Review the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold Black Dial Watch Replica

Review the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold Black Dial Watch Replica

In 2020, Lange celebrates its 175th anniversary since its establishment in 1845. Despite all the trials and tribulations in 2020, the Saxon brand still presented a wonderful performance with three fascinating celebration timepieces. We are talking about 1815 Thin Honeygold replica, 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold replica and 1815 Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold replica. In the trio, A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold black dial watch replica won the most hearts-this is correct. This is not only because of its fascinating appearance, but-as the most novel in the third anniversary watch-it fills in the gaps in the Lange catalog. Today we will take a look at this watch.

The A. Lange Chronograph

The first collection of A. Lange & Söhne replica (1994) didn’t include a chronograph. But it only took five years for the brand to introduce what would become one of the definitive movements in this field: the Datograph. We have to remember two things. First of all, in 1999 very few brands had their own, in-house developed and produced chronograph movement. Even giants like Patek and Vacheron relied on externally sourced calibres. Second, not only did Lange produce a stunning movement (a movement that became a reference for the rest of the industry), but it produced it while the brand was still in its infancy, making the feat even more impressive. From this moment onwards, the brand would be regarded as a major actor on the “chronograph scene”.

The pace picked up and by 2004, the brand had produced another chronograph masterpiece, the Double-Split watch – also regarded as a watch with one of the most impressive movements currently available. While the rattrapante is, without a doubt, one of the most complex mechanisms that watchmaking can produce, ALS pushed the concept even further by splitting both the seconds and the minutes – and add to that a flyback functionality. The brand even outdid itself with the spectacular, mightier-than-mighty Triple Split of 2018, an insanely complex chronograph with three rattrapante functions capable of splitting seconds, minutes and hours. In between, there have been “simpler” chronographs like this 1815 Flyback model and more daring combinations like the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon and the extraordinary 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar replica launched in 2013. And what about the Tourbograph Perpetual, with a combination of a rattrapante chronograph, a one-minute tourbillon, a perpetual calendar and a fusée-and-chain transmission? There can be no doubt whatsoever that A. Lange & Söhne is one of the masters of the chronograph.

Still, one link was missing in this long chain of impressive watches, a classic combination that Patek, for instance, had long produced; the classic hand-wound rattrapante chronograph replica. Strangely enough, A. Lange & Söhne never produced this. It offered double or triple rattrapante or a rattrapante with perpetual calendar… but never before a stand-alone rattrapante chronograph. Problem solved, as this new 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold not only celebrates an important step in the brand’s history, but it also marks the debut of a brand new chronograph watch for ALS.

The Case & Dial

The case design of the 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold replica is no different to the vast majority of other Lange watches because it’s all standardised. It is substantial in mass, fairly austere in looks, and yet, well-finished. It features a polished bezel, a brushed case middle, and polished lugs with bevels that taper off at the distal ends. On the flanks are three pushers for the split-seconds chronograph complication of the watch: the start/stop pusher at 2 o’clock, the reset pusher at 4 o’clock, and the rattrapante pusher at 10 o’clock.

Perhaps the most novel thing about the case is its material. This is the first time that Lange’s proprietary honey gold alloy is used on a chronograph watch. While honey gold is no longer a brand spanking new material, it still is fairly unique. It has a hue that looks somewhere between white and rose gold, and is quantifiably harder than traditional gold alloys. Honey gold is typically used by Lange only on special pieces; its use here on the celebratory 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold “Homage to F. A. Lange” is therefore unsurprising. Another matter to note about the case is that it measures 41.2 mm in diameter and only 12.6 mm in height, making it the thinnest and smallest split-seconds chronograph timepiece in Lange’s stable. Sure, there may be thinner split-seconds chronograph watches in the market, but at 12.6 mm thin, the 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold replica will impress even the most cynical connoisseurs.

The watch is paired with a brown leather strap, giving it a more relaxed vibe. In contrast, a black leather strap would make the watch appear dressier.

