Watch Complications are part of a fascinating world that has many mesmerized. They have become a necessity in luxury watches and without them, it just wouldn’t feel right. When it comes to high-end complications and their combinations, the split-seconds chronograph with the perpetual calendar is the most elegant of them all. There are obviously plenty of other complications out there that are much more advanced in terms of sheer technicality, but the combination of perpetual calendar clubbed with the split-seconds chronograph is just something that appeals to seasoned watch enthusiasts as well as new and upcoming watch collectors.
Up until 2013, there was only one such brand that offered such a high horology combination. It was the Patek Philippe Ref. 5204. However, that changed when A. Lange & Sohne launched the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar in 2013. In many ways, this was a huge surprise for Patek Philippe. Keep reading to know why.
The A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar – A Perfect Complication
Upon taking a look at the watch, it seemed like it was made by a much bigger and grander name like Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin. The watch had a peculiar vintage charm about it that made it a perfect choice for conventional watch enthusiasts. The problem with the Datograph is that it is a little funky. The oversized date display and the luminous hands were a tad bit too modern for certain tastes. The Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar had no such issue as it complied with the golden era standards of Swiss horology.
The Movement
Upon launch, the 1815 came with the Calibre L101.1 and had 636 components at work. The movement had a split-seconds function and to accommodate that the watchmaker added two column wheels. One was for the chronograph and the other one was for the Rattrapante (split-seconds) function. The Rattrapante could be engaged by the pusher situated at 10 o’clock. Some might argue that A. Lange & Sohne took the easier way out by placing the Rattrapante pusher at 10 o’clock. If they really wanted to take the tough road, they should have put the pusher in the crown.
Coming to the Perpetual Calendar complication, the mechanism used 200 out of the 636 components and it was set till 2100. The movement L101.1 could be admired by users through a see-through case back.
General Acceptance
The watch was pretty well received. This was majorly due to the raw vintage aesthetic and the fine design language that was not at all expected from A. Lange & Sohne. It was more of an unexpected surprise from the Swiss watchmaker. The other reason for the timepiece’s popularity was that the brand fixed the robustness issue that buyers usually complained about. Lange watches such as the Datograph and the Grand Complication were particularly robust and ‘beefy’.
This watch, however, was 14.7 mm thick when it was launched in 2013. Its arch-rival, Patek Philippe Ref. 5204 was 14.19mm thick. The difference in thickness is quite negligible, however, it still meant a lot given the time period and the types of complications implemented. For a perpetual calendar with the split-seconds chronograph to fit inside a 41.9 mm wide and 14.7 mm thick case was indeed a commendable feat.
The 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar will surely go down in history as of the most appealing timepieces to ever be created. Not only does the watch aptly define the zeitgeist of its epoch (the early 2010s), it also beautifully portrays arguably the most wholesome complication combination in high horology.
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