Thoughts On The A. Lange & Sohne Cabaret Soirée Lady’s Watch

I’ve had the pleasure to see an enormous array of luxury watches. Among those have been a wealth of women’s watches, and my experience has been to view them from a male perspective – as someone who would potentially judge and observe someone wearing the watch, as opposed to considering their aesthetic value on my own wrist. In seeing women’s luxury watches, I have been able to place them in a few distinct categories, far fewer that those reserved for men’s watches. Among those categories are handsome functional watches, and beautiful, but impractical jewelry watches. Few timepieces are able to successfully straddle both of these characters. Continue Reading… »

Watch Collecting: A Perspective From One Who Tried, And Failed

Watch collecting is an interesting pursuit, and can mean very different things to different people.  There is no “right answer”–only what works for that individual.  Some people enjoy a rotation of 3-10 watches, happily going to the safety deposit bank or the safe to pull stuff off the winder.  Others keep a few timepieces on hand they wear regularly, and leave the others–sometimes many others–wrapped up in plastic for posterity or investment purposes (I’m thinking of the Patek crowd here, particularly)  Then there are the fanatics for vintage Rolex or Panerai limited editions, who enjoy the hyper-minutiae and sharing a latest rare acquisition with their equally obsessed buddies at get-togethers where festivity levels are just slightly less than that of a Roman bacchanalia.   Continue Reading… »

A. Lange & Sohne Lange Zeitwerk Watch: Continuing Thoughts

Now a few weeks after the announcement of the new Lange Zeitwerk watch I return to looking at it having had the ability to consider its design that was immediately impressive to me. Was this watch simply a good novelty or a lasting design ready to make an impact on future designs from not only A. Lange & Sohne, but other watch makers (where “flattering” mimicry of design often takes place)? Continue Reading… »

A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange “Pour le Merite”: A Watchmaking Gem Rarer Than A Tourbillon

When I first heard that A. Lange & Sohne was going to bring forth a new Richard Lange timepiece, I was intensely interested.  That interest became genuine awe when I discovered what this watch actually offered–the extraordinary fusee and chain energy transmission system has only appeared in two Lange masterpieces to date: the legendary Tourbillon “Pour le Merite” from 1994, and the formidable Tourbograph–a masterpiece with both tourbillon and split-second chronograph.

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A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Makes Walter Lange A Proud “Dad” Once Again

I remember when A. Lange & Söhne made its reappearance in 1994–and I and other watch lovers became entranced with what we were presented.  But the crown jewel of the original Lange collection was the legendary Tourbillon Pour le Mérite watch, with its fusee-and-chain transmission mechanism with tourbillon.  A coveted collectors piece, and one of the most desirable A. Lange & Söhne watches, the “PLM”, as it is known among the cognoscenti, is the watch you most often see on the wrist of Continue Reading… »

A. Lange & Söhne Grande Lange 1 Dial Changes At SIHH 2008 Sure To Be Welcomed By Lange Faithful

Sometimes little changes can have great import; at the watch fairs, beside all the wondrous new introductions from various luxury watch brands, we also see subtle nuances here and there applied to existant models that can be very meaningful.

That can certainly be said for A. Lange & Söhne. Having dazzled us with their complex and gorgeous Cabaret tourbillon, the renowned manufacturer turned its eye to the Grande Lange 1, the larger version of their famed Lange 1 watch–the timepiece which first made the public aware of the wonderful renaissance of watchmaking which was stirring in Germany after the collapse of the Berlin wall.

The Grande Lange 1 has been around since 2003, and to go along with the bolder size, the watches featured striking and richly contrasted dials. These have an elaborate beauty, but there’s no denying the inherent perfection in the original argente silver dials of the original Lange 1 watch. Understanding this, A. Lange & Söhne has delivered the goods. The patient Lange faithful can now obtain the Grande Lange 1 watch with dial that evokes all the sublime elegance of the original model.

Another wonderful A. Lange & Sohne watch: The Saxonia Automatik

It seems like every time I drool over the wonderful watches of A. Lange & Sohne, I always come away with a new favorite–there is just so many fine details to admire and fall in love with across the breadth of this brand’s exceptional output.

