I am selling my Lange 1 Tourbillon "Homage to F.A. Lange" in 18K Honey Gold, reference number 722.050. Lange made 150 of these watches and delivered all of them to customers back in 2011-2012. They rarely arise for sale, and I have never seen another one offered in unworn condition. I am the original and only owner, and I bought this directly from an authorized Lange dealer. All original boxes, books, papers, guarantee certificate, and hang tag shown in the pictures are included.
THE USUAL: Case dimensions 38.5mm x 9.8mm, lug width 20mm, tang buckle is 16mm 18K honey gold, strap is regular-length red-brown alligator (original genuine Lange strap), movement is Lange calibre L961.2 manual winding with 72-hour power reserve and in-house Lange balance.
COOL AESTHETIC FEATURES: Don't listen to me. Look at the pictures below. But if you want to listen to me anyway, then read the rest of this paragraph. Notice the additional hand-engraved decorations (the gentle wave on the outskirts of the three-quarter plate, the cursive writing, etc.) on this exquisitely finished movement. Such details are reserved only for certain limited-edition Lange pieces. Also, the large (but not too large) tourbillon aperture perfectly complements the time subdial. This is made possible because the date wheel disc is transparent. You can see a portion of that transparent date wheel disc, with its black painted numerals, in the upper part of the tourbillon aperture. If the date disc wasn't transparent, then the tourbillon aperture would need to be considerably smaller. This genius accommodation allows us to view some of the movement's components from the dial side in a really pleasing way, without being visually assaulted by them. That's why this dial has such a balanced look: My eyes aren't drawn to one particular part of it (the sunburst guilloche on the time subdial, the Big Date feature, the power reserve, or the tourbillon) more than any other part. Lastly, the honey gold case has a unique, warm, subtle hue that's unlike any other metal. Okay, one more thing -- trivia: No other Lange movement has more screwed gold chatons than the nine (9) that you see here ... and two of the gold chatons in this movement hold small diamonds (vs. rubies), which is another subtle, classy Lange touch (like the fact that the dial is solid gold). Lange really nailed it with this one!
COOL MECHANICAL/TECHNICAL FEATURES: This particular tourbillon mechanism has a stop-seconds feature when you pull out the crown, so the movement "hacks." With the exception of Lange's Cabaret Tourbillon (which retailed for a whopping $248,600 in rose gold and $280,000 in platinum), all earlier Lange tourbillon movements lacked this stop-seconds feature and did not hack. In addition, honey gold is much harder and more scratch-resistant than white, rose, and yellow gold: Honey gold has a Vickers hardness exceeding 300 HV, whereas the more common gold alloys (white, rose, yellow) have a Vickers hardness in the 160-190 HV range.
CONDITION: This watch is the definition of a "safe queen." It is BNIB ("Brand New In Box"). A dealer would call it NOS ("New Old Stock"). It has never been on my wrist or on anyone else's wrist, and it has never been polished. It still has the hang tag attached to the original strap (which is one of the better red-brown Lange straps -- the color of these red-brown straps varied quite a bit, with some being nicer than others).
PRICE AND TERMS: Price is 168,000 USD. Shipping in U.S. is included. Shipping outside U.S. is by arrangement. Local pick-up available in Boston (after payment and in a secure location). Payment by bank wire only. Sale is final, with no returns or exchanges (I'm not a dealer or frequent seller).
[Note: You may also see this same watch posted for sale on the website of a longtime collector/friend/dealer who lives about an hour from me. He graciously offered to post it as a favor. The watch is and has always been in my personal custody and possession.]
United States
