News · A. Lange & Söhne

A. Lange & Söhne gives the 1815 UP/DOWN two blue-dial gold editions

The hand-wound model shrinks to 37.5mm in white gold and pink gold, with 300 watches allocated to each blue-dial version.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 3 min read · 5 September 2026

• Two blue-dial 1815 UP/DOWN editions pair 750 white gold or pink gold with argenté subsidiary dials and matching case-colour hands.
• The 37.5mm by 8.7mm case contains hand-wound calibre L051.2, whose integrated power-reserve display tracks a maximum 72-hour reserve.
• Each case-metal version is limited to 300 watches; A. Lange & Söhne has not published a retail price in the announcement.

A. Lange & Söhne has added two blue-dial versions of the 1815 UP/DOWN, announced on 4 September 2026. One uses a 750 white-gold case and blue alligator leather strap; the other pairs 750 pink gold with reddish-brown alligator leather. Each version is limited to 300 watches.

The pair reduces the model's diameter to 37.5mm while retaining an 8.7mm height. That combination is central to this release. Current 1815 UP/DOWN references measure 39mm across, making the new limited editions 1.5mm smaller. The result remains a manually wound watch with a useful display in traditional dress-watch proportions.

Blue brings the two gold cases together

Both versions use the same blue dial, with argenté-coloured subsidiary dials providing a sharp contrast. The power-reserve display sits at 8 o'clock and the small seconds register balances it at 4 o'clock. Blued hands are used in both subdials, while the lancet-shaped hour and minute hands match the colour of the case metal.

The dial structure comes from the 1815 family's pocket-watch references. Large Arabic numerals sit inside a railway-track minute scale, and the central section is recessed. Those familiar elements are preserved, but the blue ground makes the two new references immediately distinct from earlier colour combinations.

The power display uses the German words AUF and AB. AUF indicates a fully wound movement and AB marks the depleted end of the scale. The red zone gives a clear warning as the reserve approaches empty. It is information that can be read quickly, which is exactly what a power-reserve indicator should do on a manually wound watch.

The UP/DOWN display is built into calibre L051.2

Inside is A. Lange & Söhne's manually wound L051.2 manufacture calibre. It offers a maximum power reserve of 72 hours, so a full wind can carry the watch across three days. The reserve mechanism is integrated directly into the movement through a compact planetary gear system, instead of being added as a separate module.

The architecture is visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback. A three-quarter plate in untreated German silver covers much of the movement, with the winding wheels left visible and decorated with solarisation. Seven gold chatons are secured by blued screws. The balance assembly includes a hand-engraved balance cock, screw balance, indexless regulation and a balance spring made by Lange.

This is a release where the mechanics and the dial are closely connected. The movement does not add a power display as decoration. Its reserve mechanism drives the function that defines the watch, while the dial gives that mechanism equal visual weight with the small seconds.

The arrangement also keeps the central area free for ordinary time. Hours and minutes remain immediately legible, the reserve has a dedicated scale, and the small seconds is isolated on the opposite side. Each indication has its own space without pushing the case beyond a compact diameter.

Two straps, one restrained format

The white-gold version comes on blue alligator leather, keeping the case and dial in a cool palette. The pink-gold watch switches to reddish-brown alligator leather, which picks up the warmer colour of its case. Both retain a conventional round case, slender bezel and exposed lugs.

At 37.5mm across, the watches are compact by current standards and 1.5mm smaller than the existing 39mm references. The 8.7mm height is unchanged, keeping the reserve display and hand-wound movement in a thin package.

A. Lange & Söhne will present the two versions at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace during the first weekend of September. The setting suits a design whose Arabic numerals, railway track and movement construction point back to historic Saxon pocket watches, even as the blue dial gives the watch a clearer contemporary identity.

A. Lange & Söhne 1815 UP/DOWN pricing and availability

Each gold version is limited to 300 watches. A. Lange & Söhne has not published a retail price in its announcement, so there is no supported Australian or international figure to report. Availability enquiries should be directed to the brand or an authorised retailer.

The release is less about changing the 1815 UP/DOWN formula than giving it two closely related expressions. Buyers choose between the cooler white-gold case with blue leather and the warmer pink-gold case with reddish-brown leather. The dimensions, movement, 72-hour reserve and two-register dial arrangement remain common to both.

For collectors who prefer Lange's more traditional side, the appeal is straightforward. This is a small, hand-wound gold watch with one practical complication, a fully visible manufacture calibre and a tightly controlled pair of colour combinations. The run of 300 pieces per metal also defines supply from the start.