Off the back of the release of the platinum A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante, the German luxury watch manufacturer has released another beauty. A one-of-a-kind release, the A. Lange & Söhne Hampton Court Edition will be presented at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace in London this month, which plays host to some of the rarest automobiles in the world. The timepiece will then be auctioned off by Phillips in Geneva, with the proceeds going to The Prince’s Trust, a youth charity established by HRH The Prince of Wales.
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The A. Lange & Söhne Hampton Court Edition builds off the 1815 Chronograph, which represents the unity of classic design and progressive technology. Arabic numerals, a railway-track minute scale and shifted subdials recall the German luxury watch manufacturer’s pocket watches of yesteryear. For the first time, a white gold case has been paired with a black dial with sandstone-hued numerals and scales, with case-matched white gold hands. The peripheral tachometer scale speaks to the link between horology and motorsports.
Rhodié-coloured small seconds and minute counter subdials contrast against the black dial, creating a subtle interplay of colour with the sandstone markings. The elegant timepiece is presented on a black hand-stitched alligator leather strap, secured with a solid white gold buckle.
At first glance, the A. Lange & Söhne Hampton Court Edition may appear to have a closed caseback. However, this is actually a hinged cuvette caseback; offering the best of both worlds it sports the Concours of Elegance logo and can be opened to reveal the beautifully intricate Lange calibre L951.5 movement under sapphire glass. The manually-wound calibre has a power reserve of 60 hours and features a column-wheel control, a jumping minute counter, and a flyback function. With a frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour, the watch displays stopped times to an accuracy of one-fifth of a second.
Words by Theo Rosen