A. Lange & Söhne

First of all, congratulations on thinking about the 1815 Chronograph in RG.  I have been collecting Lange pieces since 1999 and over the years have been fortunate to own both the original PT Datograph and the WG 1815 Chronograph.  While I enjoyed both pieces (and will provide some comments on both models below), both watches were eventually sold/traded.  Earlier this year I was able to purchase the RG 1815 Chronograph you are considering.  It is one of the best Lange pieces I have ever owned and is my choice for the best chronograph that has come from ALS.  

The Datograph was my first Lange chronograph.  It is unquestionably an icon from a number of perspectives, including design, technical innovation and sheer beauty.  Alas for me, it was too tall and heavy to wear comfortably.  In addition, the PT case and black dial, coupled with the luminous hour and minute hands, made for a rather sporty looking watch.  I found it out of place under a shirt cuff with a suit.  So while it is a true icon and hallmark of ALS, I found the watch was far too valuable and special to wear casually and it wasn't a perfect dress piece.  But I sold it because it wasn't great on my wrist, and my enjoyment of these watches comes from wearing them.

A few years later I acquired the original 1815 Chronograph in WG.  It wore much better than the taller and heavier PT Dato.  I am a huge fan of blued steel hands, and this watch has 5 of them.  These were the good points.  The not so good- as with the original Datograph, the power reserve is modest.  The dial suffers, IMHO, from a rather small landscape for the time measuring portion of the dial, due to the pulsation graduation ring.  As such, the size of the case is quite large for the actual amount of space dedicated to marking time, as well as the sub registers.  Finally, the WG case and silver dial are relatively monochromatic. I have come to prefer more contrast between case metal and dial color.  

I have provided these comments in large part to contrast the RG 1815 Chronograph.  What a spectacular watch!  I think this particular version is wholly under-appreciated and represents "relative" value in the ALS catalog.  Size is great.  It wears well.  The contrast between the RG case, the silver dial, the black dial printing and the superb blued steel hands is brilliant.  Captivating.  Removal of the pulsation scale has uncluttered the dial.  The sub dials are larger and look great.  Aesthetically it is a tour de force.  And then there is the movement!  What a masterpiece.  The large balance is affixed with weights and not screws.  It has the in-house hairspring.  In fact, I believe the balance and spring are identical to what is found in the uber accurate and robust Richard Lange.  In the 1815 Chronograph, the power reserve is a healthy 60 hours.  The beauty of the movement is a sight to behold and is made all the more stunning when encased in RG.  Sure, WG is traditional for this piece.  But lets recognize that this is a dressy chronograph.  I think it is a stunner in RG.  It's still a very expensive watch.  MSRP in the US is north of $50K.  But in comparison with the current Dato up/down, it's a relative bargain.  And I think it compares favorably to the 2 register PP chronographs.  As you can tell, I adore mine.  

Good luck with your search and I hope you enjoy whichever piece finds its way to your wrist.

Best,

Rob

  login to reply