Review the New A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen 41.9mm Replica

The A. Lange & Söhne Lumen replica series was born in 2010 in Zeitwerk Luminous (not yet named Lumen) and has now developed into one of the most popular and most popular watches in the brand's product portfolio. These watches with sapphire dials are rare and unique, making them the best choice for collectors. They will be pleased to know that today a new A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen 41.9mm replica has been launched. It is back to its roots, based on an architectural watch with a jumping indicator. It has many new features, first of all an unprecedented movement, which has powerful power. Moreover, it is also the first Lumen not made of platinum.

The Lumen Series

Behind the A. Lange & Söhne Luminous/Lumen replica collection, there’s a rather fun story. Anthony de Haas, Director of Product Development of the brand, while wearing an early version of the platinum Zeitwerk found that reading the time in the dark was rather difficult. So his team and he started to explore how to give this modern-looking watch better night-time legibility… And once the discs were given luminous numerals came the idea to actually show them (and some of the movement’s technicality) by adding a partially-tinted sapphire dial that, however, was rather special since it let UV pass through in order to charge the luminescence of the numerals. And this is how the Luminous/Lumen series started.

The Case

The diameter of the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen repilca is still 41.9mm and the height is still 12.6mm, just like the previous editions of the time-only Zeitwerk watches. But, due to the new movement and a revised display – more on that later – the case has different proportions. First, the bezel is now slightly thinner than before, making the watch visually a bit less bulky. And because A. Lange & Söhne is all about respecting some ancient rules of proportions, the lugs have also been revised to be sleeker. We’re talking minor adjustments here, of course, but some that could give the Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen a bit more elegance than before on the wrist.

One of the main novelties with this edition is the material used for the case. Previous Luminous/Lumen replica editions have always been crafted in platinum, but this new model is housed in a case made of the brand’s proprietary Honeygold, a special 18k alloy with “various admixtures and a special thermal treatment” giving the gold more hardness and a very subtle colour. Only reserved to limited-edition watches at Lange – like the 175th-anniversary models – this rare and hard-to-machine alloy find its way for the first time in the Lumen series, but not in the Zeitwerk collection, as used previously in the 2017 Zeitwerk Decimal Strike. The case retains the same finishing as before, with a polished bezel and lugs, and straight-brushed flanks. It is worn on a brown alligator strap to give a final warm touch, something that has been absent of the previous Lumen watches, all with a black-on-grey and technical look… This Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen, in this respect, feels rather surprising.

An important new element of this new Lumen watch replica is the presence of a pusher on the side of the case, which was absent from previous time-only Zeitwerk. This is where the influence of the Zeitwerk Date shows the most, as indeed the movement of this new version is based on the date model presented in 2019. It allows the hour indication to be switched separately, which in turn makes it simpler to set the time. The minutes are, of course, still adjusted by the crown. Like in the Zeitwerk Date, the switching impulse is generated when the pusher is released. “The advantage is that switching is always uniformly executed, regardless of how gently or vigorously the pusher is actuated,” explains A. Lange & Söhne. And from the words of Anthony de Haas, this system is also more compact than a classic pusher (think chronograph-like pusher) and this made it possible to retain the same dimensions as before.

The dial

Being part of the series of Luminous watches, this Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen replica is, of course, fitted with a partially-tinted sapphire dial. New for this watch, it’s not glued anymore but set in place between two O-ring gaskets, which make assembly easier and also provide more resistance in case of shocks. The sapphire dial comes with a light-permeable coating that allows the luminous numerals that are not exposed in the aperture (those normally hidden under the dial) to absorb enough UV light glow in the dark. So not only the numerals exposed in the apertures are luminous, but the hidden numerals are slightly visible under the sapphire dial too…

The display is still composed of a time bridge with two massive openings revealing a single disc for the hours and a combination of two discs for the minutes. Redesigned for the occasion, the bridge houses a larger sub-seconds dial and it is now executed in black rhodiumed German silver (instead of being black coated), giving it a slightly lighter and warmer tone. The power reserve indicator is still positioned at 12 o’clock and both hands on the dial are done in 18k Honeygold.

The replica Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen retains the stunning display that has made the series distinctive, meaning a complex combination of three instantaneously jumping discs, giving the time in a digital format, and all numerals are identical in size. They switch precisely and read from left to right. Behind this mechanism is a complex constant-force device.

The Movement

What is new is the calibre L043.9, a movement that is based on the architecture of the calibre found in the Zeitwerk Date. Combined with a lighter balance wheel and, consequently a lighter remontoire, this results in a power reserve that has been doubled, moving from 36 hours in the past to now 72 hours. It’s also rather certain that this upgraded movement will find its way into the case of the regular Zeitwerk sooner or later.

This longer power reserve, combined with the new hour-correction pusher, makes this calibre L043.9 a fairly impressive improvement over the previous generation. Composed of 462 components, the movement runs at 18,000 vibrations/hour (2.5Hz).

Price

The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Honeygold Lumen replica (ref. 142.055) is a limited edition of 200 pieces. It will be priced at EUR 114,000. More information, please visit our latest replica A. Lange & Söhne watch listing, we are selling almost all model AAA grade 1 :1 cloned A. Lange & Söhne watches.

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