A. Lange & Söhne

So I’m terribly late to the party but thankfully enough, the boat hasn’t sailed yet. I guess there’s an afterparty after all  

Ever since I’ve collected watches 10-15 years ago, I always recognized A. Lange & Sohne from its iconic Lange 1 and Datograph series. Funnily enough, I’ve never swayed that way, as I was always distracted by other offerings in the market, particularly big watches in the late noughties, followed by dive watches and subsequently vintage watches. As some of you might know, I made the unconventional foray into independents, moving away from vintage and the mainstream when vintage watch prices went through the roof in the last couple of years. Lange simply fell through the cracks for me. Not to forget, Patek Philippe has always vied for my attention in the interim. The honest truth was that, I was going to focus on Patek once I had my time with the Indies. Little did I know, the Lange One Luminous stole my heart and I must say that the eventual path towards Patek is not so clear anymore. If it makes any sense, I believe the road ahead would suggest I have to pursue both brands concurrently. 

In recent times, I’ve started to make it a point to pen my thoughts down about my watch collecting journey and share it with like minded individuals. Thankfully, the forum for me is the perfect place to do so, having been here since awhile now. Watch collecting to me is like appreciating wine. You can do it alone (especially during covid19 lockdowns!), but it is always more fun to share it with likeminded friends. To learn, grow and appreciate aspects of your life with people sharing the same value system always means much more than doing it alone. The “value system” I refer to here, is of course the appreciation of watches. So I’ll get on with it. In particular, I wish to talk about why I missed the Lange One, why I chose the ref. 101.029 and why it has been inseparable from me ever since it fell into my hands yesterday. 

As I mentioned, when I started collecting watches, I was younger and lacked knowledge and understanding of the watch world. Under such circumstances, the risk of subjugating oneself to market trends is unavoidable. Obviously, as a young and active person, a bigger and more eye catching watch on the wrist “speaks more” than a <40mm dress watch that could slip away under the cuff and go unnoticed (with reference to size, I soon corrected that mistake when I moved onto vintage Rolex in the late noughties). Further, in the early days, the pricing of Lange was out of my reach and in later years remained uncompelling to me. If a dress watch was needed, there were plenty of options below Lange’s price point. At the same price category, Patek always spoke out to me more. Remember, brand marketing can always be a very powerful tool in luring the buyer. Especially when the next generation is involved, it will tug at your heartstrings. Lastly (and I believe this is the biggest reason of it all), the value of Lange had been grossly misunderstood by me all these years. And I do not just mean monetary, intrinsic or technical value. I mean historical, heritage, emotional and its relative value to other brands. To a collector who loves the watches from Lange, I’m sure it is easy to understand that the heritage and history of the brand makes up its foundation — it is the cornerstone of how the brand derives its value. In short, people buy it because they like the “Lange story”, and owning a Lange watch further creates an emotional link or experience to the brand. Personally, if one understands all this, then it is by no surprise that the brand’s relative value and importance to other brands has been defined. 

So why the Lange One now ? Frankly speaking, this came as a pleasant surprise. As the horological sphere forges on with new innovations, high-end finishing and the like, I seemed to contradict myself by traveling back in time with the L1 ref. 101.029. I reckon the first major reason was that, there was always a void in my collection that was meant to be filled by a Patek Calatrava of sorts. Also, time only watches (with the exception of a date function, in some cases) have been one of the main themes in my collection. The problem with the Calatravas are numerous. Do I go vintage, or modern? Again there is the issue of attainability for vintages (price being too high, or a particular vintage reference not made available). The moderns too, have some criticism, such as limited updates to movements, a smaller cal. 215 PS movement fitted in too large a case in the ref. 5196, date window on a ref. 5296 spoiling symmetry, the 6000/6006 series being too busy and way too unconventional (note: I actually like these). Honestly, these ‘issues’ were legit enough for me to put on hold my desire to pick one up. It was during this time, that I took that leap of faith and went with the Lange One, which I see as a worthy contender of the Calatrava, though not always considered to be a parallel replacement by the standards of others. 

Now that I have temporarily filled the Calatrava void and the L1 continuing to underscore the major themes in my collection, I must dive into the aesthetics of it, to further reason out why this has been nothing but pure bliss on the wrist. The 38.5mm case size in my humble opinion is really perfect. Loosely speaking, it is the modern answer to what a dress watch would be 40-50 years ago. In short I find it to be classically proportioned. The finishing and play between satin and a polished exterior gives it a modern feel. I also prefer a slightly wider bezel found in the older models that just feels a notch more balanced, between case and dial. 

While I do not wish to elaborate on what we already know about Lange’s masterful comprehension of dial composition, symmetry and balance, I wish to highlight that it is a first for me, to truly appreciate a date function on a watch, not for its utility but for its beauty. The big date has truly given Lange it’s identity, and in the case of the L1 I find this to be absolutely pleasing to the eye.

Moving on, I chose the ref. 101.029 in particular for its dial color and layout. To me this is one of the few designs that come across as striking, playful and somewhat casual. I really appreciate the closed ring around the two subdials, conjoining the two circles without breaking it apart gives it continuity. I also find myself focusing a lot on the date frame, and how striking it looks against the black dial. Collectively, the big date, hands (hour, minute and PR) that do not sit too close or flushed to the dial, the slightly recessed sub dials and the “raised” disc within the seconds sub-dial gives the overall dial surface its texture, depth and the added perception of complexity. The last thing on the dial that needs mentioning is the light green lume on white hands. This gives the watch its distinguished look of being sporty and casual, while not loosing the definitive characteristics of a dress watch that is so well defined in other aspects of this reference. 

On the movement and this is purely subjective, I continue to find the older L901.5 movement a touch more interesting versus the newer L121.1 movement, especially with the two “islands” carved out on the main plate. Also a better movement to case size ratio (30.6:38.5)...that I really appreciate especially when one thinks of the 21.9mm 215 PS movement encased in a 37mm PP ref. 5196. Other pros include the buttery winding on the crown and the easy, effortlessly clicking of the date pusher. While the watch doesn’t have a quick date set, I really have no problem whatsoever slowly watching the date wheel turn past midnight. 

Finally on my 16cm wrist the watch sits rather flat but with “dignity” and with good presence. I must add that while some of Lange’s bigger watches come across as bold and avant-garde, holding and wearing the smaller L1 in 38.5mm feels delicate like a jewel in hand. Small can be beautiful or handsome, delicate and precious. I cannot help but think of how Jack Forster’s words resonate deeply with me when I look, feel and connect with the L1 ref. 101.029. Forster said “the original version gives an ever-so-slightly greater visual impression of mass in a very subtle way... contribut[ing] to the feeling of stolidly Germanic and slightly anachronistic charm that was much of the personality of the company as a whole when it’s first collections debuted”. The L1s are like Porsche’s 911s to me. They both possess a classic and timeless design, where few changes to the main aesthetics has been made over the years. Not to mention, they are also extraordinarily well engineered with a nice history. 

If you have read this far in my post, I just want to thank you for allowing me to share my experience and my first step into the world of Lange. Looking forward to talk to the other enthusiasts on the forum that I have yet to have the chance of knowing.

HAGWE,
Gatsby

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