A. Lange & Söhne had one of my, and many others’, favorite releases at Watches & Wonders 2025. It wasn’t a super complication and had no bells-and-whistles. Rather, it was simple and small. The 34mm 1815 three-handers in white or rose gold exemplified confident, understated luxury like no other watches at the fair.
For 2026, Lange has brought back a watch that had been out of production with a new movement and in a new, smaller size, following suit from last year’s release. Unlike the 1815s, these feature one of the less common complications in the Lange catalog: the annual calendar.
The Saxonia Annual Calendar was a very cool watch. It combined its eponymous complication with Lange’s signature outsized date and was powered by a since-retired “Sax-0-Mat” three-quarter-rotor automatic movement. These funky movements were featured in the Langematik watches and represented Lange’s first foray into automatic calibers. In addition to a distinctive look, they featured a hidden complication: zero-reset seconds, meaning that when the crown was pulled out, the seconds hand would jump to zero.
In 2011, the Sax-O-Mats began to be replaced by central rotor calibers with up to 72 hours of power reserve, an increase from 46 hours, but the zero-reset seconds disappeared. Though comprising many different calibers, most of Lange’s currently in-production automatics have a central rotor. I am unsure when the previous generation of the Saxonia Annual Calendar went out of production, but the last new model released appears to be from 2018. For 2026, Lange has brought it back with, you guessed it, an updated central rotor automatic caliber, as well as a new case size.
Starting with the design, the new annual calendar measures a refreshingly compact 36mm in diameter and 9.8mm in height. The previous generation was 38.5mm. While 38.5mm is very reasonable, it’s exactly the same as the Lange 1. Whether that was part of the motive for decreasing the diameter is anyone’s guess. Regardless, at 36mm, it earns the title of the smallest Lange with a complication beyond an outsized date and power reserve. Another significant change to the case is the addition of a square pusher at 10, replacing the previous sunken pushers.
The dial is as reserved and meticulous as you’d expect from a Lange, but there are some differences and some new flourishes. As this is part of the Saxonia line, the dial features applied baton markers with small hash marks for minutes. Sub-dials at three, six, and nine display the months, moonphase/seconds, and day, while the big date sits below 12.
The previous generation featured a line around the edge of the dial from which the minute markers protruded, breaking at the hour to allow space for applied hemispheres. While I personally find that design appealing, it definitely felt less restrained. The new version appears to have only simple batons, but a closer look reveals they are split, featuring a small pyramid shape toward the outer edge. It’s subtle, likely adding just a little extra sparkle at a normal distance.
Inside the Saxonia Annual Calendar is the new L207.1 automatic caliber. Like all of Lange’s movements, it’s made of German silver, exceptionally finished, and double assembled. The rotor mass is 950 platinum. It features a 60-hour power reserve and runs at 21,600 bph. Of course, what matters most is the annual calendar complication, which I wish we saw more of from all brands.
It’s a complete calendar that is programmed to know the length of each month, only needing to be adjusted at the end of February. Simpler than a perpetual calendar to make and less expensive, while less of a flex, they are immensely practical. The combination with the outsized date in particular makes the date readable at a glance, while also making this a more complicated version of an annual calendar, as two date disks need to be jumped.
There are two versions at launch: white gold with an argenté dial and rose gold with cool gray. The combination of a 36mm case and a complex dial should make these very interesting on the wrist, as the lack of negative space will likely make them feel even more compact than the dimensions suggest. Definitely something I’ll report back on once I get some wrist time. No pricing has been revealed, but the 1815 Annual Calendar is $58,600, so likely near there. A. Lange & Söhne
