The annual calendar is a complication that has been attracting more and more followers. Its genuine convenience makes it a paragon of what A. Lange & Söhne refers to as a “useful innovation”.
Among the numerous extra functions that can be integrated in a wristwatch, the annual calendar is still fairly rare. But because it is so convenient, the popularity of the new-era mechanism is steadily growing. As far as its technical sophistication is concerned, it easily matches the traditional complications.
At first sight, with its numerous displays and functions, the annual calendar looks much like a perpetual calendar. However, it is considerably easier to adjust because it requires no leap-year indication. Once set, the calendar module correctly switches from the 30th to the 1st day at the end of the short months – April, June, September, and November. A manual correction to the 1st day of the month is only necessary at the transition from February to March. Thus, it closes the gap between the full calendar that requires five corrections per year and the perpetual calendar which consummately executes its four-year programme from one turn of the century to the next.
The 40-millimetre case in pink or white gold accommodates the artisanally finished manually wound calibre L051.3 movement that consists of 345 parts. The power reserve of 72 hours is sufficient to set the watch aside for a weekend with time to spare.
