Hands-On The Paradoxical Platinum A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante

Photography by Jasper Karolewski and Jamie Weiss

However, when A. Lange & Söhne reaches out and asks if you’d be interested in getting hands-on with one of its “hidden heroes” – one of the German firm’s slightly less flashy, perhaps slightly overlooked pieces – to shine a spotlight on it in 2026, I couldn’t say no.

The 1815 Rattrapante in platinum (ref. 425.025) is one of Lange’s most contradictory pieces. Split-seconds chronographs, generally speaking, are the domain of only a few high-end watchmakers – or represent the most complicated peak of more middle-tier watch brands’ ranges. Because of this, and perhaps also because of the inherent dynamism of the complication, they also tend to be somewhat ostentatious.

Yet, for a brand like Lange, which is responsible for some of the most complicated mechanical timepieces on the market (the Triple Split or Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, new iterations of which have debuted this year, immediately come to mind), a rattrapante is almost par for the course.

Upon the 1815 Rattrapante’s launch in 2020, when it debuted as the Honeygold "Homage to F. A. Lange" limited edition, it was Lange’s first stand-alone rattrapante chronograph… Which made it, paradoxically, unusual and exciting. Complicated, but pared back. A pure expression of a Lange rattrapante, produced to commemorate the 175th anniversary of watchmaking in Glashütte.

Then, we get to 2022 and the release of the platinum ref. 425.025, which is a purer horological treat still: eschewing the glitz of gold for the stealth-wealth subtlety of a white precious metal combined with a solid silver, argenté dial. At the time, the inimitable Jack Forster described it as a watch “which is almost no sizzle and almost entirely steak” and “a watch for people who like watches”. I love a culinary metaphor.

But how does it taste in 2026? To extend the metaphor even further, it’s still both rare and well done. Four years is a blip in the grand scheme of things when it comes to watchmaking, and Langes of all stripes and vintage tend to be fairly timeless – unsurprising, considering the brand’s consistently traditional, Teutonic style – but the platinum 1815 Rattrapante has aged well.

At 41.2mm in diameter and 12.6mm thick, it’s not a small watch, but it lands squarely in the middle of the modern Lange size range. Being platinum, it’s not the sort of watch you forget you’re wearing, but that tone-on-tone dial, sans big date or applied indices, cuts a surprisingly subtle profile on one’s wrist.

Speaking of the dial, the 1815 Rattrapante has a somewhat unconventional layout, stacking its subdials vertically with the running seconds at 6 o’clock and the 30-minute totaliser at 12 o’clock. This vertical symmetry is balanced by the "Glashütte in Sachsen" text running horizontally across its centre, which is a reference to 19th-century Lange pocket watches. The result is, strangely, one of the least busy Lange dials. I’d argue it’s less busy than, for instance, the 1815 Up/Down, with its 4 and 8 o’clock subdials. Yes, it’s the same number of subdials, but the rattrapante’s increased multi-axial symmetry is easier on my eyes. It’s the most symmetrical 1815 dial other than the two-handed Thin Honeygold, another “Homage to F. A. Lange” piece.

That’s not to say the 1815 Rattrapante’s dial is without flair. The blued hands are lovely, and I like that the rattrapante seconds hand isn’t blued, making it easier to identify. You’ve also got the subtlest pops of red at the cardinal points on the minute track – exquisite. The raised tachymeter scale is also well-executed.

Of course, half the treat of an A. Lange & Söhne is its movement, and the 1815 Rattrapante does not disappoint in this regard. Its calibre L101.2 puts the rattrapante’s pincer mechanism front and centre, with its twin column wheels, gear train and balance wheel orbiting around the central stack like some sort of Saxon solar system. The L101.2 is an innovative movement which deserves a deeper dive: Logan Baker interviewed Anthony de Haas, Director of Product Development at A. Lange & Söhne, about it back in 2021, and I encourage you to read Logan’s piece.

Unlike the Honeygold-cased 1815 Rattrapante, however, the platinum model’s movement is more traditionally finished, offering Glashütte striping across its main bridges and two, count ‘em two, hand-engraved elements: the balance cock and a chronograph bridge, both of which have floral elements painstakingly carved by one of Lange’s master engravers. If the 1815 Rattrapante’s dial is an exercise in restraint, its movement is the opposite, which is by no means a bad thing.

Truthfully, the 1815 Rattrapante in platinum is not a watch I was able to get hands-on with back in 2022 when it was first released – and I’m sure that if I had visited the old Lange boutique on Sydney’s Martin Place, it wouldn’t have been the first watch I would’ve asked to see. That would’ve been the Odysseus in titanium, which I did manage to try on in Australia, having missed out on seeing it at Watches and Wonders 2022, and which still ranks as a bit of a grail for me. But as I’ve become more familiar with the brand, the 1815 Rattrapante is a watch that’s stood out to me as a particularly good example of Lange at its (more) demure best. And the opposite of the titanium Odysseus, in some ways.

Indeed, it’s a watch that rewards considered contemplation. Lange’s extremely complicated watches are fantastic, but by focusing on a simple, still technologically impressive complication, the 1815 Rattrapante focuses the wearer on the tactile, dynamic joy of a split-seconds chronograph. The platinum model, with its understated visage, sharpens that focus even further. Is this the 1815 or even the Lange I’d want for myself? Not sure. But I’m glad I’ve progressed in my watch connoisseurship enough to at least aspire to this being the one I’d opt for above all others.

Brand: A. Lange & Söhne
Model: 1815 Rattrapante
Reference Number: 425.025
Diameter: 41.2mm
Thickness: 12.6mm
Case Material: 950 platinum
Dial: Solid silver
Water Resistance: Not stated
Strap: Hand-stitched black alligator, prong buckle in 950 platinum

Calibre: L101.2, in-house
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, rattrapante chronograph with centre seconds and 30-minute counter
Diameter: 32.6mm
Thickness: 7.4mm
Power Reserve: 58 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Jewels: 36
Additional Details: Adjusted in five positions; plate and bridges in untreated German silver (maillechort)

Price: On request, around A$375,000
Availability: Limited availability via A. Lange & Söhne boutiques
Limited Edition: 200 pieces worldwide

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