A. Lange & Söhne

CR
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One thing that makes comparing YG difficult....

... is that a recently polished YG watch looks VASTLY different from one that has been allowed to develop a patina over the years. A few weeks ago, I saw two YG Lange deployant buckles sitting side by side. One had been recently polished, while the other (about 10 years old) had never been polished. They looked like two completely different metals. The older one had a much deeper yellow/green/orange hue. It was unmistakably YELLOW. The newer one looked similar to newly polished rose gold or honey gold -- its hue was much lighter -- and you might have to look twice just to reassure yourself that it's really YG (vs. RG, etc.). I could be wrong, but the YG PLM Tourbillon in your photo looks like it has been allowed to age gracefully without being polished -- at least, the caseback photo appears that way (deep, rich yellow/orange/green) to me.

For me, this choice -- YG vs. PT Tourbillon PLM -- is a total crapshoot. It reminds me of the Emil Lange 1815 Moonphase "RG vs. PT" choice. With the 1815 Moonphase models, one day PT looks best, while another day RG looks best. It's about as arbitrary as it can get, and in the end, it's just really gratifying to have SOMETHING!

I think the PLM Tourbillon looks beautiful in both PT and YG, but you're making me choose (grrrrr) .... So in that case, I'd give a VERY slight edge to YG. That's because (1) the overall style of the PLM Tourbillon is reminiscent of a pocketwatch, and to me, a proper pocketwatch is YG (not white metal); and (2) YG was Walter Lange's choice, so YG feels more historically important or accurate (or at least more historic, if that makes sense). I feel the same way about the 1815 series in general -- the older versions, as well as the newly released/updated 1815 Up/Down -- that YG has a slight edge over white metal.

[BTW, I think the nicest PT variation that I saw had the salmon-colored dial. I believe that was a unique piece, though. I'd love to see that salmon-colored dial piece in person someday!]

Bottom line for me is that this particular model looks phenomenal in either PT or YG.

Thanks for the great post and pics, too -- both owners are fortunate to have scored these keepers!