A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Honeygold 363.150

Odysseus — 363.150

The Collection of firsts, the Odysseus…
The first A. Lange & Söhne wristwatch with 120m water resistance.
The first serially produced A. Lange & Söhne watch in steel.
The first bracelet made in honeygold, the reference 363.150.

A. Lange & Söhne is an engineering, craft, and design brand above all. Until a decade ago, all cases, dials, and most parts you see from the dial-side of the watch were outsourced. Only with the incomparable Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst did A. Lange & Söhne craft its first in-house (enamel) dial, and they have done so for very special pieces ever since. The paramount focus of the brand has always been crafting characteristic designs, infused with brilliant craft and engineering. Therefore, experimenting with case materials was never a priority for Lange—until an opportunity arose.

To my knowledge, the rights to honeygold were acquired shortly after the 2008 financial crisis from a casemaker in Dresden. It was a time of management change at the brand, and Mr. Lambert moved fast. The first editions with honeygold cases arrived shortly after in 2010 for the ‘Homage to F.A. Lange 165th Anniversary Set,’ which featured the 1815 Moonphase, Lange 1 Tourbillon, and Tourbograph. It was learned then that working with honeygold was truly painful, simply because the material is much harder than gold or platinum.

For years afterward, A. Lange & Söhne refused to make even honeygold deployant buckles for their watches. Until last year, when a complete, masterfully crafted bracelet appeared on the Odysseus.

It is hard to describe its hue. Those who know the brand will recall how ‘red’ A. Lange & Söhne’s early pink gold watches are. It is funny; I recently wore one of the Langematiks in pink gold with a Wellendorff bracelet, and my wife asked me if it was a replica. They are that red. Honeygold sits somewhere between that saturated red and a shallow yellow. Depending on the light, at times it is almost brick-colored, and at times it looks like a matte platinum—and therein lies the joy. It is a delightful chameleon.

The honeygold Odysseus is paired with a stunning brown dial, the first example of which we saw with the Lange 1 Leon Martens Edition. The hands are broad, the day and date discs match, and different sections are separated with alternating finishes. The honeygold bracelet is delightfully brushed, feeling almost silky on the wrist.

The Odysseus in honeygold might very well be the most opulent sports watch we are ever going to see from Lange—unless they decide to relaunch a new precious metal bracelet selection one day with a platinum Odysseus? I think they will. Let’s see.

The reference 363.150 Odysseus Honeygold is in like-new condition, complete with its original box and papers. Recently sold at Langepedia.com.