Some six years after A. Lange & Söhne unveiled the Zeitwerk Date series, with the debut timepiece in a white gold case and a dial of solid silver and grey, and the ingenious ring-shaped date display, the Saxonian manufacture is back with the sophomore edition, this time in pink gold.

Measuring 44.2mm in diameter and 12.3mm in height, the 2025 Zeitwerk Date represents the first in the entire Zeitwerk collection to feature the combination of pink gold with a solid silver and grey dial.

The Zeitwerk collection was launched in 2009 and caused a sensation at the time with its digital time display, which made waves not only for being a mechanical marvel in its own right, but also for being an unconventional product of a watchmaking brand that had up until then been widely recognised for its elegant, classic watches that indicated the time with hands.

A digital jumping-numerals mechanism, which instantaneously switches numeral discs exactly 1,440 times a day, was a complete game-changer. Taking inspiration from the time display on the five-minute clock that sits above the stage in the Semper Opera House in Dresden, Germany, the Zeitwerk collection’s timepieces have their numerals laid out in the same line, and with the discs representing minute-tens and minute-units resting on the same axis.

The dial-side time bridge – the design signature of the Zeitwerk collection – connects the time indication apertures with the small-seconds subdial. Over the years, the collection has grown with added complications such as acoustic time indication in variations from a minute repeater to an almost petite sonnerie (the Zeitwerk Strike Time).

A decade into the Zeitwerk story, the Zeitwerk Date series was launched, distinguished by a date-display ring made of printed glass that encircled the other dial-side elements. A small red segment travels under the date ring to highlight which of the 31 dates it currently is, providing a visual representation of elapsed time over the course of a month.

The date can be set and corrected via the pusher at 8 o’clock, whereas the hour display is advanced with the pusher at 4 o’clock and can be corrected independently of the switching cycles of the movement (thanks to a clutch that uncouples the hour ring from the jumping numerals mechanism).

Within the gleaming pink gold case of this new Zeitwerk Date beats the manual-wound manufacture calibre L043.8, which operates at 18,000 vibrations per hour. The 516-part movement boasts 72 hours of power reserve, thanks to twin barrels and two mainsprings that together provide enough force to drive three discs and advance the time indication – and places the Zeitwerk Date among the few Zeitwerk models that feature double the standard 36 hours of power reserve.

Through the sapphire-crystal caseback, one can admire the defining feature of the Zeitwerk collection, the constant- force escapement, which sits between the barrel and the balance, and provides the switching impulse for the numeral discs every 60 seconds and delivers to the gear train a constant force across the entire power-reserve duration, so that timekeeping accuracy is preserved.

And no A. Lange & Söhne creation is complete without extraordinary finishing, decoration and detail. The calibre L043.8 features hand- engraved floral patterns on the escapement bridge and balance cock, circular graining on the flat surfaces, chamfered angles, larger jewels ensconced in gold chatons, bright blued screws, and a sculptural, ethereal anchor bridge of the constant-force device.

This story was first seen as part of the WOW #81 Autumn 2025 Issue

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