German watchmaking powerhouse A. Lange & Söhne’s big reveal this year is, simply put, an unabashed piece of pure watchmaking pornography. Only 50 will be made. It contains hundreds and hundreds of components. It has multiple complications. It’s one of the most complex watches the brand has ever made and it will cost more than half a million dollars.
The (deep breath) A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Perpetual Pour Le Mérite is the latest of A. Lange’s “Pour Le Mérite” series, which debuted in 1994 and was the first wristwatch to use a fusée and chain mechanism. This, essentially, feeds a constant amount of energy from the mainspring barrel to the gear train to increase accuracy. Over the years A. Lange has added more and more complications to the collection, but the new Tourbograph Perpetual marries the fusée mechanism with a split-seconds chronograph, a perpetual calendar (with a moonphase indicator) and a tourbillon. The entire watch’s movement is made up of 684 components if you count the fusée chain as one part (though it’s made up of 636 pieces) making it the most complex of the collection to date.
As always with A. Lange, expect some very beautiful movement finishing to shine through the transparent case back, and for that lovely movement to be cased up in platinum. When this limited run of 50 watches goes on sale, expect a major price tag to the tune of approximately $514,000.
Further Reading
The Best Watches When Money’s Not a Factor
A. Lange’s Entry-Level Timepiece
