferdinand Adolph Lange's firstborn son. Born in 1845, Richard Lange adopted his father's legacy by translating the latest insights in physics, chemistry and mathematics into numerous technical developments. Many of his patents were embodied in the manufactory's technically elaborate pocket watches.

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Presented in January 2016, the RICHARD LANGE JUMPING SECONDS broadens the watch family with a model including a classic function that was once a feature of A. Lange & Söhne's historic pocket watches. Its newly developed L094.1 manufacture calibre is endowed with this complication (also referred to as seconde morte), and has an innovative constant-force escapement. The mechanism utilises the switching impulse of the jumping seconds integrated in the wheel train to deliver fresh energy to the remontoir spring of the constant-force escapement. In a separate wheel train between the mainspring barrel and the escapement, the constant-force mechanism compensates the gradually declining power of the mainspring. It assures virtually constant torque and a stable amplitude across the entire power-reserve period of up to 42 hours.

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The ZERO-RESET mechanism allows the watch to be quickly and comfortably synchronised with a time signal. The rhodié-coloured regulator dial features a prominent seconds circle and presents itself in a stately platinum case with a diameter of 39.9 millimetres. A small aperture at the intersection of the hour and minute circles reminds the owner when it is time to wind the watch: the display switches to red ten hours in advance.

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In the movement, hand-finished to the strictest Lange standards, the technical processes are easily observable through the sapphire-crystal caseback. A five-point star, that controls the seconds jumps, rotates beneath a transparent sapphire bearing jewel in the middle of the mirror-polished end piece. The remontoir spring of the constant-force escapement can be seen through an opening in the three-quarter plate. The levers, springs and clutch of the ZERO-RESET mechanism are readily visible as well.

Technical addendum for the RICHARD LANGE 
JUMPING SECONDS

The RICHARD LANGE JUMPING SECONDS conceals three technical highlights beneath its puristic regulator dial: the namesake jumping seconds, the constant-force escapement that assures uniform power management and the ZERO-RESET mechanism for resetting the seconds hand. 

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These are three reasons for a look backstage and into the construction of Lange's L094.1 manufacture calibre.

Jumping seconds

The jumping seconds is an A. Lange & Söhne tradition that dates back nearly 150 years. In 1867, Saxon watchmaking pioneer Ferdinand Adolph Lange crafted a pocket watch with a seconde morte. Its large sweep seconds hand circumscribed a minute in exactly 60 steps. The hand could be started and stopped but not reset to zero. His sons Richard and Emil evolved the system and in 1877 filed a patent application for the mechanism they mounted on the three-quarter plate, naming it "seconds movement with jumping seconds".

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The functional principle of the RICHARD LANGE JUMPING SECONDS, launched in January 2016, is similar: as in the historic mechanism, a flirt and a star were the elements that controlled the seconds jump, the conversion of the six semi-oscillations of the balance into one hand step per second.

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The star that rotates beneath a transparent sapphire bearing jewel is attached to the escape wheel arbor. Together with the escape wheel, it rotates about its own axis once every five seconds. After each full second, one of the tips of the star liberates the tensioned lever arm, which watchmakers refer to as the "flirt". It performs an abrupt rotation through 360 degrees before being stopped by the next tip again. This motion sequence causes the seconds hand to advance by precisely one marker.

Constant-force escapement

A. Lange & Söhne has been intensively investigating ways to offset the difference between the high initial torque and low final torque of mainsprings. With the fusée-and-chain transmission first introduced in 1994, and three different constant-force escapements, A. Lange & Söhne has meanwhile developed four separate constant-power delivery systems.

In the LANGE 31, the constant-force escapement delivers a constant amount of torque in ten-second intervals across a period of 31 days. In the ZEITWERK, it harnesses the force of the powerful mainspring and instantaneously advances the numeral discs once every minute. In the RICHARD LANGE JUMPING SECONDS, the mechanism fulfils a dual function: on the one hand, it offsets the waning power of the mainspring barrel, and on the other, it prevents a loss of amplitude during the seconds jump.

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The mechanism utilises the switching impulse of the jumping seconds integrated in the wheel train to deliver fresh energy to the remontoir spring of the constant-force escapement, which is visible through an aperture in the train bridge. In a separate wheel train between the mainspring barrel and the escapement, the constant-force escapement compensates the dwindling torque of the mainspring. The remontoir spring of the constant-force mechanism delivers virtually constant torque to the escapement, so the amplitude of the watch remains stable during the entire power reserve period of up to 42 hours. In combination with the cam-poised balance, excellent rate stability is guaranteed by a free-sprung hairspring, which, like the remontoir spring, is made in-house.

