All three Richard Lange Jumping Seconds. Sold at the Langepedia x 1916 Company Marketplace
Understanding Richard Lange Jumping Seconds
March 2024
Among the modern collections of A. Lange & Söhne, few are as often overlooked as the Richard Lange. Despite its exceptional watchmaking and rich history, why is that? I believe it’s mainly because the Richard Lange collection has served as an “experimental” platform for A. Lange & Söhne. It has evolved from a high-watchmaking gem, beloved by purists for its wearable sizes, into an engineer’s dream with bold, ambitious designs and outsized proportions.
Introduced in 2006 with a time-only piece, the Richard Lange was the brand’s first model to feature a center second. Drawing inspiration from 19th-century pocket watches, the collection was designed as an homage to precision and technical innovation—something the brand’s namesake founder would surely have approved of. After all, Richard Lange himself played a key role in advancing the accuracy of mechanical watches, particularly with his innovations in balance systems.
Since its debut, the Richard Lange collection has continuously grown in both form and complexity, often exceeding the majority of watch collectors’ imagination. In 2007, the ReferenzUhr paid tribute to the early days of timekeeping, reflecting how time was communicated to distant villages. Just two years later, in 2009, A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Richard Lange Pour le Mérite, a piece for the most discerning collectors, featuring exquisitely executed enamel on the front and a fusee-and-chain mechanism on the back. The 2011 release of the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite, with its pivoting dial, was yet another thrilling piece, with a quirk that you would only expect from Lange. And in 2014, we saw the Terraluna—a marvel that brings the cosmos to your wrist, allowing you to track the movements of the Earth, moon, and sun, alongside all the calendar functions you could ever need.
Recommended Reading: Richard Lange
Looking at the overall evolution, especially post-2011, you can clearly see the clear shift towards more edgy and “complication” focused approach. Alas, watchmaking is an overall package, and it is up for debate how feasible it is to craft a wristwatch at 16.5 mm thickness, for the sake of doing it. As a dear friend of mine aptly puts it: it became “simultaneously non-classical and non-inventive.”
It wasn’t until 2016 that Lange returned the Richard Lange Collection to its essence: prioritizing timekeeping with a simple, functional layout. The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is a piece worth exploring. It brings legibility and precision to the forefront, maintaining a classic yet subtly innovative design. With the fantastic captures from my friend @polinoir, I hope to dive deeper into understanding this remarkable watch.
The Precise Case
This piece has some peculiar measurements. At 39.9 mm in diameter and 10.6 mm in thickness, one might wonder—why such precise increments? Yet, this gem was crafted to be the ultimate precision instrument, and it all begins with the case.
Constructed in classic A. Lange & Söhne fashion, the case features a three-step design with soldered, faceted lugs, perfectly embodying the highly engineered nature of the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds. Another delightful detail is the thin bezel, which elegantly frames the dial, drawing full attention to the dial and placing the jumping seconds on a pedestal.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds in white gold. Courtesy of @polinoir
Throughout its rather short life, we have seen the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds in three metals: Platinum, pink gold and white gold, in that chronological order. I think it is done a bit too many, but what do I know.
While the platinum (252.025) and pink gold (252.032) references are limited to 100 pieces each, the white gold example with black dial is without limitation, other than the manufacture’s capabilities.
150 Years Old, Still Young
Even though the inspiration for the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds comes from not afar, the story of regulator dials goes back a bit further back.
Mankind’s chase of precision goes centuries. From the Antikythera mechanism to incredibly complex astronomical precision instruments, timing has been central to life itself. To get it right posed to be a challenge throughout ages, and as the science gained the upper hand the demand for precision got stronger, and the minds followed. One of the many methods of navigating in the open seas are Longitude by Chronometer, where a navigator uses a sextant and a marine chronometer to decide the position of the ship. Goes without saying, the navigators needed very precise instruments to properly adjust the path.
Seyffert’s No.93 Pocket Watch
As the precision mechanics developed, the presentation also took its part and some watchmakers wanted to showcase the hours minutes and seconds separately so the navigator can see the exact position for each immediately. Johann Seyffert made the No.93 for the same reason: To give the clearest look to the navigators, such as Humboldt, so they can find their ways easier on the seemingly endless waters. Just for further information, the other watch Humboldt carried was from Berthoud.