The dial of the 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold replica is arguably the best part of the watch, and that’s saying a lot considering how spectacular every aspect of the timepiece is. Rendered in black, it contrasts stunningly against the golden hue of the case and hands. The end result is a timepiece that looks modern yet grounded in tradition. Printed with textural gold powder are the signature Arabic numerals, the various timekeeping tracks, the manufacturer’s marque, and the inscription “Glashütte in Sachsen”. There are six hands on the dial in total: four central ones for the running hours, running minutes, chronograph seconds and rattrapante; and two off-centre ones for the chronograph minutes and running seconds. One might be tempted to think that the dial would look cluttered with the different hands and scales all over the dial, but, quite the contrary, we feel that it is superbly well-balanced, with enough going on to keep things interesting, yet not so much as to undermine the dial’s elegance. Between the nostalgic “Glashütte in Sachsen” inscription and the granular nature of the print, we’d even go as far as saying that this is the best looking chronograph dial on a Lange watch since the brand’s revival in the mid-1990s.

Red markings adorn every quarter of the dial, at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. They offer a visual break from the black and gold theme of the dial.

The Movement

Actually, you might guess. If you show any watch enthusiast an A. Lange & Söhne watch replica, they'll ask to see the movement (a practice so common it's known as the "Lange Tax" on some corners of the internet). The caliber L101.2 inside the replica Honeygold Rattrapante is, like with any Lange, what sets it apart.

The manually wound caliber is brand new, specifically created for the Rattrapante Honeygold. It's based around the architecture of the caliber L101.1, found inside the original 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar replica, from 2013. It's an entirely different movement than what's used by the Double Split, the Triple Split, and the Datograph. And unlike many Lange chronographs, it does not offer flyback functionality.

The caliber L101.2 consists of 365 individual parts, runs in 36 jewels at 3 Hz, with a power reserve of 58 hours. A large sapphire crystal exposes the L101.2's inner bones, revealing a performance-focused specimen that's governed by a pair of column wheels. One column wheel engages the normal running of the chronograph, while a secondary column wheel in the center of the movement on top of the escapement controls the stopping and starting of the split-seconds hand.

This secondary column wheel is connected to an additional wheel above the central chronograph wheel. When the chronograph is first engaged, both of these center wheels turn in sync. However, once the split-seconds functionality is initiated through the 10 o'clock crown, a pair of clamps snap down on the split-seconds wheel, stopping the rattrapante seconds hand in its tracks on the dial. The chronograph seconds hand continues to advance, but if you press the split-seconds button again, the clamps release their grip on the upper wheel, and the rattrapante seconds hand snaps back into position perfectly alongside its partner as it continues around the dial.

Lange's approach to the split-seconds complication in the L101.2 is different from most. It involves a helical spring (crafted in-house, naturally), a heart-shaped cam, a flat-tipped reset-to-zero lever, and a whole lot of elbow grease. With the split-seconds pusher located at 10 o'clock and the visible coil – not to mention the lack of an isolating mechanism that would reduce friction when the split-seconds wheel is stopped – the L101.2 isn't the most mainstream or modern rattrapante execution you'll find. But it is effective, and interesting.

Technical Specifications

Model: A. LANGE & SÖHNE 1815 RATTRAPANTE HONEYGOLD REPLICA

Reference: 425.050

Case: 41.2mm diameter x 12.6mm height - 18k Honeygold, polished and brushed - two pushers for chronograph activation, pusher at 10 o'clock for rattrapante mechanism - sapphire crystal front and caseback - 30m water-resistant

Dial: solid silver, black with golden tachymeter scale and inscriptions - 30-min elapsed time counter at 12 o'clock with white gold hand, running seconds at 6 o'clock - pink gold hour, minute and running seconds hands - steel with pink gold plating chronograph hand, rhodium steel rattrapante hand

Movement: calibre L101.2 - in-house developed and manufactured - hand-wound split-seconds chronograph, column wheel and horizontal clutch - 365 parts - 32.6mm x 7.4mm - lever escapement - in-house balance spring - 21,600vph - 58-hour power reserve - 4 screwed gold chatons - 36 jewels - hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds with stop seconds, rattrapante chronograph with 30-minute counter

Strap: dark brown hand-stitched leather strap - 18k Honeygold prong buckle

The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold “Homage to F. A. Lange” replica is a limited edition of 100 pieces. It retails for EUR 130,000. For more information, please visit our latest replica A. Lange & Söhne watch listing, we are the largest and most reliable replica of luxury watches store, copy watches such as Rolex, Panerai, Cartier, Hublot, IWC, Tag Heuer and more.