A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication Tokyo Event

KIH · 2013-10-10T11:40:39Z

Experience the A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication dinner in Tokyo. KIH reports on the unveiling of this monumental in-house timepiece, marking a new era.

KIH

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KIH provides an exclusive report from the A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication dinner in Tokyo, offering a rare glimpse into the unveiling of this monumental timepiece. His detailed account, complete with photographs and videos, captures the excitement and technical prowess behind Lange's first in-house Grand Complication, marking a new era for the manufacture.

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Lange Grand Complication Dinner report:

Held at a very famous restaurant - Hotel de Mikuni.

Everyone is flocking in front of the Grand Complication before the dinner.

As always, nicely arranged table.

On the wall - brand new posters of Grand Complication and its movement (just a few weeks old!).

"Attention to details?"

Room decoration....

Little bit of sneak preview (more later) - there is no glass box

Beautiful enamel dial - 5 parts dial

Just a preview of Foudroyant function of the chronograph. This can measure precisely 1/5 sec.

Mr. Edmond Boussemart - A. Lange & Sohne Japan Brand CEO

New International Sales chief - Mr. Sonke Tornieporth

All three smiling.

Now, long and well timed presentation by Mr. De Haas....

Basically what he wanted to tell us was.....

- He had to speak slowly because he was planning for the Grand Complication to sound the Grand Sonnerie right after his presentation but his turn came much earlier than he thought....
- This watch is MORE THAN the name, Grand Complication. This model is the "symbol of the new era" of Lange.
- This is a true Grand Complication with minutes repeater, grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie. Took 7 years to develop because all were developed from the ground up in-house.
- This is the first Grand Complication including the era of pocket watches - there was the famous No.42500 pocket watch, but movement was bought from Switzerland.
- The minute repeater "lever" is made to look like "sliding lever" so that everyone recognizes this as minute repeater, but it is actually just a button.

- The switch on the bottom is "K" means "small=Petite Sonnerie" and "G" means "big=Grande Sonnerie"

On the top, there is another a switch - "S" means "Sound", and "R" means "Stop (or silence)"

Now it's time for the Grande Sonnerie of 12:45

Now, Mr. Momoi - CEO of The Hour Glass Ginza - makes speech for "Kanpai".

Finally, we can eat.....

And, lucky me, I was sandwiched by the two big guys....

I forgot to take most of the food photos... This is the main beef marinated with Kyoto Miso... Yummy!

Grand Complication dessert

Yes, very thick

Wrist shots of the guests of my table.

Now after dinner..... closer shots time.

Working Movement (note that this is still a prototype - so no comment on the finishing yet please)

And the new slide-in deployant buckle....

Wrist shot time!

Beautiful!

Thick!

Rattrapante pusher and minute repeater switch

Chronograph is monopusher.

How would this look on lady's wrist?

And Grand Sonnerie at 9 o'clock. Really beautiful sound up close (but Mr. De Haas wants to tune a bit more)!

Again, the official photo of the watch, front and movement. Wouldn't mind having them on the wall of my room instead of owning one

)))

Thank you so much:
Messrs. Einhorn, De Haas, and Tornieporth - Lange Uhren (Glashutte)
Mr. Boussemart and Ms. Mimata and staff - Lange Japan
Mr. Momoi and staff - The Hour Glass Ginza

Thanks for reading.

Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2013-10-10 11:47:59

Key Points from the Discussion

Despite its large size and weight, some collectors, like 'cory' and 'BluNotte', find the Grand Complication's 'pocket watch on the wrist' enormity desirable, hoping future complications retain these substantial dimensions.
The Grand Complication is seen as a significant achievement for A. Lange & Söhne, providing much-needed competition to Patek Philippe in the realm of ultra-rare, highly complicated timepieces.
The watch is acknowledged as an outstanding demonstration of classic watchmaking technique, with its layered movement architecture contributing to its impressive thickness.
The Grand Complication's size and thickness mean it won't suit everyone, but the sheer volume is necessary to house its ambitious, multi-complication movement.
The new 'sliding' deployant clasp, featured on the Grand Complication, raises questions among collectors about its availability for other Lange models and its overall user experience.
It is believed that all Grand Complications are already spoken for, suggesting that these rare beasts are unlikely to see much actual wrist time, often complemented by other high-end Lange pieces for daily wear.

The Discussion

Whirling

Oct 10, 2013

What a great watch...what a great event!

Ken, Wow, looks like you had a great time. Plus, that watch is fantastic. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was desperate to see ALS come out with a Grand Complication. Patek definitely needs more competition for their rarest pieces...and this is just the thing to do that. Thank you for this very enjoyable post, though it does create envy in my heart, which is a sin. :-) Regards, Jon

KIH

Oct 10, 2013

Even Patek has not come out with...

... minute repeater, grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, and rattrapante complication wrist watch yet! Ken

jp884

Oct 10, 2013

One word, WOW!!

It truly is an amazing piece, even if realistically it would be really difficult to wear. Thanks for another great report Ken.

KIH

Oct 10, 2013

Really made a wonderful sound!

It was worth wait, I'd say - although I won't hear it again, hahaha. Ken

SALMANPK

Oct 10, 2013

Very Exciting :-)

Thank you for your wonderful report, it was just like being there with you :-) S

KIH

Oct 10, 2013

Tony is such an...

.. entertainer and it was fun presentation! I am sure it will come to your region as well! Ken

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