ZERO-RESET mechanism

The ZERO-RESET device first integrated into the SAX-0-MAT movement in 1997 was refined for the RICHARD LANGE JUMPING SECONDS and endowed with a multidisc clutch. Its purpose is to reliably steady the large seconds hand with its comparatively high moment of inertia, especially during the sudden acceleration and braking phases associated with the seconds jump. Additionally, the clutch makes it possible to isolate the wheel train when resetting the seconds hand to zero.

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When the crown is pulled, a complex set of levers triggers three processes within fractions of a second: the arresting spring is gently pivoted into the balance and holds it, and the clutch discs are separated with a clamp, disconnecting the seconds hand from the wheel train.

The reset hammer contacts the heart cam, advancing it and the seconds hand to the zero position. When the crown is pushed home, the seconds hand is re-engaged with the wheel train and the balance is released. It immediately starts oscillating again.

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Technical Specifications

Model: RICHARD LANGE Jumping Seconds Platinum

Reference: 252.025 Platinum

Limited Edition  100 watches.

Movement
Lange manufacture calibre L094.1
Manually wound, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards,
decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions;
constant-force escapement with remontoir spring crafted in-house;
plates and bridges made of untreated German silver;
balance cock engraved by hand
Movement measures:
Diameter: 33.6 millimetres; height: 6.0 millimetres
Movement parts: 390
Bearing jewels: 50
Screwed gold chatons: 8
Escapement: Lever escapement 
Oscillator:
Shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights;
balance spring manufactured in-house with a frequency of
21,600 semi-oscillations per hour, precision beat-adjustment
system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring
Power reserve: 42 hours when fully wound
Functions
Time display in hours, minutes and jumping seconds with stop
seconds and ZERO-RESET function; end-of-power indication
Operating elements:
Crown for winding the watch and setting the time
Case
Platinum
Diameter: 39.9 millimetres; height: 10.6 millimetres
Crystal and back: Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Dial: Solid silver, rhodié
Hands: Hours and minutes in rhodiumed gold, blued-steel seconds hand
Strap
Hand-stitched alligator leather strap, black
Buckle: Lange prong buckle in platinum

Limited edition  100 watches

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Contact information for the media
Arnd Einhorn, Director Press and PR
Tel.: +49 35053 ; 44-5505
E-mail: presse@lange-soehne.com
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Monday, November 21, 2016

IWC – BIG PILOT's Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince”

















IWC SchaffhausenBIG PILOT's Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” Gold 46 mm Unique Piece NEW


THE LITTLE PRINCE IN FULL SWING
FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Geneva, 15 November 2016, Sotheby’s auctioned an exclusive, unique timepiece by IWC Schaffhausen. The Big Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” with a unique blue movement went under the hammer for CHF 48,750. The proceed will go to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation, a globally active organization that campaigns to support children and young people living in difficult conditions.


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The Big Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502704) is the first and so far the only watch in the history of IWC with a blue movement. The manufacturing process required to make it has taken around 1.5 years to develop and refine. To give the IWC-manufactured 52850 calibre its striking blue colour, the plates and bridges have been coated with various metal oxides. The major challenge of this process was keeping the thickness of the coating consistent and achieving a completely even tone using the chemical vapour depositiontechnique (CVD). When combined with the blue screws and red gemstones, the blue movement creates the perfect backdrop for the 18-carat red gold rotor: it depicts the little prince from the story with the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry standing on a planet staring out at the starry night sky.

IWC’S ENGINEERING EXPERTISE YIELDS HIGH PROCEEDS AT AUCTION

“Not only is the blue movement an extraordinary eyecatcher, but it also underscores the long-standing tradition of engineering here at IWC Schaffhausen. I am therefore particularly delighted that we have been able to use it to contribute to the impressive proceeds from the auction, so the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation can now get started on other important projects,” says Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. The foundation was established in 2008 by the descendants of the French author and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Active throughout the world, it campaigns primarily for the promotion of training and education courses for disadvantaged children and adolescents. Today’s auction was the fourth auction that IWC Schaffhausen has held for the foundation in cooperation with Sotheby’s Geneva. The plan for the proceeds from this year’s auction is to use the funds to translate Saint-Exupéry’s book “The Little Prince”, including the illustrations, into Braille with illustrations in relief so the complete work will be accessible for the first time to children with visual impairments.


In support of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation,
Sotheby’s and IWC Schaffhausen are proud to present:

THE IWC PILOT’S WATCH ANNUAL CALENDAR EDITION
“LE PETIT PRINCE”

To be auctioned during the Sotheby’s sale of Important Watches, Geneva, 15 November 2016

A unique special-edition timepiece combining poetry and technology
Echoing the extraordinary life of celebrated author and aviator
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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Geneva, 10 November 2016 – On the occasion of our autumn sale of Important Watches, Sotheby’s Geneva will once again come together with the prestigious watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen to present a completely unique, special-edition timepiece created by the Swiss manufacturer.
On 15 November, collectors will be able to discover the IWC Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Reference IW502704, Lot 175). This unique piece in red gold features a stunning blue movement, the first ever to have been created by IWC.

