Limited to 50 pieces, the 1815 Tourbillon 730.094F was unveiled by A. Lange & Söhne in September 2025 at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, with a dial of black grand feu enamel crafted entirely in the manufacture's own workshop. It is only the fifth version of the 1815 Tourbillon since the model's introduction in 2014 and the twelfth Lange watch to carry an enamel dial, which underlines how sparingly the manufacture uses the technique. The watch combines that craft with the model's defining mechanical feature: a one-minute tourbillon that stops when the crown is pulled, together with a ZERO-RESET function that snaps the seconds hand back to zero, so the time can be set to the second. Launched in Platinum and presented alongside a Richard Lange Jumping Seconds at the same event, the black enamel edition follows the white enamel version of 2018 and gives the model a darker, more dramatic presence. Black enamel is among the most difficult dial finishes to execute, since every imperfection shows against the glossy surface, and its choice here reflects both the confidence of Lange's enamellers and the manufacture's growing commitment to the craft.
The Platinum case measures 39.5 by 11.3 mm and follows the classical 1815 form, with a polished bezel, satin-finished case band and notched lugs. The dial is made of enamel fired over a White Gold base, rather than the copper used on the 2018 edition, and its jet-black surface has the depth that only fired glass can provide. On this dark ground the railway-track minute scale and Arabic numerals of the 1815 family appear crisp and bright, reproducing the graphic language of Lange's historic pocket watches in reverse contrast. At 6 o'clock a round aperture reveals the one-minute tourbillon, its bridge finished with black polish so that it blends almost seamlessly into the enamel when seen straight on and flashes brightly when the light catches it. The seconds scale frames the aperture, and the seconds hand passes over the rotating cage. Nothing else interrupts the black surface, giving the watch an almost architectural calm. The strap is black alligator, fastened with a Platinum deployant buckle, as on the white enamel edition, so the entire watch is composed in black, white and the pale grey of Platinum.
Inside is the hand-wound tourbillon movement of the 1815 Tourbillon, built from 262 parts and running for 72 hours when fully wound. Its tourbillon completes one turn every minute, rotating the escapement to offset the influence of gravity in the vertical positions. What distinguishes it from conventional tourbillons is the behaviour of the crown: pulling it brings a lever into contact with the balance, halting the tourbillon, while a heart cam simultaneously swings the seconds hand to zero. The owner can then set the hours and minutes and restart the watch exactly on a time signal. Lange patented the stop-seconds for the tourbillon in 2008, introduced the zero-reset in 1997, and first combined the two in the 1815 Tourbillon of 2014. The movement is decorated in the Glashütte manner, with a three-quarter plate of untreated German silver, Glashütte ribbing, a tourbillon cock engraved by hand, screwed gold chatons and blued screws, and like every Lange movement it is assembled twice. Through the sapphire caseback, the contrast between this warm, busy architecture and the stillness of the black dial is part of the watch's appeal.
The 1815 Tourbillon has been one of Lange's most admired high complications since 2014, when it was launched in Rose Gold and Platinum as the first watch to unite the stop-seconds tourbillon with zero-reset. In 2018 it became the first 1815 Tourbillon with a grand feu enamel dial, in white over copper, and the 2025 edition extends that line with black enamel over White Gold. The choice of dial also recalls the unique 1815 with a black enamel dial that Lange made in memory of Walter Lange, the founder's great-grandson who re-established the company in 1990 and who died in 2017. By producing its enamel dials in-house, the manufacture keeps every stage of this demanding craft under its own roof, and the 730.094F is a clear demonstration of that capability. Its unveiling at Hampton Court Palace, among rare and meticulously restored classic automobiles, also reflects Lange's view of its limited editions as objects of heritage and craft rather than technical showcases alone. Among the current 1815 Tourbillon references, it is the rarest and the most visually striking.
The 730.094F appeals to collectors who seek an exceptional combination of rarity, craft and mechanical refinement. With only 50 pieces, it is one of the scarcest watches in the 1815 family, and its black enamel dial gives it a presence quite unlike that of the Silver or white enamel versions. It will interest collectors of enamel, who understand how demanding a flawless black surface is to achieve, and collectors of tourbillons who want one that can be set properly rather than merely admired. The Platinum case, black strap and restrained 1815 layout give it a formal, almost austere elegance well suited to evening wear. For collectors who already own the white enamel edition, it makes a natural counterpart; for those building a collection around Lange's high complications, it represents the meeting point of the manufacture's most traditional craft and one of its most ingenious mechanisms. Its enamel will look the same in a century as it does today, making it a watch intended to be passed on.
