Classic elegance for any occasion

The annual calendar is a complication that has been attracting more and more followers. Its genuine convenience makes it a paragon of what A. Lange & Söhne refers to as a “useful innovation”. Presented in 2017, the manually wound 1815 Annual Calendar” is a technically and aesthetically convincing implementation.

Among the numerous extra functions that can be integrated in a wristwatch, the annual calendar is still fairly rare. But because it is so convenient, the popularity of the new-era mechanism is steadily growing. As far as its technical sophistication is concerned, it easily matches the traditional complications.

At first sight, with its numerous displays and functions, the annual calendar looks much like a perpetual calendar. However, it is considerably easier to adjust because it requires no leap-year indication. Once set, the calendar module correctly switches from the 30th to the 1st day at the end of the short months – April, June, September, and November. A manual correction to the 1st day of the month is only necessary at the transition from February to March. Thus, it closes the gap between the full calendar that requires five corrections per year and the perpetual calendar which consummately executes its four-year programme from one turn of the century to the next.

Since 2017, in addition to the Saxonia Annual Calendar, the 1815 Annual Calendar has been the second A. Lange & Söhne watch that only needs to be corrected once a year. With displays inspired by historic Lange pocket watches, it appeals to gentlemen with a predilection for classic elegance. The designers succeeded in not only creating a contemporary interpretation of traditional style elements such as the analogue date, Arabic numerals, and the railway-track minute scale but also in merging them with the three classic calendar indications – date, day of the week, and month. These indications are provided by two readily legible subsidiary dials harmoniously integrated in the argenté main dial at 9 and 3 o'clock.

The 40-millimetre case in pink or white gold accommodates the artisanally finished manually wound calibre L051.3 movement that consists of 345 parts. The power reserve of 72 hours is sufficient to set the watch aside for a weekend with time to spare.

Convenience that goes deep: If the 1815 Annual Calendar ever stops running off the wrist, it can be quickly and comfortably reset once rewound. Apart from three recessed correctors for separately adjusting the day, month, and moon phase, a main button adjacent to the crown allows all indications to be advanced at the same time.