Watchmaker A. Lange & Sohne has expanded its offering of Pour le Merite with the addition of its fifth watch with the appellation Pour le Merite
The 684-part timepiece Tourbograph Perpetual unites five complications and looks to pay tribute to classic watch-making.
Two of its five complications serve the sole purpose of improving rate accuracy. The fusée-and-chain mechanism ensures the smooth flow of torque from the mainspring barrel to the balance.
The split-seconds chronograph is controlled in the classic manner with two column wheels. In a space-saving configuration, the module for the analogue perpetual calendar is built around the tourbillon.
“Substance over semblance” is the underlying motto of the Tourbograph Perpetual Pour le Mérite. “The harmonious interaction of the five complications does not even begin to do justice to the amount of work involved,” said Anthony de Haas, director of product development at A. Lange & Söhne.
In fact, no two assembly processes are alike. “Even if each of the 684 parts is manufactured strictly within the micrometre tolerance range, the watchmaker still has to perform many minute adjustments to ensure that all the mechanisms work together perfectly as envisaged by the calibre engineers. On the part of the watchmakers, this calls for the utmost of technical comprehension, experience-based knowledge, manual virtuosity and virtually infinite patience.”
