The fascinating interplay of reflections on the blue copper-glittered face of A. Lange & Söhne’s Saxonia Thin evokes images of a star-studded nocturnal sky. The solid-silver dial of the slender two-hand watch is coated with a thin layer of blue gold flux. Thousands of copper oxide crystals embedded in the material animate the deep blue hue with copper-coloured speckles that reflect incident light. They cause the surface to sparkle like a starry sky that will send the viewer into a reverie.

The elaborate artisanal process of producing gold flux has its roots in 17th-century Venice. Molten glass is infused with copper particles that form microscopically small crystals when heated over a waning flame. To use this material for crafting a dial, it has to be applied to the solid-silver dial with extreme care.

The elegant design of the Saxonia Thin follows the principle of “less is more”. Its 6.2-millimetre-high case in 18-carat pink gold has a diameter of 40 millimetres. Thanks to the characteristic camber of the strap lugs, the elegant watch ensures a perfectly snug fit on the wrist. The slender hour and minute hands as well as the applied hour markers are in pink gold to match the case material. The narrow bezel of the case puts the focus on the dial. The optical effect of the gold flux can be displayed to full advantage on its perfectly flat surface, similar to the view through a telescope. A shiny, dark-blue leather strap with a solid-pink-gold prong buckle rounds out the elegant appearance of the watch.

Inside, the Saxonia Thin stands out with the manually wound calibre L093.1, a movement developed and crafted in-house. With a height of merely 2.9 millimetres, it is the manufactory’s thinnest calibre but nonetheless provides a power reserve of 72 hours. Its twofold assembly and the artisanal finissage of the parts reflect the high standards upheld by A. Lange & Söhne.

Brand-typical quality hallmarks include the three-quarter plate with Glashütte ribbing as well as polished chamfers and bevels. A noteworthy detail: the elaborately flat-polished end piece in which the escape wheel is secured. It is visibly integrated into the three-quarter plate as has often been the case in historic pocket watches. Here, aesthetic perfection is taken to extremes: the chamfer of this flat steel part is matched to the chamfer of the three-quarter plate after it has been fitted by hand. As in pocket watches, the ratchet and crown wheels are decorated with solarisation and visibly integrated into the plate. The freely oscillating screw balance beats at a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations an hour. It is located beneath the hand-engraved balance cock. Three screwed, manually polished gold chatons hold the going train, reflecting the brand’s tradition in craftsmanship.

Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand Adolph Lange laid the cornerstone of Saxony’s precision watchmaking industry when he established his manufactory in 1845. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. The company was expropriated after World War II, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly vanished. In 1990, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s great-grandson Walter Lange had the courage to relaunch the brand.

Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches per year, predominantly in gold or platinum. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated by hand and assembled twice. With 66 manufacture calibres developed since 1990, A. Lange & Söhne has secured a top-tier position in the world of watchmaking. Brand icons such as the Lange 1 with the first outsize date in a regularly produced wristwatch, and the Zeitwerk with its precisely jumping numerals display, rank among the company’s greatest successes.

Exceptional complications such as the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, the Triple Split, and the so far most complicated model, the Grand Complication presented in 2013 in a six-watch limited edition, reflect the manufactory’s determination to achieve ever new pinnacles in its tradition-steeped horological artistry. Launched in 2019, the sporty-elegant Odysseus marks the beginning of a new chapter for A. Lange & Söhne.

Reference	:	211.088
Limited edition	:	50 watches
Movement	:	Lange manufacture calibre L093.1 Manually wound Crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards Decorated and assembled by hand Precision-adjusted in five positions Plates made of untreated German silver Balance cock engraved by hand
Movement parts	:	167
Jewels	:	21
Screwed gold chatons	:	3
Escapement	:	Lever escapement
Oscillation system	:	Shock-resistant screw balance Superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house
Frequency	:	21,600 semi-oscillations per hour Precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring
Power reserve	:	72 hours when fully wound
Functions	:	Time in hours and minutes
Operating elements	:	Crown for winding the watch and setting the time
Diameter	:	28.0 millimetres
Height	:	2.9 millimetres
Crystal & caseback	:	Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Case	:	18-carat pink gold
Diameter	:	40.0 millimetres
Height	:	6.2 millimetres
Dial	:	Solid silver, coated with dark-blue gold flux that shimmers with copper particles
Hands and appliques	:	Pink gold
Bracelet	:	Seamless leather strap, shiny, dark blue
Clasp	:	Prong buckle in 18-carat pink gold