I was initially skeptical about the idea - the dial layout was already quite busy and I could not imagine how the handwerkskunst ( a German word which means "craftsmanship") tremblage could fit in.

In less than a month's time, Lange officially unveiled the watch - a lavishly decorated timepiece dedicated to celebrate the Roman moon goddess "Luna". Upon seeing the 'live' pictures, I was immediately moonstruck, if you will excuse the pun. Never before had Lange created a watch that combines enameling with engraving. In short, it was an awesome piece of art with a huge "wow" factor. There was no turning back as I solemnly resolved to hunt down the piece, although with a limited production of just 20 pieces, I could envisage a fiercely-fought battle just to lay my hands on it.

The 1815 Rattrapante PC HWK is the 6th model in the handwerkskunst series, the other five being:

- Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in platinum

- Lange 1 Tourbillon with back enamel dial in platinum

- Zeitwerk in platinum

- Richard Lange PLM Toubillon in rose gold

- 1815 Tourbillon in rose gold

The number of pieces produced in each case was inevitably of a very small quantity, and ranged from 15 to a maximum of 30.

I quickly registered my interest and, like a good boy, waited patiently. After what seemed like an eternity, the boutique advised that my piece would arrive just before Christmas but I had to hold my breath because shipment could not be effected as most people were on leave in Europe. Alas, my grail arrived today....

With further ado, here are some hastily taken pictures.

The case is carved in solid white gold with iridescent blue enamel applied over the top. The date and day of the week counter appears at 9 o'clock while the month and leap year indicator is positioned at 3 o'clock. They are surrounded by an argente-colored flanage ring with railway track minute scale.

True to its tradition, Lange pays a lot of attention to the hands:

- the hour and minute hands are in rhodiumed gold

- the rattrapante hands are in rhodiumed steel

- the minute counter hands are in blued steel

On the back side of the watch is a hinged hunter-case containing a figure of Luna wearing a crescent moon diadem and holding a torch, executed in tremblage engraving which provides a rather subtle but grained texture. Circling the medallion is an engraved star-and-cloud relief in champleve enamel.

There is no deficiency of detail in the movement either - the watch basically carries the same 631-part L 101.1 as in the original model. It is hand-wound with a 42-hour reserve. The base plate and the bridges are beautifully finished with granular frosting and, together with the balance cock, are highlighted with relief stars-and-cloud engraving.

The movement has a height of just 9.1 mm which gives the watch a case of 41.9 mm in diameter and 15.8 mm high (compared to 14.7 mm for the original model). All these mean it is a rather substantial watch but nevertheless quite a sight to behold with all the fancy decorations.

Frankly, the watch is a bit 'loud' on the wrist and can hardly serve as a daily beater - it is probably more suitable for special occasions. Holding the watch in my hand, I am now a very contented man - which leads me to wonder what my next target should be. 

So, the almost anti-climax question to ask is - Could this be my exit watch?

Regards,

Sam