In Seyffert’s pocket watch, the minute hand covers the biggest space whereas the hours and seconds are placed in the bottom two sub-dials. Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, however, is not a lazy copy – or in watch industry terms “inspiration”. In the wristwatch version, we see the seconds take the center stage, to delightfully emphasize what the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is for.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds 252.025. Sold at Langepedia x 1916 Company Marketplace
Each sub-dial is formed with a respective design. We see Roman Numerals in hours, paying tribute to Richard Lange’s personal pocket chronometer, open track in minute markers to balance-out the crowd in the intersection, and an emphasized railway minute track for seconds to further distinguish the sub-dial from the rest. Moreover, for example in the platinum edition we see the second’s hand in blued steel on the silver background. Just delightful!
The presentation of the power reserve indication is another charming point of the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds. You’d notice, there are no hands or circles for that, no sir! Power reserve indicator is presented as a small, curved triangle just below the meeting zone of all three sub-dials. As you wind the watch, the power reserve goes from red to white. Its innovative style goes just perfectly with the overall ideation of the watch.
A small note for those who want to read more: Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is another gem that was introduced in 2016, and we see a similar approach in its power reserve too. Apparently, it was a year when Lange took a serious look on updating the complication and design of the pieces.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds 252.025. Courtesy of Lange Uhren GmbH
Now, all this talk brings us to the “why” of Richard Lange Jumping Seconds.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Caliber L094.1
In watchmaking, possibly the biggest challenge is miniaturizing the movement. If you make a clock with 9 meters pendulum, chances are you are getting a well precise timekeeping. As we needed portable watches, the craft pushed further ahead. From basic three-hand pieces to mind-boggling complications, still offering the same level precision and accuracy. To this day, when I handle a Louis Elyssee Piguet movement from the 1800s, I am still starstruck, wondering how it is possible to calculate, finish, assemble and adjust thousands of parts with such precision. The keywords however, remained the same: Precision and accuracy.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Caliber L094.1. Courtesy of Lange Uhren GmbH
No matter how many complications are fitted in a watch in a rather small space, the watches must keep correct time. If I am playing with a repeater while running a split second’s chronograph during the calendar change, that watch should not lose its amplitude nor start having a heart attack. And there was a time when regleurs had the ultimate respect – when watchmaking was about timekeeping above all, and these guys were the stars at the observatory competitions. As quartz came in, that claim, and profession got lost…
However, with restructuring, the watch industry reformed itself as a luxury industry, focusing on collectability and human craft above all. This time, we started to see complications that are crafted to enhance the precision even further. You know, to close that 5 second daily gap… In this regard, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is a magnificent tribute to both watchmaking, and its namesake inspiration who spent his life on precision mechanics.
A. Lange & Sohne’s history on experimenting with the torque delivery goes back to its inception. In 1994, the Tourbillon Pour le Merite was the world’s first wristwatch with the fusee and chain mechanism. As we went along, we were greeted with Lange 31, offering 31 days of power reserve and of course the legendary Zeitwerk in 2009 – The second renaissaince of Lange as I call it!
The remontoire’s history can be found a bit further with the John Harrison’s spring remontoire. The principle is rather simple. The mainspring carries enough tension to run the watch for days. As you might know, it is the unwinding of the mainspring that powers the gear train and eventually the escapement to move the hands and show time. Alas, as it unwinds, and due to its own weight, there are fluctuations in torque delivered to the escapement. Like a toy car that you release upon tension, it starts fast but loses its torque towards the end of its power. Remontoire spring, however, is much lighter than the mainspring and free from any variations or friction on the going train. Further, the remontoires unwind often (in every second In Richard Lange Jumping Second’s case), hence delivers virtually even power throughout the power reserve.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Caliber L094.1. Courtesy of Lange Uhren GmbH
So, how does it work?
There are two separate gear-trains in Richard Lange Jumping Second’s caliber L094.1. The first gear train is powering the balance wheel. This is also the train that carries the blue remontoire spring. The spring unwinds every second to deliver even torque to the escapement. But how does it know the second?
That relates to the second gear-train which the second’s hand is connected. The 5-star pinion on the escape wheel is in contact with a lever called flirt of the second’s hand. The jumping seconds mechanism converts the six semi-oscillations of the balance into one step per second. After each full second, one of the tips of the star (beneath the sapphire jewel) liberates the tensioned flirt. Following, the flirt swiftly rotates by 360 degrees before it is stopped by the next tip of the star. This in return allows the remontoire spring to unwind every second with a constant force each time.
The flirt ticking each second. @polinoir
The spring releases each second. @polinoir
But it does not stop there…
Like all Richard Lange collection pieces, you are always going to have something extra and the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, does not disappoint.
The already complex caliber L094.1 also offers a zero-reset mechanism. A complication that is almost synonymous with Lange now. First offered in 1997 with the Sax-0-Mat, it is just extra sauce of the finest Lange movements.
