A. Lange & Söhne

CR
[Moderator]
4038

• Show profile
• Show other posts

Many Lange repairs done in Germany have been taking a VERY long time lately...

I'm sorry to hear this! A year to change hands (or for any repair) is extraordinary, even if we assume that Lange is doing more than just changing the hands on your watch (because they've found other parts of the movement that need replacement, etc.). And no, you are NOT alone in having Lange in Germany give you a return date and then not meet that date. That is a common and very frustrating experience these days. Those are 2 separate (but perhaps related) issues -- (1) a long turnaround time, and (2) communicating an accurate estimate of turnaround time to the owner.

Regarding issue #1, the long turnaround time .... As I understand it, Lange repairs in Germany are taking so long right now simply because there are many more used Langes in the world now than there were 5 or 10 years ago. Lange relaunched in 1994, so it makes a lot of sense that 20 years later, the company is experiencing a dramatic increase in its number of repairs, modifications, and overhauls. Lange needs to expand and improve its repair capabilities to meet this increased demand, but Lange has not yet done that. I am told that Lange is actively addressing this issue by (1) training new watchmakers and (2) expanding physical space for their repair department. However, that expansion is not complete. Therefore, unfortunately, many of us have fallen victim to Lange's "growth pains" in recent years by experiencing dramatically longer wait times.

On a related note, I understand that more complicated Lange watches take longer in general. Can you tell us, what model Lange did you send??  Hopefully it's not a manual wind 1815 or Saxonia!

Regarding issue #2, being promised a "false" return date on multiple occasions ... All I can say is that this is a common, avoidable, and inexcusable communication issue. I don't know why this happens so often, but I know that it does. It would be less frustrating if Lange simply said to everyone, "The average time that a Lange watch spends in Glashutte is 6 months. Sometimes it takes longer, and other times you'll get it back sooner. As a matter of policy, that is all the information we provide about estimated turnaround time for any Lange watch sent to Glashutte." Personally, I'd rather hear a "blanket response" like that than be given a specific return date that is inexplicably not met (especially multiple times).

All of that being said, the LAST thing you'd want to do, especially after waiting all this time, is to have Lange rush your watch and return it to you in unsatisfactory condition. So there's not much more I can think of that you can do except try to inquire with Lange in Germany through other channels. For example, if you sent the watch to Lange yourself, then your nearest authorized Lange dealer can give you the contact info for the Lange representative/president in your region of the world. Hopefully your regional brand president can advocate for you with Lange in Germany after you have explained the situation, though of course there's not much more (s)he can do either.

I hope that before long, you will have your beautiful Lange, with its new hands, back in YOUR hands!
This message has been edited by CR on 2013-05-11 08:23:19