Introducing: The A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 Moon Phase With Gold Flux Dial

Quick Take There's something inherently poetic about the moon-phase complication, but this latest Little Lange 1 Moon Phase takes that idea to a whole other level. This latest iteration of Lange's small-but-mighty classic is all about the new dial treatment, which is a dark blue "gold flux" material that sparkles like the night sky. It's a very similar material to what most brands call "aventurine" or "aventurine glass," with tiny particles suspended in a glassy medium, giving it a ton of visual depth and a bit of shine. To continue the astronomical theme, the hour markers are tiny white gold stars (between the classic Roman numerals at 12-3-6-9), and the moon-phase disc has an applied white gold moon and 628 additional stars. If all of that sparkle isn't enough for you, there's a version of this watch with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds adorning the bezel (1.2 total carats) for a little extra oomph. You might not need it, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Technically speaking, this Little Lange 1 Moon Phase is identical to its cousins from the last few years . The 36.8mm case is a fantastic size for many different wrists (both male and female, I might add) and the caliber L121.2 is one of the new-generation Lange calibers, so you're getting great tech inside too. There's a lot of complexity packed into this relatively small watch, and it's one we're really looking forward to seeing in the metal very soon. Initial Thoughts At first glance, this watch might seem like Lange just throwing a new dial on an existing watch, but there's a lot more to it than that. This watch is the culmination of a few different ideas that've been simmering at Lange for years, and it's actually a great microcosm of what the brand has been doing with its so-called "small complications" over the past half-decade or so. First off, there's the movement. The caliber L121.2 is based on the L121.1, which replaced the L901.0 as the "standard" Lange 1 caliber in 2015 . On top of that, it has Lange's new moon-phase complication, which is accurate for up to 122.6 years without needing any adjustments (assuming you survive that long and keep your watch wound). Then there's the gold flux dial. We've seen this used on simple watches in both blue and black so far, but this is the most expressive implementation yet. This gold flux / aventurine / whatever-you-want-to-call-it material has become trendy, especially among more design-minded watchmakers (Van Cleef have been the masters at this for some time ), but it's nice to see Lange implement it in a way that goes beyond it simply being pretty. The result of this confluence is a watch that's much greater than the sum of its parts. But the parts aren't too shabby. The Basics Brand: A. Lange & Söhne Model: Little Lange 1 Moon Phase Reference Number: 182.086 (no diamonds), 182.866 (diamond bezel) Diameter: 36.8mm Thickness: 10mm Case Material: White gold Dial Color: Dark blue gold flux Indexes: Roman and Arabic numerals, applied gold hour markers Lume: None Strap/Bracelet: Dark blue leather strap with white gold pin buckle Additional Details : Ref. 182.866 features 56 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.2 carats total) on the bezel The Movement Caliber: L121.2 Functions: Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds, power reserve, moon phase, outsize date Diameter: 30.6mm Thickness: 5.7mm Power Reserve: 72 hours Winding: Manually would Frequency: 3 Hz (21,600 vph) Jewels: 44 (8 in screwed gold chatons) Total Components: 411 Pricing & Availability Price: $44,900 (without diamonds), $56,600 (with diamonds) Availability: From May 2021 Limited Edition: Part of the main collection For more, click here .All that glitters is gold flux.