A comparison of the LANGE 1 and the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC can quickly become enigmatic. The impression of an image and its reflection is misleading. Subtle deviations between the seemingly symmetric dials conceal two different timepiece concepts.
The LANGE 1 is endowed with a manually wound movement while its counterpart, the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC, is self-winding. Both approaches have their fans as manual winding is something con-scious while automatic winding happens subliminal. The LANGE 1 appeals mainly to purists who have grown fond of the regular winding ritual. The LANGE 1 DAYMATIC tends to be the choice of pragmatists who place emphasis on convenience. They like the fact that, when pulling back the sleeve to cast a glance at the watch, the first thing they see is the time indication on the right-hand side of the dial. This applies particularly to those who wear their watch on the left wrist like most people.
There is another difference between the two winding concepts. In the manually wound LANGE 1, the three-day power-reserve indicator serves a very useful purpose. Designed as a brand-typical UP/DOWN display, it is located on the right-hand side between the Lange outsize date and the subsidiary seconds dial. For a regularly worn self-winding watch, this information is not essential because the power reserve, depending on the owner’s level of activity, will likely remain in the middle to upper range. For this reason, the outsize date of the LANGE 1 DAYMATIC was complement-ed with a retrograde day-of-week display. Right after midnight, its hand moves up by one incre-ment. At the transition from Sunday to Monday, it jumps to the bottom again to restart its day-by-day progression to the top of the scale.
Thanks to the aesthetically pleasing proportions, the harmonious architecture of the off-centre dials of both models expresses poise and grace. The centre of the outsize date and the hand arbors of both the power-reserve indicator and the day-of-week display as well as the small seconds hand arbor are arranged along a vertical line. This is the baseline of an isosceles triangle whose tip coin-cides with the centre of the main dial.
The LANGE 1 was first presented in 1994. In 2015, it was endowed with a manually wound calibre but its inimitable design was left untouched. The LANGE 1 DAYMATIC joined the LANGE 1 watch family in 2010.
LANGE 1 DAYMATIC
LANGE 1
