The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk, introduced in 2009, is the first mechanical wristwatch from the brand to show the time with jumping digital numerals. The case is about 41.9 mm in white gold, platinum or pink gold depending on the version, and the manual-wind calibre L043.1 has a constant-force escapement and a power reserve of about 36 hours. Hours and minutes appear in two windows, and the numerals change on the minute with a quick jump. The reference in the photo is 140.029, which is listed as a white-gold example.

The Zeitwerk was the product of years of work on a mechanism to move the large hour and minute discs reliably, and it took the brand into a new design language while keeping the German silver movement and traditional finishing. The numeral jump is driven by a set of stored-energy mechanisms that release at the minute change.

The Zeitwerk was well received by the community as a modern classic of independent-spirited haute horlogerie, though some found the large dials a break from the brand’s usual style. Lange has built a series of Zeitwerk variants since, and the collection remains in production.