A fake 1815 Rattrapante is a replica of the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar. The genuine watch pairs a split-seconds chronograph with a perpetual calendar in a platinum case. Lange limited the first run to 100 pieces. Split-seconds modules cost more to build than any other part of the watch. Replica makers cut cost there first, so the rattrapante function is the first thing to test.
What the Genuine Watch Is
A. Lange & Söhne introduced the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar in 2013. Reference 421.025. Case metal: 950 platinum. Case diameter: 41.9 mm. Movement: caliber L101.1, manual wind, more than 600 parts, about 42 hours of power reserve. Lange built 100 pieces. A Honeygold version followed.
The Rattrapante Test
The split-seconds hand sits under the chronograph seconds hand. Two hands share one arbor at 12 o'clock.
- Start the chronograph with the pusher at 2 o'clock.
- Press the pusher at 10 o'clock. The split hand must stop. The chronograph hand keeps running.
- Press the pusher at 10 o'clock again. The split hand must jump forward and rejoin the running hand.
On replicas without a split-seconds module, the second hand at 12 is fixed to the first, or one hand runs alone. The pusher at 10 o'clock does nothing, or it repeats the start function of the 2 o'clock pusher.
Perpetual Calendar Checks
The caliber tracks leap years. Correctors sit on the case flank and each one takes a pin tool.
- Advance the date through Feb 28 in a leap year. The date must move to Feb 29.
- Push the month corrector. The month disc must advance one step.
- Watch the moon phase disc. It advances one step per day.
Many replicas use a simple calendar. The date will not handle Feb 29. Some replicas print a leap year scale that never moves.
Movement and Finish
- Balance cock: hand engraved on the genuine watch. Replicas use stamping or laser marking.
- Three-quarter plate: untreated German silver. Replicas use brass with plating.
- Gold chatons and blued screws.
- Engraved movement number and "Made in Germany" on the plate.
Case, Dial, and Markings
Genuine case backs carry the reference number, the case number, and the metal stamp. Platinum cases are stamped PT950. The 1815 line uses a light dial with printed Arabic numerals. Printed text on a replica shows thick edges and fill under a loupe. Applied markers on a replica sit at uneven heights.
Price and Supply
Replica listings for this reference sit in the low hundreds of US dollars. Genuine examples sell for six figures. Lange does not publish a count of replicas. No reliable count exists.
What Photos Cannot Show
Photos hide pusher feel, hand jump, and the weight of a platinum case. Ask for a video of the split-seconds sequence with a running clock in frame. If the seller cannot record that sequence, treat the rattrapante as non-working.