Introducing: The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date In Pink Gold With A Gray Dial
In 2009, the German brand A. Lange & Söhne surprised the world with a mechanical digital watch based on a clock in an opera house in Dresden. A decade later, the watchmakers from Glashütte in Saxonia presented an even more digital version of that watch, the white gold Zeitwerk Date. Why was it more digital? That’s because of the date ring in printed glass circling the dial, depicting the numerals 1 to 31. Now there’s the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date in pink gold with a gray dial. The choice of alloy combined with the slate-gray dial gives it a softer look, which is very welcome for a watch that’s so strict and confronting. Allow me to explain what I mean by that.
Before I explain my feelings about digital watches, let’s quickly refresh our memories on the Zeitwerk Date. The Zeitwerk Date debuted in 2019 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Zeitwerk concept. Since then, the white gold watch with a solid silver dial in gray has never seen a variation appear next to it. The hours, minutes, and date are all displayed digitally, with 31 days laid out on the outer surface of the dial. The glass ring depicting the numbers doesn’t move, but a small red segment on a ring beneath the date ring does. This red marker moves one step exactly at midnight and shows the correct date. You can set the date with the pusher at 8 o’clock. One nice detail is that the red marker will move when you release the pusher, not immediately when you push it.
A. Lange & Söhne’s fabulous Zeitwerk Date
Operating the watch is a feast for the tactile senses. If you’re into high horology, changing the date on a Zeitwerk Date is something you simply must experience, even just once. Setting the time is also a veritable horological joy. When you set the date, you experience a mixture of smoothness, technical precision, and robustness. These three elements create a horological sensation of the highest order. And the same happens when you set the time. The 2.5Hz in-house caliber L043.8 comprises 516 components, which include two barrels and two mainsprings, assuring a power reserve of 72 hours. The movement is on display through the case back’s sapphire display, which also reveals the ratchet wheel adorned with “solarization” and engraved brand name, plus the constant-force escapement’s bridge made of different materials and decorated with anglage, straight brushing, gold chatons, and more.
Coming back to the complicated constant-force mechanism. It isn’t just there to look great and impress watch lovers. The mechanism is very necessary indeed. Just imagine how much energy the Zeitwerk Date needs for all the displays to flip over exactly midnight. You should hear it from A. Lange & Söhne Director of Product Development Anthony de Haas: “Precisely at midnight, it (the Zeitwerk Date, ed.) puts on an exceptional show. Because then, all three jumping numeral discs and the date ring switch simultaneously. At that moment, a force and precision are at work that you imagine can be felt through the case.”
The patented constant-force escapement is most put to the test at midnight, but the force needed to advance the time is also substantial. That’s why the watch has a powerful twin mainspring barrel and a fly governor that absorbs surplus energy and protects the entire mechanism for the jumping numerals. And precisely every 60 seconds, the constant-force escapement allows the numeral discs to switch.
The newest Zeitwerk Date in rose gold
The Zeitwerk Date in white gold with its silver-gray dial is a magnificent watch, but it’s also a bit stern. The watch’s demeanor changes with the 44.2 × 12.3mm case executed in pink gold. The warmer hue of the precious metal softens the watch’s look. It’s also the first watch in the Zeitwerk product family to come out with a pink gold case with a gray dial. It looks good — contemporary, yes, but not trendy, as a chocolate-brown dial would have looked.
Where did the time go?
The new colorway also helps to tone down the Zeitwerk’s harsh nature. Showing time digitally always strikes me as hard and confronting, so it’s not a Zeitwerk-specific problem. I just feel that showing time through numbers leaves you no space. Digital clocks and watches show only the present. They have a “closed character” that reveals nothing about the past and doesn’t give you a glimpse of the future. Analog watches with traditional hands are much more open, not just in their appearance, with an open dial and hands turning over it, but also because you can see where the hands have been and where they are going.
The phrase “Where did the time go?” expresses a feeling of having lost track of time or being surprised by how quickly it has passed. When thought or spoken, it’s most often with a sense of wonder and a hint of nostalgia. You can “see” where it went with an analog watch on the wrist; on a hermetic digital one, you can’t. Also, an analog watch will give you a softer hint that you need to hurry up to get to the train on time than a digital one. An analog watch whispers the suggestion of time, while a digital one states it without doubt. Even the presence of the small seconds at 6 o’clock as an indication that the time will jump any second now doesn’t help soften the watch’s austerity.
Does that mean I don’t like the new A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date ref. 148.033 (price on request) in pink gold with a gray dial? No, the presence of the date ring is the softened touch this watch needs. Now, at a glance, the wearer can perceive how far the month has progressed, where the days have gone, and where they’re going. With all 31 dates on display, the Zeitwerk, especially in its new pink gold case, gives you a much more open, welcoming, and softer impression. In any case, Lange again made a thought-provoking watch. Now let me read your thoughts on it in the comments.
