A. Lange & Söhne CABARET TOURBILLON HANDWERKSKUNST Limited Edition

A. Lange & Söhne presents CABARET TOURBILLON HANDWERKSKUNST, a special version the iconic the CABARET TOURBILLON watch.

Introduced in 2008, CABARET TOURBILLON was the world’s first mechanical wristwatch with stop seconds for the tourbillon. With this timepiece, A. Lange & Söhne succeeded for the first time to instantaneously stop the balance inside the rotating cage – and instantly restart it by pushing the crown home.

Now the brand celebrates this legacy by unveiling an extraordinary timepiece under the prestigious HANDWERKSKUNST series.

Limited to 30 pieces, the CABARET TOURBILLON HANDWERKSKUNST watch combines outstanding watchmaking artistry, to the outermost angles of its rectangular calibre, with elaborate, traditional and rare techniques. They include semi-transparent enamelling of the dial and several manual engravings in the lozenge design style. It is the seventh model of the HANDWERKSKUNST series launched ten years ago.

The three-part dial of the CABARET TOURBILLON HANDWERKSKUNST is made of solid white gold and is crafted in the manufactory. The inner area with the typical Lange outsize date is manually engraved with a lozenge pattern.

This regular motif sets a challenge to the engraver as every small deviation is instantly visible. It is inspired by the six lozenge shaped hour markers in gold that face the centre. Together with the Roman numerals III, IX and XII, they stand in the outer zone of the dial with a delicate surface that serves as a stage. A thin line decorated with tremblage visually separates the dial parts from one another. This engraving technique also graces the frame of the hand eye and of the date aperture.

The dial is coated with a semi-transparent enamel layer that adds extra depth to the engraving and showcases various metallic shades of grey. The result is an extravagant dial with a three-dimensional effect.

The separately integrated subsidiary dials for the small seconds and the power-reserve indicator, which at A. Lange & Söhne is traditionally executed with the UP/DOWN display, consist of rhodium-coloured gold; the hands are made of rhodiumed gold. An aperture in the dial reveals the one-minute tourbillon which is suspended between two diamond endstones. On its top side, the matt-finished tourbillon bridge has a black polishing that is applied using a technique that ranks among the most difficult types of finissage.

A rectangular case in platinum measuring 29.5 by 39.2 millimetres forms the precious frame for the new exclusive version of the first tourbillon with a stop-seconds mechanism. It is graced with a deployant buckle in platinum and a black leather strap with grey contrast stitching.

Calibre L042.1

The manually wound calibre L042.1 of the CABARET TOURBILLON HANDWERKSKUNST has a twin mainspring barrel that delivers a power reserve of 120 hours.

This masterpiece of technology and craftsmanship is composed of 370 parts, of which no fewer than 84 are integrated in the filigreed tourbillon that weighs only a quarter of a gram.

In 2008, A. Lange & Söhne showed how an oscillating balance inside the rotating cage can be stopped to set a tourbillon timepiece to the precise second. By pulling the crown, a complex lever mechanism is triggered that pivots a movable V-shaped spring onto the balance wheel rim.

The balance stops instantaneously, even if one of the spring arms is in contact with one of the three cage posts. The special geometry of the spring assures that the pressure imposed on the balance is always correctly dosed, regardless of the position of the cage.

An advantage of this design is that it preserves the potential energy of the balance spring so that the balance can restart instantly as soon as the arresting spring is retracted when the crown is pushed home.

Measuring 22.3 by 32.6 millimetres, the form movement of the CABARET TOURBILLON HANDWERKSKUNST is tailored to the rectangular shape of the case.

In comparison with the 2008 version, it has an indexless oscillation system with a Lange balance spring. The lozenge motif of the dial is echoed by the black-rhodiumed engravings on the tourbillon and intermediate wheel cocks, creating a visual bridge between the dial and the movement side.

Simultaneously, the interplay of colours from silver and grey hues initiated on the dial is enriched by a further nuance. The train-wheel bridge in untreated German silver has a subtle granular surface inspired by the movements of historic pocket watches. It accounts for six of the total of nine screwed gold chatons.

Two further ones are located on the tourbillon and intermediate wheel cocks, and one is integrated in the tourbillon bridge on the dial side. The winding train, decorated with circular graining, is visibly integrated in the plate. The engraved inscriptions on the plate are black-rhodiumed as well. A limitation engraving on the case back indicates the rarity of the horological masterpiece.

Technical details

Model: A. Lange & Söhne CABARET TOURBILLON HANDWERKSKUNST, Reference 703.048

Movement
Manually wound calibre L042.1
Number of movement parts: 370
Rubies: 47
Number of screwed gold chatons: 9
Diameter: mm
Height: 6.4 mm
Frequency: 21600 semi-oscillations per hour
Beat-adjustment system: Eccentric poising weight
Power reserve: 120 hours when fully wound

Case
Material: 950 platinum
Case back: sapphire glass
Diameter: 39.2 mm
Thickness: 10.3 mm
Lug width: 22 mm
Water resistance: 3 bar

Dial
Grey dial made of solid white gold
Manual engravings in the lozenge design style and semi-transparent enamelling
Rhodiumed gold hands

Strap
Black alligator leather strap with 950 platinum buckle

Edition
Limited to 30 pieces

• Find More Details about A. Lange & Söhne Watch Brand.

• A. LANGE & SÖHNE New Watch Models.

• A. LANGE & SÖHNE Archives (from 1994 to 2013).

Image Credit: Lange Uhren GmbH