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In Geneva, on 17 March 2013 at the Antiquorum auction "Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces", one of the most coveted A. Lange & Söhne masterpieces changed hands for 275.710 euros: a TOURBILLON "Pour le Mérite" with the very rare combination of a white-gold case and a blue dial. The fascinating watch belongs to a 1994 limited edition of 200 pieces. Fifty of these watches were cased in platinum and 130 were presented in 18-carat white-gold cases. Only 19 were endowed with white-gold cases.
The exceptionally high result fetched by the complication not only by far exceeded the maximum estimate of 225,000 euros. It sold for more than 4 times the original retail price. Watch collectors from all over the world had expressed their interest in this opus. The auction result is the highest ever recorded for a white-gold TOURBILLON "Pour le Mérite" by A. Lange & Söhne. At auctions, the TOURBILLON "Pour le Mérite" ranks among the most sought-after A. Lange & Söhne models. Well-maintained exemplars regularly fetch three to five times their launch price.
With its unique fusée-and-chain transmission, the TOURBILLON "Pour le Mérite" is particularly significant for the eminent Saxon manufactory. Implemented for the first time in a wristwatch, the mechanism that offsets the torque loss of the mainspring was combined with an immaculately executed one-minute tourbillon in 1994 and demonstrated that Lange had reconquered its traditional rank among the foremost makers of complicated timepieces.
The fusée-and-chain transmission of the TOURBILLON "Pour le Mérite" provides a constant force.
