A.Lange & Söhne – The secret of the lunar disc
Who could possibly not be fascinated by shimmering moonlight mirrored on the surface of the water surface or by the unforgettable experience of a total lunar eclipse? “The moon, by her comparative proximity, and the constantly varying appearances produced by her several phases, has always occupied a considerable share of the attention of the inhabitants of the earth.” This is how Jules Verne described the allure of our planet’s closest companion in the heavens. In his book “From the Earth to the Moon”, written in 1865, he had his protagonist Barbicane catapulted to the moon by a gigantic cannon. One hundred years would pass before the Apollo mission made the dream of landing on the moon come true.
Precision in detail
A. Lange & Söhne’s watchmakers are fascinated by the earth’s satellite as well. To such a degree, in fact, that they leverage all the potentials of science and technology to emulate its orbit with extreme precision and reproduce its radiance as brilliantly as possible. Since the presentation of the first new collection almost 20 years ago, they have developed no fewer than 15 manufacture calibres with moon-phase displays. One of them is the GRAND LANGE 1 MOON PHASE launched not long ago. As in nearly all A. Lange & Söhne moon-phase watches, a correction by one day is needed only every 122.6 years. This is about 50 times more accurate than conventional displays. The orbital moon-phase display of the new RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna” establishes a new benchmark: this mechanism is so accurate that it can run for over one thousand years before it deviates from the actual lunar cycle by one day.
Bright brilliance
The rich blue hue is another special facet of Lange lunar discs. The unique chromatic effect is achieved by superposing light waves. To produce this so-called interference phenomenon, Lange partnered with scientists to develop a patented coating process for the solid-gold discs. The vibrant blue tint forms a remarkably high-contrast backdrop for the laser-cut stars. In the RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna”, more than two thousand stars in five different sizes accentuate the seductiveness of the nocturnal sky.
Our overview presents all of the timepieces with moon-phase displays in the current collection.
Image Source and Text: www.alange-soehne.com
