A. Lange & Söhne

Anyone have any experience with the Lange touch up process? I had to send in a piece for service and I was contacted by Lange to ask if I wanted to also do the cosmetic touch up on my watch case. The case is rose gold and I've had the piece for 2 years, w... 

Their refinishing is supposed to be amazing because they laser weld/fill. So you dont lose case shape and material like you do with other brands.

It'll be as new, so I'd go for it if it is not a sincerely sentimental piece that you'd like to see the happenings throughout time.

scratches are part of the "history" of the watch, and touch-up erases the history. My preference is to keep it as is unless there is a significant damage to the case that is not aesthetically pleasing to your eyes ...

it tells the story of one's life experiences. jmho

That time I banged my watch into a door frame, drawer or counter really isn't "the story of one's life experiences". At least, that's my opinion.

--The BigFatPauli Story, As Told To His Datograph I see your point. Scratches often aren't meaningful life events.

as I have sent my Datograph for servicing a few months ago and asked for the case to be redone as it was pretty well used (as it should be I suppose). I should receive it back before Christmas and will post some photos, but wouldn't want that to hold up y... 

" Part of me leans towards no because I romanticize my scratches, the every scratch tells a story camp." I'm in that same camp. As Pauli said, it's a different story if you damage the case in some major way. In short, if you look at the watch, think about... 

Who dinged their watch pretty good while on safari in Africa. They were chased by a lion or elephant and they had to jump into the back of their pickup truck to escape, scraping the watch. That kind of scratch, I understand wanting to preserve. But that i... 

I forgot to mention, if you send a Lange in for servicing, then remove the patina that forms on the German silver. It looks way richer and deeper with the patina imo

Its a good question. I have been a Lange owner at various point, but I never experienced their cleaning service because I never asked them to do that. There’s a lot of discussion about how desirable patina is. Its tempting to get the case, lugs etc. repol... 

I think I will hold off. I don't have any major dings that are cosmetically irritating. Mainly just minor stuff. The every scratch tells a story bit is an exaggeration, I'll admit. I can't point to a random scratch and say where it came from. But collecti... 

I was wondering why the watch needs to go to service after 2 years. Is this a pre-emptive measure, or is something malfunctioning? My understanding was that ALS watches continue to work well even beyond manufacture recommended 2 year period ... Thanks!