Introducing: The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds

The Richard Lange family of watches was first introduced by A. Lange & Söhne in 2006, with the idea being to create a family of watches that reflected observation watches made by Lange for scientific expeditions, and for navigation.  Since then, the family of Richard Lange watches has steadily grown to include the Richard Lange Pour Le Merite, the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour Le Merite (and a “Handwerkskunst” version of the same) and the most complicated watch in the Richard Lange family, the spectacular Terraluna Perpetual Calendar.  The overall theme of old school solutions to precision timekeeping very much remains clear, however (even the Terraluna doesn’t wear its complexity on its sleeve; its spectacular astronomical display is visible only through the back of the watch).  Now for 2016, A. Lange & Söhne has introduced a new watch to the Richard Lange family: the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds.

“Jumping seconds” is one of the many alternative terms we’re seeing these days to what is also called a dead seconds (French: seconde morte) or a deadbeat seconds.  We’ve covered another variation on the deadbeat seconds pretty recently in our Week On The Wrist coverage of Jaeger LeCoultre’s Geophysic True Second.  However, there is a significant technical difference between the two watches.

The first thing you notice when you look at the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is the dial arrangement.  It’s similar in certain respects to that of the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour Le Merite (check out our coverage of the 2011 launch here) in that there are three intersecting circles anchoring the composition (this arrangement is based on a pocket watch by Johann Seyffert, from 1807).  

However, the RL Tourbillon Pour Le Merite is a standard regulator-style display, with the largest circle occupied by the minute hand.  In the RL Jumping Seconds, the largest of the three circles is for the jumping seconds hand instead, the better to emphasize it, and make it more dynamic.

The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds differs from other jumping/deadbeat seconds watches in another critical technical respect: the addition of a remontoire d’égalité on the fourth wheel.  A remontoire d’égalité, you might recall, is a form of constant force mechanism.  The remontoire d’égalité basically consists of a second spiral spring, placed on one of the going train wheels (generally on the fourth wheel) which is periodically re-wound by the mainspring.  You can choose different intervals for re-winding, but the neat bit here is that if you choose a one second interval, and the remontoire d’égalité is on the fourth wheel, you can use the forward jump of the remontoire to drive a jumping seconds hand.  

In the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, the remontoire is released for rewinding by a five pointed star wheel on the escape wheel pivot, which, once per second, releases a long, thin lever – a “flirt” in English watchmaking parlance – which makes one full rotation, and is then blocked by the next star wheel tooth.  You can actually see the remontoire spring do its thing through an aperture in the ¾ plate, which, as you might expect, is an absolute visual treat, replete with lovely touches, including the black-polished cap for the escape wheel jewel.

A couple of other interesting technical features include the presence of a power reserve indicator, and a reset-to-zero setting mechanism for the seconds hand.  The mechanism for the reset-to-zero does two things: stops the balance, and causes the seconds hand to return to zero instantly, allowing for more accurate setting of the watch to a time signal.  The reset-to-zero mechanism uses a vertical clutch on the fourth wheel to separate the fourth wheel from the going train; pulling out the crown opens the clutch and at the same time, allows a reset-to-zero hammer to fall onto a heart-shaped cam on the fourth wheel arbor. A hammer-and-heart-cam mechanism is exactly that used for reset-to-zero in chronographs.

We’ve seen remontoire d’egalite watches with deadbeat seconds hands before, of course (the Journe Tourbillon Souverain, for example) but the combination of that complication with the complex zero reset for setting the time, the power reserve complication, and the very distinctive dial design – as well as the superlative, best-in-class movement finishing – really put this watch in a class by itself, and we’re really looking forward to going hands-on with it this week.

The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds: Case, 39.9mm x 10.6mm; platinum with solid silver dial and rhodium-plated gold hands.  Movement, Lange caliber L094.1, regulator with jumping seconds; remontoire d’egalite on the fourth wheel; power reserve; reset-to-zero mechanism for the seconds hand.  Power reserve, 42 hours.  In platinum, this will be a limited edition of 100 pieces world-wide.  Pricing at launch, €78,000 .

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