On September 20, 2001, a very ordinary Thursday, a young couple visited the A. Lange & Söhne manufacture in Glashütte. They brought with them a “broken” pocket watch, commissioned by their neighbor, to inquire if it was worth repairing. That day, the couple didn’t receive an answer as the assessment was beyond the first impressionist’s … Read more
A hole in a clean dial is almost never attractive, and kind of unoriginal, right? In the end, it has been done for decades, over a dozen models at least, from Breguet to Audemars Piguet to Vacheron Constantin… And doing something has been done over and over again is something we do not expect from … Read more
Special editions, limited editions, anniversary editions, limited productions… Most of the time, these are the fancy names which actually mean that the brand needs to encase the left-over mechanisms, increase margins with a different dial color, simply to give the perception of limitation without mentioning how many, etc… But there are exceptions. There are those … Read more
As a big fan of both metal music and watchmaking, I often draw parallels between these two passions. Consider the chronograph line of A. Lange & Söhne as a metal genre… Which groups would you assign to the collections? The Datograph must be Black Sabbath. It requires a certain level of maturity to be understood. … Read more
There are complications that every manufacturé should master to claim a seat in the roundtable of knights. When combined, these complications form a traditional grand complication, which many manufacturés in the 90s crafted for the flexing contest: The Split Seconds chronograph, perpetual calendar and repeater. A. Lange & Söhne had never been a powerhouse on … Read more
As the bridge between the past and the present of A. Lange & Söhne; since its inception in 1995, the 1815 collection set itself as one of the cornerstones of the German manufacturé’s identity and offerings. The collection’s template roots back to the 19th century. Hence it has been a brilliant canvas for A. Lange … Read more
A question that many ponders: What is the best entry to A. Lange & Söhne? Sure, the decision foremost depends on the allocated budget; however, even if the money was not a constraint, what would it be? There are some immediate contenders of course such as Lange 1, Datograph or Zeitwerk … However, something is missing with … Read more
Back in the days the retailers were today’s Social Media and Forums. Indeed, they were almost the only place to get together, learn and see new watches. The retailer was the sole connection between the brand and the client; thus, they were (still are) exceptionally important for every imaginable aspect of the business. As a … Read more
I have a special affinity towards A. Lange & Söhne’s early special editions. They are, with the true meaning of the word, special. Indeed, back in the days, the attraction of a special edition was not coming just from a case material or dial color change; but creating whole new watches that are launched to … Read more
If Rolex has the Stelline, so does Lange. 1815 or Emil Lange Moonphase… A delightful, romantic and playful rarity among extremely engineered, dense pieces from A. Lange & Söhne. Limited to 150 pieces in platinum (231.035) and 250 in pink gold (231.031), a whimsical jewel from 1999 – produced as a homage to Emil Lange’s … Read more
Bi-monthly observations on the market, novelties, and the occasional grail arrival.