A Lange & Söhne, Passion never Sleeps …
Passion Never Sleeps
Words and pictures for A. Lange & Söhne, published in Openhouse magazine Issue Nr. 10
Light, as far as mankind can recall, has always been used to get a hold on time: the daily rise and set of the sun was used to create the notion of days, reminding our ancestors when to get up, work, eat and go to sleep, leading to the invention of weeks, months and years. But light should not just be considered a mere tool to measure the passing of time; it also shows us ever-changing beauty : it has the ability to create motion in any static object, to unveil grace where one could only see a dull scenery.
Well aware of light and its powers, designer Sabine Marcelis, in collaboration with the German fine watchmak- ing brand A. Lange & Söhne, created an installation that brings together understated technicality, architectural elegance and mysterious aura, in the unique place called Solo Office.
Solo Houses’ venture becomes most evident by mak- ing the journey to Cretas, an untouched forest area in the mountainous region of Matarraña, just north-east of the natural park Els Ports, located in the centre of the triangle comprised of Barcelona–Valencia–Zaragoza. Here, in the midst of a one-hundred-hectare plot of pure nature, one feels all of a sudden truly “solo” – alone and magically isolated and disconnected from every day turbulences.
The installation, a contemporary sundial made out of colour-treated glass, mirror and a steel structure which holds the new A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down “Lumen”, will transform the architectural gem into an ac- tual timepiece. Inspired by the new master timepiece, this installation highlights one of the watch’s most exciting features: a semi-transparent dial showcasing various technical features which can be experienced in the course of 24 hours, when light becomes shadows, forms remodel into characters and experiences turn into knowledge.
The Datograph Up/Down “Lumen” shows a perfectly balanced dial layout with the characteristic outsize date and the two subsidiary dials forming an equilateral triangle. It comes with a classic column wheel chronograph, a precisely jumping minute counter, a flyback function and a power reserve indicator. The dial is made of German Silver and coated sapphire crystal which transforms the iconic trian- gular configuration into an eye-catching illuminated sign
Photographed in Rotterdam for A Lange & Söhne with Sabine Marcelis.
Published in Openhouse Magazine Issue Nr.10