Art Leko
9
The story of Eikka, my Lange 1 ref. 191.039.
About watches
My first memory of watches goes back to my grandfather’s quartz watch with a metal bracelet. It might’ve been Leijona, Citizen or Seiko. I was around six years old at the time. Few years later I remember begging my father to buy a quartz chronograph for himself as a Christmas present so that I could play with the start and stop function when he wasn’t using the watch. The first watch I remember owning is a Casio G-Shock. Even though I stopped using it after a few years, I kept it and took it with me to use as an alarm clock when I was doing the mandatory military training in Finland. As a teenager I remember buying a Swatch Skin with transparent plastic, basically a skeletonized quartz watch. This is the time I became interested in the inner workings of a watch, but it took a few more years until I got interested in the world of mechanical watches.
During my time at the University, I was able to buy my first mechanical watch. Going through various options, I learned about the usage of ebauches and of manufacture calibers. I set my eyes on Jaeger-LeCoultre and tried to find a Master Reserve de Marche used. That was a time before Chrono24 and other established sources and the search ended unfruitfully. I found a nice deal out of another JLC classic, the Reverso. Soon I was the proud owner of a Reverso Grande Date with 8 days power reserve. This was the first, but not the last time I would buy a watch without trying it first. As you might have guessed this was and always will be a mistake. While I loved the watch in vacuum, it just didn’t fit my wrist nor my style and I ended up selling it later to finance the first car I bought together with my wife.
Fast forward to 2014. I had gone a few years without owning a mechanical watch. I wanted to buy one for my 30th birthday, but couldn’t afford to go for another manufacture brand this time. I ended up buying a Stowa flieger, without trying, as they could only be ordered directly from the manufacturer. I had heard they’re good value and I liked the fact that they’re one of the five brands to supply watches to the military during the second World War. To be clear, the war itself was a horrible thing, but Stowa’s involvement held some value to me. I chose the ETA 2428 TOP version which had perlage, heat blued screws and a bit better adjustment. The watch is currently on permanent loan to a friend of mine. The 40mm case is uncomfortable on my wrist which led to me gradually using the watch less and less.
The only watch that currently sees wrist time apart from my Lange is my treasured sixties Omega Constellation ‘Pie-Pan’ which I got from my wife as a gift the morning after we got married. Someday I’d like to complete my watch trinity by adding a diver to the collection, but I’m in no hurry.
A. Lange & Söhne
The journey that led me to A. Lange & Söhne started maybe 20 years ago after reading an article about luxury watch brands in an inflight magazine. The only thing I remember clearly about it is a picture of a pyramid filled with watch brands and Patek Philippe on the top. For many years during my early twenties I had a Patek as the watch that I hoped to someday own.
When I ventured deeper into the rabbit hole, I learned a great deal about watchmaking and the players within the industry. Among the exhaustive list of established watch brands and independents, there was something special about A. Lange & Söhne that caught my interest. The combination of German silver, gold chatons, heat blued screws and red rubies along with polished or otherwise finished steel components was darn beautiful to look at. I was equally impressed by what Lange had been able to accomplish in just 25 years. Despite their history dating back to 1845, the current A. Lange & Söhne started mostly from scratch in 1990 and they’ve since introduced to the world of high horology modern classics such as Lange 1, Datograph and Zeitwerk. Even though it’s also a result of successful marketing, it is no coincidence that Langes are widely considered the best finished serially (several thousands pieces annually) produced watches. Once you take a closer look at the movement of any Lange the emphasis on detail and pursuit of perfection can be easily observed.
In the end, it didn’t take too long for Lange to become the sole object of my somewhat realistic horological hopes and dreams.
Eikka
Ever since I met my wife we’ve had a silly habit of giving nicknames to certain material objects in our life. Our 25 year old La Pavoni espresso machine is called Paavo. My Coravin wine opener is called Niilo, which is derived from English word needle. My Lange 1 is called Eikka. Eikka is a common nickname for Eino (that is a Finnish male name). One is Ein in German. So you see. Lange 1 is Lange Ein which leads to Eino which leads to Eikka. Simple isn’t it?
