A. Lange & Söhne Compact Rattrapante, limited to 200 pieces

In 2020, A. Lange & Söhne released 100 examples of the 1815 Rattrapante to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the factory. At just 12.6mm thick, this model is compact for a rattrapante watch, and now it has been revived in a platinum case.

A. Lange & Söhne "1815 Rattrapante"

　While there are many chronographs available, only a few watchmakers are able to produce rattrapante watches, which have an additional hand. This is largely due to the structure of the mechanism, which stacks the rattrapante mechanism on top of the chronograph mechanism. When the thickness of the movement increases by stacking the two mechanisms, the rattrapante wheel's pivot inevitably becomes longer, which can cause eccentricity during operation, making the movement unstable or, in the worst case, causing it to stop.

　A. Lange & Söhne's 1815 Rattrapante, released in a limited run of 100 pieces in a honey gold case in 2020 and revived this year in a platinum case, solves this problem in a straightforward way. The movement is designed to remain thin even when two mechanisms are stacked. Specifically, the thickness is reduced by enlarging the baseplate and reducing the overlap of parts. For reference, the diameter of the caliber L101.2 is 32.6mm. This is 2mm larger than the caliber L951.6 in the Datograph Up/Down. Furthermore, the isolator used in the Double Split and Triple Split models is not included in this model, in order to achieve a slimmer design. In this way, the caliber L101.2 has succeeded in reducing its thickness to just 7.4mm.

　As a result, the 1815 Rattrapante has a case thickness of 12.6mm, making it the second most compact chronograph from the company after the 1815 Chronograph, which is 11mm thick. Previous rattrapante models, in particular, tended to be bulky because they were equipped with other complicated mechanisms such as perpetual calendars. Although it is a limited edition, we welcome the return of a rattrapante model suitable for everyday use to the lineup.