Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. SIHH 2016 – A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Monophase (hands-on, live photos, price)
The moon has always played an important role in people’s lives, whether it is related to tides, ceremonies, harvesting or tracking time. The moon-phase complication is one of the traditional complications, dating back to pocket watches. The Saxonia family already includes an Annual Calendar with Moonphase and a brand new collection launched in 2015. Now a new member joins the family: the Saxonia Moonphase. The watch houses the 16th movement of A. Lange & Söhne featuring the moonphase complication.
About the Moonphase
Just to clarify, the moonphase is the shape of the sunlit part of the moon as seen on Earth. The phases change as the moon orbits Earth. See here for more information. The gravitational forces of the moon and the positioning of the moon to the sun influence – amongst others- the rise and fall of sea levels. There are multiple ceremonies associated with the moon. See for example facebook that describes “full moon ceremonies” to recharge the body. There are full moon gatherings. Native American tribes tracked seasons via the moon and used nicknames to distinguish between seasons. Examples are Full Wolf Moon, Full Snow Moon, Full Flower Moon, and Full Corn Moon (see for example http://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-names ).
What does this have to do with the Saxonia Moonphase? Absolutely nothing! Not anymore. The moonphase is one of the traditional complications in watches, dating back to the pocket watch era. In modern watches, the moonphase is just a beautiful eye-catcher in a watch. Who does not like the contrast between the blue and gold colors, the brightness of the stars. When you can’t sleep during the night, you can look at the moon without getting out of your bed.
The intense blue tone of the solid-gold lunar disc in the Saxonia Moonphase is created in a special patented coating process. A laser is used to cut out the 852 stars on the tiny disc.
If you are interested in seeing more photos and reviews of watches with a moonphase, follow this link and you will get 5 pages of search results and photos: https://monochrome.website-lab.nl/search/moonphase/
The Saxonia Moonphase movement: Moonphase, Large Date Display and 72 hours of power reserve
The Saxonia Moonphase houses two complications that already have a long tradition within the young A. Lange & Söhne: the large date display going back to 1994 and the moonphase. Lange reports that this is their 16th movement with a moonphase. In 2016. The moon display is connected to the hour-wheel so it is always in motion. As long as your watch runs, of course. Lange claims an accuracy of 99,998 percent in reproducing the period from new moon to the next new moon. That is remarkable because a true lunar cycle lasts 29,530588853 days. To deal with the discrepancy between the lunar cycle and the moonphases on the watch, Lange uses a seven-stage transmission. Once set, the display has to be corrected by one day every 122.6 years. So that’s something for the next buyer, your (grand)children or your family.
The power reserve of 72 hours is achieved with one mainspring barrel. The well-known Saxonia small – and beautifully decorated – rotor with a platinum mass delivers the winding power. The movement does not include a zero-reset mechanism.
The 325-part manually wound movement is finished according to the well-known and appreciated Lange standards: three-quarter plate of German silver, hand-engraved balance cock, skillfully hand-finished surfaces.
Dial and Case
The moonphase is positioned in the seconds dial and balances well with the date display. The case is made of white gold or pink gold and has a diameter of 40mm. The design is based on the Automatic edition of the Saxonia launched in 2015.
Price: 28,500 Euros (both editions).
