A. Lange & Sohne Factory Trip Part 2

There aren't other things like this in the world, at least not very many. So when you talk about luxury German watches you aren't just talking about a "valuable brand" or a rich helping of gold and diamonds, you are talking about how the watches are made - and that is the most important point to get out of this article.The movements all start with base materials. That material is mostly an alloy called German Silver, which does not actually contain any silver. The alloy is a mix of nickel, copper, and zinc. It is favored as being durable while workable, and because it oxidizes nicely with a slight yellow tint. The German Silver comes to Lange in round plates or little rectangles, almost everything is based on originating from these plates. If another material is needed in the movement (such as gold) it too comes in some base plate form if it is to be machined at the Lange Uhren.Located at the manufacture are various machines that work on the plates. One such machine is the CNC (Computer Numeric Control) device. This large machine is responsible for taking the metal plates and *** the famous 3/4 German watch movement plates. The machine bathes the plates in a mineral oil while drilling and cutting them based on a pre-programmed design. That programming is what is essential to the entire process. Computer and hand drawn designs are blown up and carefully scrutinized by measurement machines. When the dimensions are perfect, the movement designs are programmed into the CNC machines to be cut on into the German Silver plates. The machines have a tolerance of just 4 microns. Deviations are not acceptable, and almost never experienced. The process of *** the movement plates is about as calculated and time consuming as you might expect. The machine shops look like a cross between an optician's lab and an autoshop, but ultra clean and highly functional.Would you believe that their watches average 6 -14 months to produce? I fact that I keep rattling off to people as it is hard to believe myself. I am talking about each individual watch! Basic watch *** of course doesn't require that much effort, but that isn't the point. The idea here is to lovingly caress each watch with an enormous amount of attention and refinement. Testing, retesting, and evaluating before any watch is handed over to a customer. This is what luxury watch *** is all about. Fanatical attention to detail using only the best procedures, no matter the cost. The result can be what you consider a family heirloom, this is what you pass down to other generations.