THE ELABORATE OVERHAUL OF A LANGE WATCH.
The manufactory’s service watchmakers recommend that Lange timepieces be overhauled every three to five years. Described below, the work performed during such interventions ensures the value preservation of an A. Lange & Söhne watch.
Arrival at the service point: after your A. Lange & Söhne watch arrives at the service point, its condition is assessed and recorded. Then, the watch is uncased, i.e. the movement is extracted from the case and the hands and dial are removed.
Individual parts are cleaned: a master watchmaker totally dis-
assembles the movement, handling its individual parts with great caution to prevent marring the meticulously decorated surfaces made of untreated German silver. Then, the parts are immersed in the fluid of an ultrasonic bath where they are totally degreased and cleaned.
With a sharp eye: like a detective in search of clues, the master watchmaker scrutinises the individual parts of the movement. This phase of the service intervention imposes a big challenge on patience and concentration. After all, depending on the model, the inspection can involve hundreds of parts, and many of them are extremely tiny.
A part is replaced immediately if it exhibits even the slightest damage.
The movement is reassembled: subsequently, the movement is reassembled with great care. All bearings and sliding surfaces are then lubricated with an oil dispenser – an ultra-thin metal needle along which barely visible drops of oil can glide to a point of contact, much like ink in a fountain pen.
Checking and adjusting the rate: after the master watchmaker has checked the rate accuracy of the movement with a timing apparatus, he adjusts it in five positions. He regulates the balance wheel until it attains perfect equilibrium, optimising the duration of its oscillations by shifting its weights in nearly infinitesimal steps.
A full check-up: after the movement has been reassembled, all mechanisms – such as the outsize date, the winding train, or Lange complications – are checked for flawless functionality and readjusted if necessary.
The acid test: the check-up is followed by a run-in phase that lasts several days. For this purpose, the movement is attached to an orbital winder that simulates the motion of a wrist. This test reveals whether the watch retains its accuracy over the long term as well. Finally, the watch is allowed to run down; this is done to check its power reserve.
The final inspection: after the movement has been recased, the watch is subjected to a second trial run, again over a period of several days. During the rigorous final inspection of the watch, which once again commands the full concentration and perseverance of the master watchmakers, it is checked for visual flawlessness, water resistance, functionality, and – one last time – rate accuracy.
Servicing of complications: complications can be serviced only at the Lange manufactory. The reason is simple: only very few specialists with extensive watchmaking experience are capable of assembling and perfectly adjusting horological mechanisms of this complexity.
