WATCHES & WONDERS 2020: A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater and Odysseus

The German Manufacture A. Lange & Sohne decides to reissue one of its emblematic complications. Compared with how almost all minutes repeaters “tell” the time, Zeitwerk offers an original approach in line with its original way of showing the hours and minutes on the dial. Its striking mechanism sounds ten-minute intervals instead of quarter-hours  with double strikes. As soon as the striking mechanism is activated with the repeater pusher at 10 o’clock, it sounds the time as indicated on the dial. At 7.52, for instance, the gong hammer on the left strikes the low-pitched gong seven times, once for every elapsed hour. Then, five double tones are struck for the elapsed ten-minute intervals, followed by the right-hand hammer with two high strikes, one for each elapsed minute. The polished gongs and the black-polished gong hammers are subtly integrated in the design of the dial.

Five years after its debut in 2015, the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater now comes in a 44.2- millimetre white-gold case with a matching deployant. The deep-blue dial in solid silver contrasts beautifully against the rhodiumed German silver time bridge. A blue hand-stitched leather strap highlights the elegance of the timepiece. Limited to 30 watches, this edition is available exclusively in the 33 A. Lange & Söhne boutiques.