German watchmaker A Lange & Söhne rounded off 200-year anniversary celebrations in 2015 with the unveiling last month of a very special handcrafted watch called the 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, which features extraordinary dial and movement decorations. 

The celebrations commemorated the 200th birthday of Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand Adolph Lange, who founded his watch manufactory in 1845.

Handwerkskunst is the German word for artisanship and an attribute of distinction that A. Lange & Söhne uses to identify special limited-edition watches whose dials and movements are endowed with rare finishing and engraving techniques. 

The 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst not only stands out with exceptional decorative elements but also unites two of the Glashütte manufacture’s patented mechanisms: the zero-reset function launched in 1997 and the stop-seconds device introduced in 2008. Together, these mechanisms make it possible to stop and set the timepiece with one-second accuracy. 

The main difference of the new model compared to the one presented in 2014 is its dial, made of black-rhodiumed pink gold and decorated with elegant tremblage engraving. 

The engraver who uses this technique sculpts the material with a specially crafted lining burin to achieve a uniform, fine granular structure. The relief elements on the dial, including the prominent arced brand logo and the numerals, are later polished to a mirror gloss and contrast prominently against the dark background. An aperture in the dial reveals the large one-minute tourbillon. 

The tourbillon bridge and the upper part of the cage are black-polished in one of the most elaborate and time-consuming techniques. 

The movement of the watch also combines rare finishing techniques. 

Mechanical precision is reflected in every detail of the lavishly decorated L102.1 calibre. The elegantly curved shape of the newly designed three-quarter plate is a special hallmark. Thanks to generous cut-outs, the tourbillon with the stop mechanism is easily visible from the movement side as well, as are the spring barrel and parts of the wheel train. 

The grained surface of the German silver plate is inspired by historic pocket watches. Bevel-polishing reentrant angles is a particular challenge as it can only be performed manually with a sharp, specially designed tool.

 The fourth-wheel bridge is pierced to provide a better view of the tourbillon and like the plate and the caseback, is endowed with artistic engravings. The diamond end-stone of the tourbillon vibrantly accentuates the movement decorations.

Limited to 30 watches, the special model is available in a pink-gold case with a diameter of 39.5 mm. 

Its price in Europe is in the region of $200,000 plus taxes.