The Zeitwerk and the Lange 1 are really outstanding A. Lange & Söhne creations. It first unveiled was completely revolutionary, with its jumping digital displays for hours and minutes and the totally complicated movement, complete with constant force escapement. After that, the replica A. Lange & Söhne has launched a few variations on the original theme, consisting of the Handwerkskunst and the Decimal Strike. Luckily, we’re gaining yet another new Zeitwerk, the first with an extra “small” complication, the Zeitwerk Date. 
Just seeing the watch, it’s apparent to see what’s going on: You’ve got the classic Zeitwerk with the addition of a date ring around the outer edge of the dial. The interesting point is that the date is shown via the movement of a red marker under the dial that fills in the proper transparent number to indicate the exact date.
The effect is extremely elegant and the extra information doesn’t at all distract from the bold Zeitwerk hours and minutes. It’s always difficult to tell from press renderings of replica watches, but I want to bet top dollar that the effect is even more subtle in person than it appears here. With the additional complication comes some extra heft – so as to accommodate the extra numerals without disrupting the proportions of the main display, the case has expanded to 44.2mm in diameter from the 41.9mm of the original Zeitwerk. The grey dial and big rhodium-plated German silver bridge look fantastic, and the red accents feel right at home too. This replica watch is a common model, but as you might expect production will be relatively small each year.
I still remember the very first time I saw a Zeitwerk – it was real and I’d never seen a photo of one either. My instant reaction was something along the lines of “holy cow, what is that!?” That may be eight or nine years ago, and since then it has grown no less impressive to me over time. Of course, it’s a little bigger and thicker than I’d like for my own daily wear, but it’s a perfect fake watch I find myself returning to time and time again. This version might be even a little larger in diameter, but to see it get a small technical update like this is interesting, and both the execution of the date complication and the artwork on the dial are greatly elegant and impressive. This is absolutely one of the watches I’m most excited to see in the metal in the year 2019.