This time, I feel the need to express rapture with the new Saxonia Automatik watch. Combining the elegance of the now discontinued A. Lange & Sohne 1815 model, with the technical fascination and presence of the A. Lange & Sohne technical exclusive–the outsize date–this superb watch is an incredibly satisfying statement of German high watchmaking. The movement inside this watch is surpassingly beautiful, and a
particular favorite of mine. Compared to the A. Lange manual-wind calibers which are beautiful, but comparatively obscured by their large three-quarter plate, the Manufacture L924.1 caliber reveals more of its mechanical architecture to the eye, and the amazingly detailed gold and platinum “three-quarter” rotor is truly spectacular. (Its also got an extremely neat zero reset mechanism, which automatically resets the second hand to zero when the crown is withdrawn) Such a beautifully constructed movement makes you almost want to want to wear this timepiece upside down, but then again, it would be a real shame not to be able to behold that solid silver dial with its nearly perfect details.

A. Lange & Sohne may make more complicated watches, but as a balance between classicism and horological sophistication, they don’t come any better.

Sporty provocation within A. Lange & Sohne’s Lange 1 watch collection: The Lange 1 “Luminous”

The A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 watch is for many fine timepiece collectors, “the” watch which defines the unique Germanic luxury of this prestigious brand. Whether in yellow gold, pink gold, or platinum, this watch gets nothing but raves; friendly discussions about which dial brings out the Lange 1’s unique beauty best is a common thread in A. Lange & Sohne discussions, be it at the dinner table or an Internet forum.

That said, probably the “odd man out” is the Lange 1 “Luminous”. While it has a small circle of advocates, it seems that this very sporty dial is perhaps the least appreciated of all the various dials. I can see both sides of the issue—were I to acquire a Lange 1 watch, I can certainly see the logic in choosing a more classic variation, especially were it my first A. Lange & Sohne watch. However, if I had more than one A. Lange & Sohne timepiece, the Lange 1 Luminous might very well be tempting—it represents an underdog selection among a watch which is already in a very rare and exclusive group. While it may be different than its siblings, it’s no less beautifully crafted, with intricate applications of luminous material that give it a pilot watch-type feel–a style that I happen to like very much.

Plus, being a casual dresser by preference, this watch’s aesthetics match my lifestyle a bit better than the more classical dials. Yep, I really do like the Luminous, and I feel it’s a worthwhile and effective addition to the great A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 lineup.

My minor beef with a major A. Lange & Sohne watch

Although it might be sacriligious to say anything disparaging about such a magnificent watch, it’s a risk I’ll have to take: I don’t particularly like the moonphase display on the otherwise spectacular A. Lange & SohneDatograph Perpetual. While I “get” that Lange wanted to incorporate a full classic perpetual calendar into the already astounding Datograph watch, and most classic perpetual calendar watches have a moonphase indicator, in this case it seems things could have turned out better.

With this timepiece, getting a moonphase indicator in meant a certain amount of crowding had to take place, since all the perpetual calendar displays had to be arranged in the same area with the chronograph dials. The poor little moonphase indicator, way down at the bottom of the dial in its little arc shaped window, just seems kind of there as an afterthought, rather than part of a glorious and unified whole. To get an idea of what I mean, take a look at A. Lange & Sohne’s Lange 1 Moonphase timepiece, or the Langematik Perpetual…there’s no question with either of these that Lange got the moonphase right–spectacularly so. Of course, these watches don’t have quite as much going on, so making the moon disc larger may have been more feasible for Lange from a design standpoint.

Maybe this is one of those perpetuals that is best without it. Taking a lesson from the Ulysse Nardin GMT Perpetual watches, perhaps the aesthetics of the Datograph Perpetual could have been improved if the watch simply omitted the moonphase display.

A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Watch – Horological Substance

The recent introduction of the Richard Lange watch by A. Lange & Sohne was news that pleased me greatly. While I love the style, execution and superb details of this watch, it’s the ethic of horological purism behind the Richard Lange timepiece that appeals to me most. Needless to say, this piece is very high up on my list of “grail” watches. In the spirit of the first A. Lange & Sohne timepieces, the Richard Lange watch adheres to the “one watch, one movement” philosophy–that is, it has an entirely new caliber designed specifically for it. I could say that I love this ticking beauty because it’s gorgeous, but that wouldn’t be saying a whole lot, since all of the A. Lange & Sohne movements are stunners; the thing about this one that makes it special is the subtle technical elements. From the exclusive Lange hairspring and balance wheel, to the spring barrel stopwork which helps ensure near constant torque, each element inside the L.041.2 unites to produce superb, precision performance. Amidst a sea of sometimes pretentious complications which characterize the landscape of the high luxury watch industry, the Richard Lange watch has a quiet, substantial virtuosity that is most refreshing.