A. Lange & Söhne

A long time ago, I purchased my first “super nice” watch. A Lange 1 in rose gold - ref 101.031. At the time you could pick them up quite inexpensively because Lange wasn’t really as hyped as it is now. I loved the design and aged German silver on the back...  

Thanks a lot for this well considered and balanced review 👌🏻👍🏻 And one can feel the appreciation for the watch very well. Just out of curiosity, what bothered you about the Zeitwerk? 😊

1. They had backed out of giving me this allocation which rubbed me the wrong way. 2. The service costs went way up 3. I got bored of the conservative aesthetic and wanted something openworked.

Was about to stretch to one some years back but then some priorities shifted and did not go for it. I still like it but your servicing costs comment is not exactly increasing my desire 😉🤷🏻‍♂️

They fix the "preloading" issue too that the first one had. I'd also go for a platinum one because I think the colors look WAY better. My friend has that one and I love it compared to the somewhat boring black dial.

I’m sure you’re right and that, in the hand, it looks even better still. Congratulations again on this watch, it looks great on you. All the best, Jon

Like you, it would be nice to consider straps for it — but, then again, its overall vibe seems wedded to a bracelet, and a strap just might not work aesthetically! Congratulations!

Someone else posted one of these on the Delugs sailcloth rubber too that came out great.

Wear it in the best of health. Best, Emmanuel

But I think it wears bit too big/wide. They should make the "medium version, 36-37 mm...the i will be very tempted. Wear it in great health, it looks super on you.

IMO the design would work even better in 36mm or 37mm flavor like you said. Unfortunately most people seem to buy watches off the dial diameter instead of lug width and don’t get how case design impacts true size.

You pull it off really well. While at 40mm, the lugs probably make it more like a 55mm ish across.

You weren't kidding when you said you'd post better photos: these are truly excellent. Nice write-up too - several interesting thoughts. Enjoy your new Odysseus.

It’s cool what you can do with phones nowadays.

Maybe the first cool Xmas gift I’ve had since I was 14 and got an Xbox lol

One point that I appreciated: like you I find this design to look quite awkward in photos. When I saw it in person for the first time I was genuinely surprised to find that I liked it!

Except maybe for Greubel, but that is a different category. I wouldn’t say that Lange is hyped. In fact, I would argue the opposite is true, especially when taking into account their quality

Around 2020 - 2023 they were kinda pricey. Now cheap again. IE Zeitwerk and dato back to 50s/60s. Which is a great deal

Your comments are really nicely balanced and provide a greater understanding and appreciation for what the steel O-Datomatic is and isn't. Definitely does look better in person than online!

I’m also wearing mine this week and still feels this first born in a family is very special. ...  

is the anglage on the back of yours thicker than other langes you've handled?

Now that you mentioned, I think it is just a bit more…see some examples I took. It’s harder for the Odysseus with one hand holding the bracelet. ZW ZW RL Dato 1st gen Odysseus again Lange 1 1815 ...  

I guess it's a stylistic choice from Lange, but most of their watches are pretty consistent finishing wise. Kind of surprised!

I’m the exact opposite - I love it when I see the live shots on the wrist online. When I finally saw one in the flesh, there was no emotional connection. I’m thankful since I would never be able to acquire one!😆 Enjoy this beauty! Happy Holidays!🥂 ... 

The watch looks perfect on you and I'm really happy that you didn't have to play their bundle game to acquire it (unless I'm misunderstanding your post...) Your pictures are amazing, as usual, but... they are too good actually as they show clearly (IMHO, ... 

Not sure how it can come out either. It just feels like a silly restriction. I LOVE switching straps...my Speedy gets worn way more than it should because it's so easy and fun to swap straps with that watch.