THE FIRST PROTOTYPES OF A WATCH. AND ITS BUILDERS.

It is in the prototype makers’ atelier that the plans of the calibre engineers are first implemented. During countless hours, Lange’s experts in this department individually craft each part to assess its manufacturability and its capacity for withstanding the stresses to which it is exposed. Then, they assemble the parts to form the initial prototypes that allow the practical functionality of all mechanisms to be appraised.

Working hand in hand with the calibre engineers, they mercilessly scrutinise even the tiniest engineering details and if necessary, optimise these to make sure that the functional integrity of the new movement is guaranteed across generations.
Wearing test

WEARING TEST.

After assembly, the prototypes are subjected to comprehensive tests to analyse the functionality and longevity of the new watch. Some of the prototypes are entrusted to staff members who wear them for testing purposes for weeks and months, meticulously recording their observations with respect to performance, functionality, and convenience.

Impact test

IMPACT TEST.

But some of the other prototypes are exposed to much greater stresses: in the Lange test laboratory, they undergo numerous tests, some of them literally violent. Within the scope of the impact tests, for example, prototypes endure what simulates dropping the watch onto a hardwood floor from a height of one metre. After the fall, the movement must continue to function, even though the parts were subjected to a load that corresponds to 5,000 times their own weight.

Switching test

ENDURANCE TEST.

The switching test that determines the long-term reliability of the watch is just as gruelling. The outsize date mechanism is advanced by 100 years by actuating the correction push piece 36,525 times. Special climate conditioning chambers are used to simulate various climatic zones and to test the temperature resistance of the watch and its behaviour under different humidity conditions.


DYNAMIC TEST.

Lange’s masters also devote particular attention to the response of parts that are dynamically accelerated and abruptly decelerated. To identify potential mechanical conflicts between two parts, they use a high-speed camera that can capture up to 10,000 frames per second. It allows the detailed visualisation of fast motion sequences and helps the engineers perfect the movement.

CONTINUE THE MANUFACTORY TOUR IN THE NEXT WORKSTATION