Handwerkskunst, the German word for “artisanship”, is an attribute of distinction that A. Lange & Söhne has been using since 2011 to identify special limited-edition watches whose dials and movements are endowed with rare finissage and engraving techniques. Luxury replica A. Lange & Söhne’s fifth Handwerkskunst edition is a precious homage to Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the great Saxon watchmaking pioneer whose 200th birthday is being memorialised this year.
This winter, the eminent Saxon manufactory is presenting the 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, a new model that not only stands out with exceptional decorative el- ements, but also unites two patented mechanisms. The ZERO-RESET function launched in 1997 by A. Lange & Söhne is paired with the stop-seconds device for the tourbillon that was introduced in 2008. Together, these mechanisms make it possible to stop and set the timepiece with one-second accuracy.
Limited to 30 best fake A. Lange & Söhne Ref.730.048F watches, the special-edition model is available in a pink-gold case with a diameter of 39.5 millimetres.
The main difference versus the model presented in 2014 is the dial. It is made of black-rhodiumed pink gold and decorated with elegant tremblage engraving. The engraver who uses this technique sculpts the material with a specially crafted lining burin to achieve a uniform, fine granular structure. The relief elements on the dial, including the prominent arced brand logo and the numerals, are later polished to a mirror gloss and contrast prominently against the dark background. An aperture in the dial reveals the large one-minute tourbillon. The tourbillon bridge and the upper part of the cage are black-polished: this is one of the most elaborate and time-consuming finissage techniques.