The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Decimal Strike Honey Gold - My One True Grail
When talking to a watch fanatic you will probably hear the word 'grail' thrown around pretty regularly. Obtaining a grail is the ultimate objective for a watch collector, it is the one piece that ranks above any other in the quest for the ultimate horological collection. But what defines a grail? Is it exclusivity? Is it craftsmanship? Or is it a piece that offers something completely different to any other watch that sits within your selection? Well I believe my grail ticks all of these boxes plus many more and thankfully I already have had the pleasure of wearing it.
My visit to the A. Lange & Söhne manufacturer in Glashütte actually took place back in the winter of 2017. Yet out of all the amazing experiences I have shared within the watch industry, it is still the one that sits with me the most four and a half years later. It was during this trip that I was able to get hands on with Decimal Strike Zeitwerk, my true grail, maybe that's why the trip sits with me so prominently.
The Zeitwerk collection from A. Lange & Söhne is instantly recognisable in the horology community due to its 'digital' display. To the untrained eye any Zeitwerk would not look like a traditional mechanical timepiece and could be mistaken for, dare I say it, a digital quartz piece. Yet to those in the know a Zeitwerk is a daring mechanical design which breaks down the walls of traditional watchmaking by offering the first mechanical wristwatch that displays hours and minutes with jumping numerals. So a boxed ticked for offering something very different to the status quo.
The second question you may be asking is 'what the hell is a decimal strike?' Well in short the Decimal Strike complication allows the watch to make a nice low tone on every hour and a much higher pitched tone every ten minutes through the striking of little gongs seen on the lower half of the watch. Clever? Yes. A Necessity? Not at all, but a beautiful little complication that displays ultimate craftsmanship. If you find the chiming annoying it can be silenced by pressing the pusher located at four on the case. But why on earth would you?
I remember the moment the Honey Gold Decimal Strike was laid in front of me like it was yesterday. It was laid out before me with three other outstanding watches, consisting of a Richard Lange Jumping Seconds in platinum, a Richard Lange Tourbillon in pink gold and even a beautiful Datograph Perpetual. Seeing all of these watches in person on one tray was like Christmas, Easter and a birthday rolled into one. Yet for me out of this amazing line up, the Decimal Strike caught me with an immediate attraction.
I believe there were two main attractions which pulled me towards the Decimal Strike, firstly, the honey gold case. I currently do not own a solid gold watch. Usually if I was to choose between the vast majority of gold watches on the market, whether it be yellow, white or rose gold I surprisingly would probably lean towards the yellow gold. Traditional, classic and just the way I like it, yet gold watches as a whole very rarely jump out at me. But the honey gold offers something completely different to any other gold material on the market in my opinion.
Lange's honey gold alloy is made by combining both rose gold and yellow gold which gives it a number of key aesthetical differences and benefits. Honey gold is substantially harder wearing than traditional gold, this gives the watch more durability which is always a positive for the client, although a negative for the manufacturer back in Germany as this makes the case much harder to shape and work with. The other key benefit of Honey Gold is of course the colour. A. Lange & Söhne describe the Honey Gold as 'reminiscent of the sweet liquid produced by bees' which I think describes it pretty much perfectly. The colour is so unique, warm and subtly elegant it is impossible not to love. Lange have used honey gold on a number of exclusive timepieces over the years such as the 1815 Rattrapante and Langematik Perpetual, yet in my honest opinion, the honey gold Zeitwerk Decimal Strike is the one.
The second thing that attracted me to this beautiful piece was the unique finishing that is found on the bridge and hammers the Decimal Strike uses to make it's chimes. The unique finish is called Tremblage and is something that I had not come across before back in 2017. The Tremblage finish gives a granular appearance that is very unique and is often found on the ultra high end Lange Handwerkskunst timepieces. Yet the Decimal Strike was the first example of A. Lange & Söhne’s ability to offer the ultimate hand finished detail that I had come across in my Lange journey, meaning the Decimal Strike really carried some magic in that moment. The Tremblage also perfectly complements the frosted German silver bridge used for the mechanical digital display. It is these finishes for me that make the Decimal Strike so unique and show the perfect craftsmanship that goes into each piece.
While on the topic of perfect craftsmanship, it is impossible to discuss any Lange timepiece without discussing the movement. As with all movements produced by this brilliant watchouse you would be excused for wanting to wear the watch upside down to show off the beautifully finished movement through the sapphire caseback. The Decimal Strike is no exception, the watch is equipped with a L043.7 manual wind calibre. Through the caseback you would again be excused for struggling to identify the difference between the Decimal Strike movement and a standard L043.1 movement found in the standard Zeitwerk. This is because the additional decimal strike complications of the L043.7 are found at the front of the movement and on the dial, meaning the movement from the rear looks almost identical to the L043.1.
The Decimal Strike movement is finished like all Lange movements, to the highest quality. With a beautiful concoction of blued screws, solarisation on the mainspring barrels and not one but two beautifully finished, hand engraved Balance Cocks. The finishing A. Lange & Söhne offer on all watches in my opinion sets them apart from the competition and takes their watchmaking from expert craftsmanship to the levels of high class art. It is impossible not to be mesmerised by the time, effort and overall ability of finishing that is seen in every movement.
So there you have it. The perfectly finished, mind bogglingly different and ultra unique A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Decimal Strike, my ultimate grail. Yet the number one question you are probably asking is this
'Tom, if this is your grail, why don't you own it?'
Well with a limited number of only a hundred pieces flying around and a price tag that is literally unknown but believed to be well over £150,000 this piece will sadly be sat in my 'grail' category for a long time to come. Yet one day I believe I will own one, by hook or by crook.
By Thomas Watts
Photo Credits:
Thomas Watts
https://watchesbysjx.com/2017/02/a-detailed-look-at-the-a-lange-sohne-zeitwerk-decimal-strike-honey-gold.html
https://monochrome-watches.com/lange-sohne-zeitwerk-decimal-strike-sihh-2017-price/
