Double Split Japan Edition — 404.048

There are sometimes limited editions where you just ask, why? How does it make sense to craft a 10 piece, or 5 piece, edition for a retailer or a market, given the prototyping of the case, dials, etc.? Yet then again, this is how brands cultivated their relationships with local retailers. These editions are also a route for brands to escape the usual seriousness of their own standard catalogues, a chance to offer something out of the ordinary that is not going to be placed in the yearly books. The Double Split Japan is one of those. Offered in a metal that is almost never used in the brand’s complicated watches, and paired with a dial color that was never done before, here it is: an irresistible piece of art.

The Double Split Japan Edition was made in 2009 for the Japanese market. Following the discontinued platinum / black dial edition, Lange gave the first generation of arguably one of the boldest chronograph watches ever made one last hurrah. The warm case against a cool, restrained grey dial is unlike anything else in the Double Split family, and it carries a charm I find hard to resist: serious, a little sexy, and quietly different. At 43.2 mm across and 15.3 mm thick, it wears as substantial as it sounds, and the yellow gold only adds to its presence on the wrist. Where platinum whispers and pink gold flatters, yellow gold with grey simply stands apart. Dare I say, this is the version for the collector who already owns the obvious ones.

The caliber L001.1 at the back is arguably one of the finest views a mechanical watch can offer. It does not go hard on inward angles, wide polish and the like. It does those well too, but that is not the point. The world’s first double rattrapante wristwatch, the Double Split’s mechanism is like a steel city hidden beneath the glass. Built on the caliber L951.1, it delivers its magic via two towers for the split-seconds and split-minutes, and two column wheels.

Should you wish to learn in depth about the Double Split, I highly recommend reading the in-depth article on the site.

This example is sold with its original box & papers at Langepedia.com.