[Interview] Anthony de Haas, Product Development Director at A. Lange & Söhne

A new time zone that embodies the idea of ​​"never stopping"

A. Lange & Söhne's corporate motto is "never stand still." Nowhere is this more evident than in its products. With each model change, new functions are added, evolving the product. Anthony de Haas is the driving force behind this development. The new Lange 1 Time Zone is no exception. The day/night indicators on the main dial and subdials have been revised, and a daylight saving time display linked to the time in 24 cities has been added. Pressing the button at 8 o'clock on the case moves the city display ring, which changes the time accordingly. If the city for which the time is displayed observes daylight saving time, a small window on the subdial turns red.

Anthony de Haas
A. Lange & Söhne Product Development Director. Born in the Netherlands in 1967. After graduating from a watchmaking school in Switzerland, he joined Seiko Netherlands. In 97, he worked in after-sales service at IWC, and in 2002 he joined Renaud & Papi (now Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi). He was invited to join A. Lange & Söhne for the development of the Tourbograph, and joined the company in 04. Since 05, he has been in charge of all product development. His motto is "never rehash the past."

"The daylight saving time mechanism is not complicated. There is a notch on the inside of the ring that displays the 24 cities. When the guide hits this notch, it moves, causing the daylight saving time display to move left and right and change color," explains de Haas. The mechanism is simple, but in reality it is a little more complicated. "When the guide moves, a gear linked to it rotates, moving the fan-shaped part that displays the daylight saving time." Changing the city display is accompanied by a clear response, but the daylight saving time display, which is connected to it, does not move in a tricky manner. This is a "safety mechanism" that is typical of A. Lange & Söhne. This mechanism also has another advantage.

"In the previous Lange 1 Time Zone, the city display ring was changed to reflect the change in time zone. The same is true for the new Time Zone. By simply changing the city display ring, you can adjust to the change in daylight saving time." The new Lange 1 Time Zone also has some cosmetic changes.

"We've narrowed the clearance between the subdials and the hands, and we've also made the center of the time zone hand smaller. In the previous model, the main and sub dials had the same size. The font on the dial has also been changed." Indeed, the new time zone letters are thinner than the previous model.

"Since 2015, A. Lange & Söhne has made some changes to the typeface on the dial. The new time zones have been adapted accordingly."

　However, the reason this new model truly "never stands still" lies in its base movement. When asked why he chose the movement for the Grand Lange 1 as the base, he immediately replied, "No."

"This is not a movement for the Grand Lange 1, but one that has been rebuilt from scratch. The only things that are common are the escapement and the balance. The barrel is the same as the Grand Lange 1, but the torque of the mainspring is different. This is because torque is required to operate the time zone display."

　The Lange 1 Time Zone may not seem like much, but it's a completely different watch. It's a masterpiece that embodies the motto "never stand still."