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A. Lange & Söhne never does half-measures, especially at Watches & Wonders. For 2025, they announced three new models, but a total of four watches: the Saxonia Minute Repeater Perpetual, the Honey Gold Odysseus, and the 1815 in 34mm in rose and white gold. So, one super complicated piece with a ton of features. One rare piece in an exceptional presentation. And two sublimely proportioned everyday watches (in ALS terms). While all were exceptional, the latter of the three left the biggest impression, despite being the smallest in stature.
With a name like Minute Repeater Perpetual, there’s not much mystery about what this watch does, but in true Lange fashion, it’s the elegance with which it does it that’s so special. And, naturally, we have to start with movement. The new caliber L122.2 consists of 640 parts and is meticulously finished to the standards one expects from Lange. In somewhat of a departure from their norm, the untreated Glashütte ¾ plate features a frosted finish instead of Glashütte ribbing. Though the result might appear more straightforward, we were told it makes assembly more complicated, and the resulting even surface puts more attention on the governor, black polished hammers, and encircling gongs, not to mention the free-hand engraved balance cock.
It does not just look impressive, however, as there are some clever mechanical tricks at play, too, namely regarding the repeater. The typical sequence of chimes includes first single chimes per hour, and then double chimes per quarter hour, and then single chimes at a higher pitch for the minutes past the previous quarter. While that much is typical, during the first 14 minutes, as there is no quarter chime, the L122.2 skips the quarter sequence rather than pausing, which I assume is an “issue” with other repeaters (issue is in quotes because if you’re having minute repeater issues, you’re doing pretty darn well otherwise). A safety mechanism also prevents the minute repeater from being used while the crown is pulled, and vice versa. Lastly, there is a patented “hammer blocker” that prevents a rebounding hammer from striking the gong again.
And then there’s the perpetual calendar with a big date and a moonphase that requires correction of one day after 122.6 years. Yeah, this is quite the complex timepiece. Finally, we can get to the four-part black enamel dial. Made of white gold and black enamel filled, it has a perfectly even, gloss finish for immense depth. White gold outlines around the sub-dials and white printed lines help organize the information for a highly legible result despite the large amount of information presented. At 40.5mm x 12.1mm and made out of 950 platinum, the case actually feels quite compact, though remarkably hefty, given the 7.6mm thick movement and overall complexity. The A. Lange & Sohne Minute Repeater Perpetual is limited to 50 pieces and priced north of $750,000.
Next up is the Honey Gold Odysseus, which is the Odysseus, but made of Honey Gold- clearly. While hardly a revolutionary evolution of Lange’s integrated “sports” watch design, this is the first time it has been executed in a yellow metal, let alone the brand’s proprietary recipe (sports is in quotes because if you do sports in this watch, you probably also have minute repeater issues). And the result is plainly stunning. Honey Gold is like a slightly desaturated rose gold, resulting in a warm, yet subdued metal. Paired with a deep brown dial, it’s like a living embodiment of looking through tinted glasses. Limited to 100 pieces, the Honey Gold Odysseus is rumored to be priced at around $110,000.
Finally, the most approachable of the new releases both in terms of pricing and overall concept are the 1815s in 34mm. In 1994, Lange launched the brand as we know it today with four lines of watches: the Lange 1, the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite, the Arkade, and the Saxonia. When first launched, the Saxonia, perhaps the most straightforward of the quartet with its circular case, three-hand layout, diamond markers, and most importantly, its big date complication at 12, also measured a refined 34mm in diameter. This stayed true until 2007, when the second generation of the Saxonia was launched at a more contemporary 37mm.
But why talk about Saxonias when the novelty is an 1815? Well, since 2007, nearly 20 years (it hurt me to write that), Lange hasn’t gone smaller than 36mm. So, the 1815 34mm, while a new size for the line, is actually a return to form. An ode to the pocket watches of founding brand father Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the 1815s, which owe their name to his birth year, have a traditional appearance, utilizing printed alphanumerical numerals in a serif typeface, and typically a railroad index, and no appliques. With no surprises, the 34mm stays true to form, yet achieves a graphical balance that perhaps bests its closest relation at 38.5mm.
As is tradition with Lange, a new watch means a new movement. For the 1815 34mm, Lange created the L152.1, their 75th caliber. Comprised of 171 parts including 21 jewels and with a new free-sprung balance, this relatively small scale (28.1mm x 2.9mm) movement achieves an impressive 72 hours of power reserve, an improvement of 17 hours over the L051.1 featured in the 38.5mm model. And, of course, it also features all of the decorative hallmarks Lange is known for, including bridges of untreated German silver, a ¾ plate with Glashütte ribbing and four screwed-in gold chatons, as well as thermally blued screws and a hand carved balance cock.
The 1815 34mm has been announced in two versions at launch, white gold and yellow gold, with 925 silver dials in the brand’s signature, deep blue with white indices. The white gold is paired with a blue gator strap for a crisp and conservative look, while the rose gold features a brown gator, playing off of the warmth of the gold for a more evocative style. While both looked great, the rose gold left a more significant impression, as the blue and rose play off of each other in an unexpected though subtle way.
Regardless of version, the size and proportions of all elements felt tuned to perfection. The case measures 6.4mm thick, making them delightfully compact. The mix of precious materials and German silver plates gives them a solidity and heft that defies their size. They looked amazing on my 6.75” wrist, not too small. And the dial is just so well balanced. Comparing imagery of the 34mm and the 38.5mm side by side, the typeface appears to have barely changed in scale, leaving less negative space on the 34mm. The sub-seconds dial is also more ideally placed and sized, being a touch closer, relatively, to the center axis, allowing more of the six to be shown.
Despite being one of the smaller and more understated watches from Watches & Wonders 2025, it also seems to have been a crowd favorite. Simplicity, executed well, always wins. The 1815 34mms are an open series priced around $30,000. A. Lange & Söhne
