Few mechanical chronographs can claim a category entirely their own. Since its debut in 2018, the A. Lange & Söhne TRIPLE SPLIT has remained the only split-seconds chronograph capable of measuring intermediate, comparative and overall times for as long as twelve hours. Its third edition brings that singular capability into a cool-toned composition of 950 platinum, a rhodié-colored dial and darker grey auxiliary dials. Limited to 100 pieces, it follows earlier versions in white gold and pink gold while giving the watch a distinctly contemporary presence.
The watch extends the rattrapante function beyond seconds to include minute and hour counters. This allows it to record multiple intermediate times during a marathon or stages of a long drive without interrupting the overall measurement. A flyback function adds another layer of practical precision, stopping, resetting and restarting the chronograph through a single actuation of the pusher at 4 o’clock. On the dial, three blued rattrapante hands sit above their rhodiumed chronograph counterparts, separating on command before catching up to continue in perfect synchrony.
Despite the depth of its engineering, the dial remains lucid. The central hands command the main display, while precisely jumping minute counters appear at 4 o’clock and the hour counters at 12. The subsidiary seconds sit at 8 o’clock, balanced by the UP/DOWN indicator for the 55- hour power reserve at 6. Red accents animate the restrained palette, while luminous hands and markers support legibility. The 43.2-millimeter case is paired with a dark-brown alligator leather strap and a platinum deployant buckle.
At its heart is the manually wound manufacture caliber L132.1, composed of 567 parts. Its triple rattrapante mechanism coordinates six chronograph and split hands through an intricate arrangement of wheels, levers, springs, clutches and jumpers. A patented disengagement system limits friction losses and helps maintain rate stability while the mechanism is operating. Through the sapphire crystal caseback, the movement reveals the traditional finishing for which the Glashütte manufacture is known, including untreated German silver bridges, five gold screwed chatons, Glashütte ribbing and a hand-engraved balance cock. Technical ambition and hand craftsmanship meet in a chronograph that turns the measurement of time into a display of mechanical architecture.
