A RESONANT MASTERPIECE: THE LANGE ZEITWERK.
Ludwig van Beethoven became famous thanks to his Symphony No. 5 with its four-tone opening fanfare leitmotiv. The LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME also has a striking case in point when it comes to writing history. Apart from the already acclaimed technical innovations of the LANGE ZEITWERK watch family, it is endowed with a visible chiming mechanism. It announces the quarter-hours with a high-pitched tone and then the full hour with lower-pitched tones – played fast-foward, the melody is Beethoven's famous leitmotif. The LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME is the first Lange wristwatch with an acoustic signature.
REVERBERATION MADE VISIBLE.
But the chiming mechanism of the LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME not only delights the ear. The watch glass reveals the specially shaped gong hammers made of black-polished stainless steel. During the minute that precedes each quarter-hour and full hour, the respective hammer can be observed as it slowly cocks itself toward the middle of the dial and then, precisely in sync with the advance of the jumping numerals, strikes its gong with gusto. The two gongs are visible in the space between the dial and the bezel.
A CHIMING MECHANISM THAT CAN ALSO TAKE TIME OUT.
In the LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME, the rare and decidedly useful quarter-hour repeating function can also be switched off: When the push piece at 4 o'clock is actuated, the hammers are deflected away from the gongs and the chiming mechanism remains silent. When the winding crown is pulled, the chiming mechanism is automatically disabled and uncoupled, allowing the time to be set in either direction. When the crown is pushed home or the push piece at 4 o'clock is actuated again, the chiming mechanism is reactivated.
