In issue 155 of L'OROLOGIO we published a world preview of the technical analysis of the new Lange 31. Today, after having travelled to Glashütte, Germany, to observe the watch live, we take advantage of the Blog to update you on some interesting details.
First of all, as in the case of the Tourbograph (made in collaboration with Giulio Papi's Renaud & Papi), for the Lange 31 we must also speak of a high-level collaboration between A. Lange & Söhne and another company, which in this case is Complitime S.A., a company owned by Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, of Greubel Forsay.
It should be clarified here that the brand A. Lange & Söhne belongs to the Richemont Group, the watchmaking giant that in September 2006 formed a partnership with the Greubel Forsay S.A. company, after years of collaboration between the two watchmakers (Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, in fact) and the Group's brands. The first legitimate child, therefore, of this bond between the Richemont Group and Greubel Forsay, would seem to be this Lange 31.
Applause is once again due to A. Lange & Söhne for the transparency with which it handles its collaborations, especially when they lead to exceptional timepieces such as this Lange 31 and the Tourbograph. Returning to the latest addition, the Lange 31 is a manual winding with two superimposed barrels covering a three-quarter area of the calibre, giving 31 days of power reserve.
Winding is not done through the crown, but by means of a special torque spanner, with only 31 revolutions.
The price of this watch, which in terms of numbers (the first 31 models will only be delivered at the end of 2008, made only in platinum) and dimensions (a case no less than 46 millimetres in diameter by 16 millimetres thick) is close to the car-derived concept of a 'concept watch', is 135,000 euros. More exclusive than that...
