Above: Finishing techniques used by A. Lange & Söhne. Left: Black polishing on a tin plate.
through the sapphire-crystal caseback. Likewise, all A. Lange & Söhne’ s balance cocks are engraved with the Lange-style floral pattern that differs slightly, according to the individual engraver. All plate edges, bridges and levers are chamfered( which involves beveling and polishing). Each bevel is then polished by hand while certain movement parts are pre-polished with smooth rubber tools and then finished with a polishing brush. Harder steel parts are polished with a rotating wooden wheel.
It’ s clear that all the company’ s watches receive this sort of individualized attention. With its new, highly efficient facility, A. Lange & Söhne has opened up an environment where its employees can more effectively abide by the words of its founder F. A. Lange, who said:“ The entire pursuit of a watchmaker should be the perfection of each and every watch.”
2017 | WRISTWATCH 65