When I first made myself familiar with the A. Lange & Söhne collection, I thought the Lange 1 an ugly mess. I used to like arabic numerals the most in a dial and 1815 Up/Down was my favorite for a long time. As my condition (watch obsession) got worse I started looking at the Saxonia Thin 37mm as a more reachable alternative. The longer I drooled over different options, the better the Lange 1 started to feel. It even had basically all of the complications I was looking for in a watch in the basic model.
Three years ago I finally got to fiddle with a few different Lange watches in Stockholm. I still remember the tremendous weight and density which I believe to be a result of the materials used and construction with the historical ¾ plate. Built like a tank is another way to put it.
As I tried the Lange 1 ref. 191.039 for the first time there was no going back. Everything about it felt simply perfect on my wrist. The height of 9,8mm gives it considerable wrist presence, but it’s not too thick. 38,5mm diameter feels like a sweet spot between larger modern design and smaller vintage watches. Pictures don’t really do justice to how light plays on the dial and when you turn the watch over, you’re greeted with the beautiful Lange caliber L 121.1.
Many consider it to be an exemplary dress watch, but I feel it’s so much more. The asymmetric dial is what breaks the stereotype and has made it easy for me to use it as an everyday watch.
During the next two years my watch fever got worse. I tried the same watch again in Frankfurt and after the trip I was making plans on how I could save up the money to buy it for my 40th birthday. After a good start I had to accept reality and give up on the plan as the commitment was too much in addition to family obligations, mortgage and all.
Then a water leakage started a long series of events that led us to sell our apartment and move abroad for a while. Ultimately it ended in me deciding to become a watchmaker at the age of 35. PM me if you wish to hear the full story.
I thought about making the purchase for a long time and came to the conclusion that it’s now or in twenty years. I had studied accounting and finance long enough to understand that buying the watch now simply meant that I would have to take a bit bigger loan the next time we buy an apartment. As I knew that a Lange holds its value fairly well after the initial depreciation all that was left was to make sure I got the best possible deal for it. I had a hard time finding a ref. 191.039 used and if new, I wanted to buy it either from a boutique or an authorized dealer.
My visit to the Dresden boutique was memorable and their offer tempting, but in monetary terms not quite what I was looking for.
Maybe it’s Italy or just Florence, but Ugo Piccini on the other hand was willing to work out a deal that I couldn’t walk away from. It’s funny that the moment I made the order I couldn’t care less if it took four, six or eight weeks to actually receive the watch. My daily routine of reading Hodinkee, Deployant and SJX watches stopped instantly. I was finally at ease.
I received the watch late October 2019 and I’ve been using it daily for over a year now. Some might consider me crazy, but I bought it to use it. There was always a small doubt in the back of my head that am I really buying the watch for myself and not to show off, but I’ve experienced first hand how Lange truly is what they call stealth wealth. Not one person (that didn’t know beforehand about my purchase) has noticed the watch I’m wearing and I couldn't care less. I don’t need the attention or status that certain watches give their owners. I still feel the same kind of excitement and delight every time I put Eikka on my wrist and even more so if a few days have passed since the last time I used it.
One final remark on the detail and finishing on Lange watches. A teacher at the Finnish School of Watchmaking told us one day: ‘During the three years you spend in this school you will gradually notice that the items you thought well made are not that well made after all.’ It’s been five months since I started my studies and my Lange 1 is doing just fine.
-Roope
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The story of Eikka, my Lange 1 ref. 191.039.
About watches My first memory of watches goes back to my grandfather’s quartz watch with a metal bracelet. It might’ve been Leijona, Citizen or Seiko. I was around six years old at the time. Few years later I remember begging my father to buy a quartz chr...
Brilliant story
Thank you for sharing it with us. And concerning “The One”, I know what you mean 😉 Regards, George
This is an amazing story that is definitely worth sharing!
And yes, the Lange 1 is definitely meant to be worn!
That is one fantastic journey, many thanks for sharing!
Alas, I am afraid the teacher is right - though this is one of the few watches that can stand to it!
L&S quality
Quality wise you will be very happy with your watch forever....even when you see/understand the quality. L&S is truly one of the best made watches money can buy. Wish you many happy moments with your watch !
