Last night September 25th, 2014 at the opening of the new A. Lange & Söhne boutique in New York City, the brand presented the boutique edition Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' in 18K white gold with blued hands and blue hour markers. With its regulator style that expresses the ultimate in precision, the Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' is a complication that unites A. Lange & Söhne’s unique fusée-and-chain transmission and a one-minute tourbillon with a patented stop-seconds mechanism. This timepiece whose name pays tribute to what is probably the most inventive mind in the Lange watchmaking dynasty will only be available only at A. Lange & Söhne boutiques.

Since the presentation of its first new-era watch collection 20 years ago, A. Lange & Söhne has introduced four extraordinary complications with the distinctive 'Pour le Mérite' hallmark. What they all have in common is the fusée-and-chain transmission that Lange perfected for the wristwatch format. It assures that the movement is powered by a constant torque throughout its entire power-reserve period. Additionally, the Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' features a one-minute tourbillon for best rate stability. Its stop-seconds mechanism makes it possible to instantaneously block the balance inside the tourbillon cage and thus stop the movement simply by pulling the crown. This allows the watch to be set to one-second accuracy. So some 200 years after the tourbillon was invented, Lange’s engineers have finally found a way to stop it. Additionally, the Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' is endowed with an innovative and also patented pivoting dial segment: from 6 to 12 o’clock, a small auxiliary dial fills the gap in the hour circle, which at all other times exposes the fascinating tourbillon.

The regulator dial of the Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' shows the time indications with separate displays. The large upper minute circle and the smaller subsidiary dials for the hours and seconds are centered in the corners of an isosceles triangle. This layout was inspired by Chronometer No. 93 crafted by Dresden watchmaker Johann Heinrich Seyffert (1751–1818). In the late 18th century, he ranked among the pioneers of precision watchmaking in Saxony. Alexander von Humboldt, the famous German natural scientist, was one of the individuals who held Seyffert’s timekeeping instruments in high esteem and relied on their remarkable rate accuracy during his expeditions.

The special edition of the Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' is now being presented with a noble 18K white gold case. The high-contrast time display with blued-steel hands and blue hour markers in the minute circle assures excellent legibility on the argenté-coloured solid-silver dial as the background. The exclusive timepiece is available only in A. Lange & Söhne boutiques, including those in New York and Moscow that recently opened.

Sticker Price $212,900 USD. For more info on A. Lange & Söhne click here.

Technical Specifications of the Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' Ref. 760.026F

Case: 18K white gold case measuring 41.9 mm in diameter and 12.2 mm in thickness.

Dial: Solid silver argenté with blued steel hands and blued markers.

Movement: Lange manufacture calibre L072.1, manually wound, fusée-and-chain transmission; crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; seconds bridge engraved by hand. Composed of 351 parts —without chain— and 636 with the chain, 32 jewels including one diamond end stone, 3 screwed-in gold chatons, lever escapement, shock-resistant screw balance, superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house, frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour and a power reserve of 36 hours when fully wound. Diameter: 33.6 mm, Thickness: 7.6 mm

Strap: Black hand-stitched crocodile strap with Lange deployant buckle in solid 18K white gold.

Functions: Regulator dial with large minute circle; hours with pivoting dial segment; seconds with patented stop-seconds mechanism connected to the tourbillon.