The zero-reset mechanism is a rather complex one. It takes a pair of masterful hands to build and adjust the delicate, active parts. Possibly that’s the reason we do not see it anymore in the basic Saxonias, which makes the earlier Langematiks incredible value. Sigh, that’s another topic!
The problem with putting a zero-reset mechanism to Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is the rather big seconds hand, hence its inertia. Therefore, the caliber L094.1 utilizes a multidisc clutch to overcome the force of start and reset. When the crown is pulled, the arresting spring gently stops the balance and the clutch discs are separated via a clamp, disconnecting the seconds hand from the wheel train.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Caliber L094.1. Courtesy of Lange Uhren GmbH
As with its mechanics and design, the finishing of Richard Lange Jumping Seconds caliber reveals itself in small details. If you look from afar, you might dismiss the three-quarter plate on this rather complicated piece. Same with 1815 Tourbillon, I do not get why we do not get more going on with these complicated and expensive pieces. However, when you go up close, there you see the handwerk done properly!
The anglage we see around the edges of the three-quarter plate is done in a typical Lange manner. Much better than you’d see in most of the mainstream and famous brands, a bit more shy than your favorite independent. But still very finely angled and beautifully shows itself. The ribbing, the polishing of screws and chatons as well as the escape-wheel cap and swan’s neck regulator are just delightful as usual. I just love Lange’s language on movements. It is there to impress anyone, and that is a tough feat!
The flat-polished regulator, escape wheel cap, and a myriad of gorgeous finish and colors. @polinoir
For enthusiasts like us, we just need to get a bit closer and that’s where @polinoir’s macros enter the chat. A sharp inward angle masterfully done on the bridge, accompanied by delightful curves and another sharp corner up ahead. As we look more, we can see the functional parts, such as the zero-reset lever, are straight grained whereas the wheels are finished with solarization technique. On the edges, we see circumferential graining, beautifully contrasting against the high polish on the anglaged surfaces.
The depth. @polinoir
The multi-disc clutch, and zero reset mechanism.
All in all, the caliber L094.1 of Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is nothing short of a work of art. You have that exquisite engineering one would expect from Lange, and that human touch that is hard to capture in big brands. From hand-engraving to the color harmony, to hand-polished corners the caliber L094.1 just sings to its owner, and only to those who know. None other.
Conclusion & Buying a Richard Lange Jumping Seconds
I think the best word I could define the Richard Lange collection would be, confused. Perhaps it is trying too hard to do something different. Incredible watchmaking and craft in all pieces, no questions at all – but at times, unfortunately gimmicky. Take Terraluna for example. Fantastic piece, with 14 days power reserve, constant force, celestial Moonphase on the back accurate to 1,058 years with relative positions of the Sun, Earth and instantaneous perpetual calendar. But it is 45 x 16,5 mm… It is more of a statement piece, and I cannot help to think, at that size, some other folks could also do it perhaps?
One other thing is, why do we have three watches based on Seyffert’s pocket watch? It is possible that Lange wanted people to complete the Seyffert collection look with purchasing all three and I’m sure some did, alas, it is not for me.
Coming to Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, we have something special and versatile here. It has a brilliant movement with a historic inspiration, it is a good looking and an original gem without making too much fuss about it, and it is wearable! Overall, a great watch, and even a better deal in pre-owned market.
Upon its launch in 2016, the platinum version was priced at $82,500 and the last retail price I know was $84,500 in 2020. Today, a white gold example is going to set you back about $97,800, following the strong price increases in the last two years. The market however, does not follow the retail.
As of September 2024, you can easily find a platinum and limited example at around $65-70k depending on the condition and the black dial variants even lower than that. A tremendous value for this gem, which one cannot find anything equal to its style, story and execution.
A sincere thank you to my dear friend and the collector extraordinaire @polinoir for supplying me with such amazing captures and also to Lange Uhren GmbH for the technical details.
I hope this was a valuable guide for whomever is looking for a Richard Lange Jumping Seconds or just want to learn the details and history of these pieces. If you’d like to chat, sell or buy a Zeitwerk Date, please kindly reach out to me via [email protected]
Please feel free to contact:
Follow Langepedia on Instagram:
Watch “A. Lange Story” Documentary, in partnership with WatchBox:
FAMILIES / COMPLICATIONS
STAY IN TOUCH
Sign up for the newsletter to get to know first about rare pieces at Marketplace and in-depth articles added to the encyclopedia, for you to make the most informed choice, and first access!