Marco Lang's Second Eponymous Creation: The Seven Spheres with a Seven-Axis Central Tourbillon

Marco Lang, a name recognized by avid watch collectors, is praised for his dedication to the craft of watchmaking. After leaving Lang & Heyne, which he co-founded, Lang established his own brand in 2020. The release of ‘Zweigesicht’, a two-faced watch featuring both a classic and a more technical side, signaled his return to the workbench.

His latest creation, the ‘Seven Spheres’, marks his advent into an exclusive domain of horologists who employ multi-axis tourbillons in their designs. This watch incorporates a complex seven-axis tourbillon regulator, placing the Swiss watchmaker in a highly specialised group in the horology ecosystem.

Lang’s inspiration behind the creation of this groundbreaking timepiece lies in two themes. The first harks back to the geocentric worldview established by Ptolemy in the 1st-2nd century, where the Earth was believed to be static at the centre of its visible universe. In this age-old perception, the Earth was orbited by seven planetary spheres. The second inspiration is derived from the 1997 movie named ‘Contact’, based on the book by Carl Sagan. Lang found fascination in the three rotating rings in the machine used by Jodie Foster’s character to communicate with an alien civilization. This led to the conceptualization of a seven-axis cage for a regulating organ.

Encased in 950 platinum, the ‘Seven Spheres’ maintains a sense of sophistication alongside complexity. With a case diameter of 42mm, the design employs a subtle crown guard module and sloping lugs in cohesion with Lang’s initial timepiece and is reminiscent of his tenure at Lang & Heyne.