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The proceeds from the sale will benefit the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation, the charitable organization dedicated to supporting disadvantaged young people and children all over the world through local initiatives.
Looking ahead to the sale, Pedro Reiser, Department Manager for the Watch Division at Sotheby’s in Geneva commented: “It is an honour for us to nurture this continuing partnership with IWC Schaffhausen, and to present this unique special-edition watch. This year, once again, the celebrated watchmaker has shown its passion for innovation, developing an exceptional timepiece with a superb blue movement. We feel that this impressive technical endeavour is sure to enchant collectors, and we look forward to renewing our support for the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation.


TECHNICAL PROWESS AND VISUAL POETRY

For the world-famous poet and author of “The Little Prince”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, poetry and technology, writing and flying were two sides of the same coin. Now, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” brings these two worlds together. The front side of the watch features a midnight blue dial with annual calendar and red gold luminous hands. The reverse side of the watch reveals an outstanding blue movement – the first ever developed by the manufacturer. The dial shows the little prince gazing in amazement at the sky. He stands on a tiny planet, which in its entirety forms the rotor and revolves around its axis. Due to the highly complex techniques required to ensure an even blue finish on the movement, followed by the delicate process of assembling the pieces, the movement took IWC nearly 2 years to develop.

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The sumptuous blue of the movement creates the impression of depth within the watch, echoing the extraordinary adventures of the little prince.


ADDITIONAL FEATURES

In addition to its spectacular blue movement, the sleek exterior of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” hides numerous other features that illustrate the exceptional quality of IWC’s technical workmanship. These include an annual calendar, which shows the month, date and day of the week in three separate windows. Its highly complex mechanism takes into account the differing lengths of different months, with the exception of February; once a year, it requires a simple manual correction using the crown.

This superb piece in 18-carat red gold also includes a 7-day power reserve and a transparent sapphire-glass back.


FURTHERING THE WORK OF THE ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY YOUTH FOUNDATION

Handed down through generations, the wonderful tale of the little prince has so far been translated into 290 languages and dialects. The Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation aims to reach new heights in the coming years by producing a version of the book in braille, adapting both the text and pictures.

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The proceeds from the sale of the watch will go towards supporting the launch of the foundation in the United States and to collaborate with local NGOs and associations. The organization will help visually impaired children to discover the little prince’s magical world and its enchanting illustrations, via specially conceived educational workshops.

There will be an official launch of the programme in 2017, combined with an event in New York.

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THE ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY YOUTH FOUNDATION

Under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the foundation was created by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s family to promote the great French writer’s humanist philosophy. Liaising closely with companies that share its values and aims, the foundation works primarily to help disadvantaged young people all over the world by encouraging and financing local initiatives designed to provide education and training across a broad spectrum of areas. By instilling a sense of purpose into young people and teaching them to live together as part of their communities, to find fulfilment in work and to access culture through reading and writing, it helps them to become responsible citizens.
Website: www.fasej.org


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Technical Specifications

Model: BIG PILOT’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince”- Unique piece watches

Ref: IW502704 Case in 18-carat red gold case
Midnight blue dial, dark brown calfskin strap by Santoni, 18-carat red gold folding clasp

FEATURES
Unique piece
Midnight blue dial – Blue mechanical movement – Power reserve display
Annual calendar with displays for the month, date and day of the week
Small hacking seconds – Breguet spring
Rotor in 18-carat red gold shows the little prince standing on his planet
Screw-in crown – Glass secured against displacement by drops in air pressure
See-through sapphire-glass back 
MOVEMENT
    IWC-manufactured calibre: 52850 (blue)
    Frequency: 28,800 A/h | 4 Hz
    Jewels: 36
    Power reserve: 7 days (168 h)
    Winding system: Pellaton automatic
WATCH
    Materials: 18-carat red gold case, midnight blue dial
    Red gold hands and appliqués coated with Super-LumiNova®, gold-plated star display.
    Glass: Sapphire glass, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
    Water-resistant: 6 bar
    Diameter: 46 mm
    Height: 15.5 mm
STRAP
Dark brown matte calfskin strap by Santoni, 18-carat red gold folding clasp

Notes to editors:
This watch is being sold for charity and therefore has not been given an auction estimate.
The current suggested retail price is CHF 35,000.

* IWC Schaffhausen is not the owner of the Super-LumiNova® trademark.

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Further Information
Clemens von Walzel
Department Manager Public Relations
Tel. +41 (0)52 235 79 29
E-mail clemens.vonwalzel@iwc.com
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Press releases 2016
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 IWC Schaffhausen
Uwe Liebminger
Department Manager Public Relations
Mobile  +41 (0)79 957 72 52
E-mail  uwe.liebminger@iwc.com
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